Sally

Cristo Redentor

Standing 38 metres tall atop the 710-metre Corcovado peak, Christ the Redeemer has watched over Rio since 1931 and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The outstretched arms span 28 metres and seem to embrace the whole city — Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf and the sprawl of Rio's neighbourhoods laid out below. Getting there is half the experience: the rack railway climbs through dense Atlantic Forest before the statue suddenly fills your view. On a clear morning you'll understand at once why Cariocas feel their city is blessed.

Insider tips

• Check the live webcam on the official site before you go — fog rolls in fast. Clear mornings are best; aim to arrive by 8:30 AM.
• The summit is packed by 10 AM. Go at opening or late afternoon (4–5 PM) for the best light and fewer people.
• Book the train (not the van) — the ride up through Tijuca Forest is genuinely beautiful.
• Bring a light layer; it can be cooler and windier at the top than in the city.

Where to eat & drink

• Aprazível Restaurant & bar

  A magical treehouse-style restaurant in nearby Santa Teresa with panoramic bay views and one of Rio's finest cachaça collections (200+). Book ahead.

• Bar do Mineiro Traditional boteco

  A Santa Teresa institution since 1992 — cold beer, excellent feijoada on Saturdays, and a relaxed crowd of artists and locals.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)

Sugarloaf Mountain

Rising 396 metres from the edge of Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf is Rio's most iconic silhouette. Getting up involves two stages of glass-sided cable car, with a stop on Morro da Urca that already has extraordinary views. The summit rewards you with arguably the finest panorama in Rio: the bay spreading to Niterói, Cristo Redentor glowing on Corcovado, and the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema curving south. Sunset from the top is genuinely moving.

Insider tips

• Sunset is the unmissable time. Aim to be at the summit 30–45 min before; book sunset tickets well ahead — they sell out.
• Check the weather first — clear days only. The official site has a live weather cam.
• June–September has the most reliably clear skies and cooler temperatures.
• After your visit, walk down to the Urca waterfront — one of Rio’s most tranquil, beautiful spots.

Where to eat & drink

• Bar Urca Bar & restaurant

  Founded in 1939. Grab an ice-cold beer and award-winning pastries, then eat them on the harbour wall across the street with the bay in front of you — a quintessential Rio moment.

• Praia Vermelha kiosks Beach kiosks

  The small, sheltered 'Red Beach' is a 5-minute walk from the cable car. Kiosks serve cold beer, água de coco and simple snacks to a local crowd.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC)

Ipanema & Copacabana

Together these beaches form 6.6 km of Atlantic coastline that made Rio famous. Copacabana is the classic 4-km crescent backed by its black-and-white mosaic promenade; Ipanema (of Bossa Nova fame) is its more stylish neighbour, known for sunsets over Arpoador rock. Both are divided into sections by numbered lifeguard posts (postos), each with its own character — most visitors settle near Posto 9 (Ipanema's bohemian heart) or Posto 5–6 (the classic Copacabana strip).

Insider tips

• The classic beach combo: água de coco, a stick of biscoito Globo, and mate (sweet iced tea) — all from beach vendors. The Carioca way.
• Go before 9 AM or after 4 PM in summer — midday heat is intense. December–March are the hottest, busiest months.
• Leave valuables at your hotel; bring only what you need and keep your phone away when not in use.
• Arpoador at sunset is one of the city’s most beautiful free experiences — crowds gather on the rocks and applaud the sun.

Where to eat & drink

• Bar Astor Bar & restaurant

  Right across from Ipanema beach — an Art Deco-inspired bar famous for expertly made gin cocktails and creamy draft beer.

• Churrascaria Palace Brazilian steakhouse

  A Copacabana institution for 70+ years — an endless parade of grilled meats brought to your table. An essential Brazilian feast.

• Quiosques (beach kiosks) Beach kiosks

  Permanent kiosks line both beaches with cold beer, caipirinhas, água de coco and seafood — just pull up a beach chair.

Santa Teresa & Selarón

Santa Teresa is Rio's most romantic neighbourhood — a bohemian hillside of crumbling mansions, colourful street art, open studios and some of the city's best restaurants with bay views. The bonde tram has run since 1877, rattling up from Lapa across the 18th-century Arcos da Lapa aqueduct. At the foot of the hill, the Escadaria Selarón is a 215-step staircase covered in 2,000+ tiles from 60 countries — the 20-year labour of artist Jorge Selarón. And this is the neighbourhood where our wedding takes place, at Mansão Alvite.

Insider tips

• The Selarón Steps are best at 6–8 AM, before the tour groups — beautiful light and empty steps.
• Take the bonde (tram) up to Largo dos Guimarães, then walk down — the descent to the steps is the ideal order.
• Stick to the main streets on foot; avoid the narrow side alleys, especially after dark or alone.
• Santa Teresa comes alive on weekend afternoons — galleries open, musicians appear, restaurants fill. Saturday is ideal.

Where to eat & drink

• Bar do Mineiro Traditional boteco

  Santa Teresa's most beloved bar since 1992 — cold beer, excellent Saturday feijoada, and a relaxed mix of artists, locals and travellers.

• Aprazível Restaurant

  A spectacular open-air restaurant built into the hillside like a treehouse, with panoramic bay views and a superb cachaça list. Book ahead.

• Parque das Ruínas Gallery & viewpoint (free)

  A free art gallery in the ruins of a Belle Époque mansion, with some of the best views in Rio from the top floor.

Tijuca Forest

Tijuca is extraordinary: a 39-square-kilometre Atlantic rainforest inside one of the world's largest cities. Almost destroyed by coffee plantations in the 1700s, it was replanted by hand in the 1860s — one of history's great reforestation stories. Today it shelters 350+ bird species, monkeys, waterfalls and orchids beneath a canopy so dense you forget you're 20 minutes from Ipanema. It also contains the Corcovado train station, the lovely Cascatinha Taunay waterfall and Pico da Tijuca, Rio's highest point at 1,021 m.

Insider tips

• Go midweek for fewer people and far better wildlife spotting — weekends bring crowds and the animals retreat.
• Hire a licensed local guide: trails aren’t always well-marked and a guide finds wildlife you’d never spot alone.
• Wear closed shoes; bring water, sunscreen and insect repellent. The shade is deceptive — reapply SPF.
• Combine it with Cristo Redentor on the same day — the train runs up through the forest.

Where to eat & drink

• Restaurante A Floresta Restaurant (in the park)

  A colonial-style restaurant inside the park at Praça Afonso Viseu — traditional Brazilian food in a beautiful forest setting, ideal before or after a hike.

• Armazém do Café (Leblon) Café

  Rio's favourite specialty coffee shop, in nearby Leblon — perfect for a coffee before the forest or a civilised reward after.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC)

Jardim Botânico

Founded by Emperor Dom João VI in 1808, the Jardim Botânico is one of the world's great botanical gardens — 140 hectares of manicured gardens, orchid and bromeliad houses, giant water lilies and forest trails in the shadow of Corcovado. The signature sight is the Imperial Palm Alley: a cathedral avenue of 134 royal palms, some over 40 m tall, planted in 1809. Unlike Tijuca, it's perfectly tamed — ideal for a slow morning watching capybaras graze by the lake and retreating to the café when the heat demands it.

Insider tips

• Go on a weekday morning for the quietest visit — weekends bring families and school groups.
• Watch for free-roaming capybaras by the lake and marmosets in the trees — they’re common and unbothered by visitors.
• Sloths are sometimes seen on the Atlantic Forest trail — ask an attendant where they've been spotted lately.
• It's a 20-min taxi/Uber from Ipanema — easy to pair with a beach afternoon. Bring a hat and sunscreen.

Where to eat & drink

• Empório Jardim All-day café

  A neighbourhood favourite a short walk from the garden, with an excellent all-day breakfast (90+ options).

• Bar Lagoa Bar & restaurant

  A Rio institution since 1934 on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas — Art Deco interior, excellent draft beer and famous German sausages. A great sundowner.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC)