nocloset

At the end of a longer trip, I will be arriving in Rio (GIG) on a domestic flight from Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) at 13:35, Wednesday at the end of November. I fly out of GIG on Thursday at 22:50 to return home to the USA. I have an apartment about 2 blocks from the beach, which I reserved for two nights so I can use it as I need during the day on Thursday.

This will be my first time in Rio, and I just want to use the limited time I have to enjoy some of the highlights.

Would you recommend lining up some organized tours/activities ahead of time? Or am I best off making a general plan of the things I want to see and do and just being spontaneous? I'm in the midst of researching the top activities and sights, but if you have any particular suggestions for something I might otherwise overlook, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks!

SambaChula

It's not hard to do a lot of the sights DIY. The Christ statue and Sugarloaf can be done by taxi easily. The statue is probably best done at opening time on your second day, if the weather cooperates. Cloudy days are not worth it for either of the heights. SUgarloaf might be possible on the afternoon of your first dayu

What other "highlights" interest you? Are you in the midst of consulting a guidebook or looking online? Once you know, post again.

Otherwise, hire a private guide with a car to take you around. One advantage is that such a guide may be able to show you some "off the beaten path" sights, as well as get you around more efficiently than you might do on your own. They are not cheap however.
The big bus tours are pretty useless, though, IMO.

nocloset

Thanks. I've actually worked it out to add a day to my trip, so now I won't fly home until Friday night.

I guess the main things I'm interested in are the main tourist highlights: Sugarloaf, Corcovado, the beach, the botanical gardens. Plus I really love wandering around picturesque neighborhoods. I am definitely not interested in big bus tours, but I was looking at a favela walking tour, Lapa walking tour, and others.

I figure I can do those main tourist highlights independently (Uber or bus when not within walking distance), but it seems like walking tours might be worthwhile for some of the other experiences.

Anyone familiar with Strawberry Tours (https://strawberrytours.com/rio-de-janeiro)? I'm open to paid tours as well. A private guide is probably not in my budget, but I might reconsider that if anyone has a first-rate recommendation.

SambaChula

Some thoughts:

Professional private tour guide with car: Rafa Torres
http://donrafaguestsinrio.blogspot.com/

Favela tour: Zezinho who lives in Rocinha, so the tour profits get spent there, unlike other favela tour operators
http://www.favelatour.org/
although I personally don't favor this type of poverty tourism. (Learn Portuguese, make friends, get invited home with them, instead.) Have you toured the slums in the city nearest your home?

Most first time tourists usually find the buses too confusing.

Walking tour for the downtown (centro) area.

iirc there are free (tip afterwards if you like) walking tours.

For Lapa during the day and the Seleron stairs, I would not go alone. Lapa on a weekend night for music is busy and therefore safe(r).

Whathello

Hi.
Same here. Flying from iguazu mid Nov arriving evening and leaving early 30 hours later.
So I spend 2 nights and have one day and one evening if I am lucky.
I guess I'd stay close to airport.
We added Rio because I wanted to have a glimpse of it but have not (yet) bought any guide.
Focus of trip is Argentina.
So.
Staying close to airport seems less je a good idea / dropping luggage then going center then visiting one day.
I thought center of Rio then the bay the Christ and the beach ?
No interest in favellas at all. I did visit my own slums the bring 30 years ago and the slums of Atlanta.
And I work in what could be called the slums of paris.

Whathello

Forgot thanks.
Sorry.

SambaChula

I don't really see a question there.
Comments: The neighborhood near the airport is not one you'd want to stay in, nor does it have tourist infrastructure to support a stay.
Begin your day at the Christ when it opens (because of lines).
You'll see the bay as you circulate around the city. No need for a special visit.
Stop for coffee and pastry at Confeitaria Colombo while you are walking around the historic center.
Consider visiting the recently excavated historic Valongo wharf area, now a Unesco heritage area.
Spend an evening at one of the live music samba clubs such as Carioca da Gema in Lapa.
Get a guidebook.

Whathello

Yes I'll get a guidebook. But thanks anyway...

SambaChula

"Thanks ANYWAY"???????

whatever......

Did you expect to get a paid professional travel agent's ready made and individualized itinerary here from volunteers to whom you have not even bothered to give any idea of your likes and dislikes?

Whathello

No. I expected to get a better answer. The kind I see or even provide on the EUROPE forum.
So yes anyway.
I don't find forums useful as far as I am concerned. So yes thanks to tell me to buy a guide. Once I do it I don't need you anymore or do I ? That is what guides are for. Provide good professional answers.
Sorry to have bothered you.

SambaChula

Guidebooks are for figuring out what exists in a given place and deciding which of those interest you. My interests and priorities may not be yours. (For example, I was in Brazil five times for longish periods, quite busily and happily pursuing my personal interests, before I even thought to arrange to spend time getting to know Rio.)
Forums are for asking questions about how to get around to the places/activities that interest you, most easily, what people who have been to a certain sight/destination particularly liked, and tips that person garnered from being there, not to plan or suggest a whole itinerary.
Perhaps you don't find forums useful because you don't use them effectively.
Or maybe you should be conversing with one certain poster here on Fodors who loves to give her expert sounding opinions and suggestions on places she's never been.

nocloset

One thing forums are not for is hijacking someone else's thread to ask your own question.

SambaChula, thank you for your useful advice. I connected with Rafa and am going to do a day tour with him.

Now you two stop using my thread to express your dissatisfaction with each other. Thanks.

SambaChula

I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with him, nocloset, and see some things you might not have otherwise had the chance to experience.

Whathello

Your thread ? You own the forum.

So I deeply apologize for hijacking YOUR thread Closet;
I stupidly thought that info valid for you would be good for me and vice versa, but you want to have compartimented I understand and I regret so much to have interfered.

And I deeply apologize to Chula for not rewarding his efforts to his satisfaction.

Of course you have both been a huge help, I'm so excited to go that I probably said the wrong things, but oh oy I don't know how I could have done it without you.

My thanks are renewed profusely.

Good enough like that ?

SambaChula

Well, I suppose we could probably have given you an extensive report of places to drink beer in Brazil, and which brands, kind of like the invaluable (that's spelled b-o-r-i-n-g) trip reports on every glass of wine and where you drank it that make up many of your own pat-each-other-on-the-back little chats with other insiders on the Europe forums you are so proud of.
Here's a valuable piece of advice that may serve you well on your trip: Keep in mind that Brazilians, however friendly they are said to be, don't have much patience with attitude, such as you've shown here.

Whathello

Good. Then Brazilians are like Belgians.
But this I knew that already mate.
We are all the same everywhere and thank god we don't have to like everybody.
Case closed ?

SambaChula

People like you make the rest of us regret our good intentions to help.

Whathello

People like you are a plague for a forum.
You don't want to help you want to be thanked for what you post.

Re-read your post and tell me what real useful info it contains.
Then remark that you tell me I have to buy a guide.
Then further you'll notice I did thank you. Anyway.

So I shoudl have thanked you profusely because you posted a 5 lines comment including you didn't see a question, and to tell me buy a guidebook ?
Seriously ?

People like you seem to take forums too seriously or people like you are anal-retentive.

SambaChula

In fact, I gave you some VERY good advice.

If you do as you originally posted, you would probably:
Stay "near the airport". (See if you leave alive.)
Waste time standing in line for hours because you did not get to the train station for the Christ at opening.
Walk right past the most interesting and historic cafe in Rio.
Ignore the African history that formed the character of Rio.
Miss the musical essence of Rio.

CU !