Bluelark

My husband and I will be in Rio de Janerio for several days in late January. Number of days we can stay is flexible.
I'd really appreciate thoughts and suggestions for how many days to spend in Rio and what sights you would recommend. We could also do a side trip if it doesn't involve an overnight.
We will probably want to do most of this on day tours vs. by ourselves.
Thanks very much!

tripplanner001

What are your interests? I assume this is your first time. If so, most visitors go up Sugarloaf Mountain and to Christ the Redeemer for glorious views, as well as spend time at Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. I enjoyed the botanic gardens as well as walks around Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. In my view, the downtown area is worth visiting as well as Santa Teresa. Day trips include Petropolis, Niteroi, or even Buzios. And don't forget evening activities - samba performances and the like.

glover

We’re on a one month trip in Brazil now. So far we have spent one whole day in Rio (more to come at end of trip). We stayed at Mirador Hotel by Windsor in Copa. Ate dinners at nearby restaurants. Walked along Avenida Atlantica near there, Just had a taxi driver take us up to Sugar Loaf cable car stop and then to Christ the Redeemer after. Gorgeous views of Rio from both. Will probably visit botanical gardens, theatre, and museums when we return.

tripcrafting

Hey, there are several favelas that you can visit by yourself. Some are also not considered to be dangerous and will offer great views over rio. i remember one of them was very close to ipanema beach, just south of it. i think it called rocinha. ask a mototaxi to take you there and to the top.
other than that visit the christ statue, all the beaches you want and maybe watch a match in the maracana football stadium

Orlando_Vic

" We will probably want to do most of this on day tours vs. by ourselves."
A guide can probably save you some time and help you make the most of your limited time. We used Leticia Levy of Rio Plus Tours.
[email protected]
www.rioplustours.com
Rio Plus :: Travel Agency :: Rio de Janeiro :: Brasil
55 21 9616-3203
55 21 9407-8839

Kay2

I traveled solo last year and hired Meilin Mares Guia turismares.com.br as private guide in Rio. Simply fantastic. Rio native, drummer for Carnival, fluent in several languages, very professional yet friendly. Once she understood me and my interests/tastes, she adjusted the standard itinerary to better fit me. For me, 3 days was enough for the city.

Christ the Redeemer is to me a sight one has to visit, but very quickly. Totally packed in the morning, but a polite crowd.
I preferred Sugarloaf for the ride, views, with people much more dispersed, so more pleasant.

Meilin suggested a walking tour of downtown + wharfs + Valongo wharf site since I love architecture. I told her to limit the number of churches; otherwise I think those could fill the day. Municipal Theater, Metropolitan cathedral (stained glass and design), Sao Francisco da Penitència Church (blinding gold) and museum with historical renderings of the early city, Boulevard Olimpico with Kobra murals were highlights. Filled most of a day.

Meilin told me about the Mangueira samba school and I asked to go there. I'm not sure what would be happening in January, but you could ask. We parked the car at a shopping mall, then took a taxi (not the safest neighborhood), arriving just before they opened at 1pm. We bought tickets for entry + lunch through a hole carved in the wall, stood in line to let guard check bags, then entered an open area with tables and chairs set up where we again had to pay if we wanted to sit instead of stand. Lunch was set up on a side table where we took disposable plates and stood in line for the servers to dish up whatever came (they kept running out of food). Nothing fancy for sure. Soon the live music started. We danced along with the crowd.

The botanic garden is a nice green space, but not as impressive to me as other botanic gardens I have visited. The hippie fair is OK for some shopping, but wasn't worth much time or priority for me. The Selaron steps were an interesting story, but overrun with lines of people waiting to have their photo made in just the right place. On Saturday afternoon, only a few shops open here and there in Santa Teresa neighborhood. Some nice original art work in those open.

marilau

Christ the Redeemer and the botanic garden are a must in Rio!

Bluelark

Thanks to all for the feedback. So far this is what we've come up with:
Day 1: Arrive in Rio. We will be staying at the Hotel Santa Teresa Evening because we want something away from rows of large tourist hotels. Evening tour with guide to Christ the Redeemer.
Day 2: Full day tour with guide.
Day 3: Ferry to Niteiro, see museum and other sights there. Then dinner with friends at Tereze restaurant with friends.
Day 4: With guide, go to Hippie Fair then Petropolis.
Day 5: Depart Rio at 7:30 pm. Is there time for us do do anything before going to the airport

Any suggestions on this itinerary would be much appreciated!


I was thinking of taking you to Christ the Redeemer on the 23rd, maybe for sunset, the best time would be really early in the morning but on the 24th you are going to be off the ship by 9 am and that´s late for January. I can buy Christ train tickets for 6:00 pm so that I could pick you up at 5 pm on the 23rd. On the 24th you could take a full day but instead of starting with Christ I would first take you to the hotel to drop off your bags and then carry on with the Classic tour. In the end, if we have extra time I could take you to other attractions such as the Chinese view, Taunay waterfall etc... Let me know how does it sound; Regards Marcos ------------------------------------------------------- Hello Marcos, I was wondering if we could discuss tour options. My husband & I are traveling with another couple on a cruise which will end in Rio in January. The ship is due to dock on Jan 23rd at noon, but we do not disembark until the following morning. So it makes it a little challenging for touring! We have hotel reservations on Jan 24th, and my husband & I fly home the morning of the 25th. So we do have a full day for touring on the 24th, but will also need to disembark and get our luggage to the hotel. We also might want to tour a bit on the 23rd, perhaps 4 hours or so. None of us have been to Rio before, and are very excited to visit! Perhaps your Rio Classic tour would work the best on the 24th, working around checking out of the ship, luggage, etc? We are open to your ideas and your suggestions and I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you so much! Tour date(s): Jan 23, 2019 to Jan 24, 2019 Number of people: 4

thibaut

We were disappointed by the botanic garden, but on the way to the beach we came by a helipad and toured the Chist in helicopter. Not that expensive and a highlight.

marilau

Go visit AquaRio, Rio Water Planet. The museum of the morning is so beautiful, and you could also make a jeep tour on the mountain.