danon

I have an opportunity to use a condo right on Joatinga Beach in Rio
any time I wish.
I am not much of a sun worshiper or someone who likes sitting on a beach all day.
Although the condo is not central, it is free so I don't mind paying for taxis.
I will be traveling alone. ( My first time in the city).
Should I go in July / August? Or?
How long?
I don't speak Portuguese but my Spanish is good. Does it help?
Thanks,

Susan7

There's lots to do if you are not a beach person. There are some great museums: Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) at Niteroi which is a short ferry ride from Rio (great architecture by Oscar Niemeyer), there's also the Museum of Modern Art, and there's quite a few excellent galleries in the historical centre.

The modern cathedral is interesting on the edge of centro. There's also a beautiful tearoom Confeitaria Colombo with amazing coffee and pastries.

St Teresa is an interesting area to explore which has great bars and restaurants (get there by tram).

The Botanical Gardens is listed in the 100 great gardens book and it well deserves its inclusion. There's an amazing range of plants: chocolate bushes, carnivorous plants, giant Amazon lily pads. We saw a toucan as well as monkeys in the gardens.

The trip to the top of Sugar Loaf is amazing and you can walk back down--we saw lots of monkeys doing the descent. The trip to the top of Corcovado is also well worth it.

The shopping is also good. My favourite shoe store has a branch in Rio, it's called CAS, colours and heels sizes like you have never seen before. Osklen has a nice range of casual clothes.

jimeluiz

Check out the official Rio Guide for LOTS of good info. Click on the flag for English. Be sure to open the events guide PDF in the right column. It is in Portuguese and English.

http://www.rioguiaoficial.com.br/

July/August is the middle of "winter" but as you do not want to lay on the beach - it should be no problem. The weather is quite nice.

To learn more about Niterói as an option check out some posts on my blog.
http://qualidadedevida-jim.blogspot....n-niteroi.html
http://qualidadedevida-jim.blogspot....y-niteroi.html
http://qualidadedevida-jim.blogspot....n-beaches.html

LatAmForLess

Sugar Loaf is incredible and so is the trip up to the Christ the Redeemer statue. There are great restaurants that have samba shows in the evening and you can also take a half day trip to Petropolis or take a favela tour. Have fun!

danon

thanks for the input and great suggestions.
I will have to take a taxi at night from and to the condo.
Since I am a woman alone, I am a bit concerned about safety.
Should I be? Is it better to take a taxi in front of a hotel ( going back ) rather than one on the street?

thanks again.

Susan7

One other thing to do, visit the home of landscape architect Burle Marx, you need to book that in advance.

I picked up taxis on the street and had no problems, you can also book them in advance or get the shop or restaurant where you are to book one for you.

I forgot to say your Spanish will really help as many of the words are similar. When I was studying Portuguese the Spanish speakers in the class all said this. The pronunciation, however, is very different. If you use an ipod there's a free language class you can download, that will help prepare you:
http://www.brazilianpodclass.com/blo...ry/1-beginner/

danon

thanks a lot Susan.
i wll take some Portuguese before long!

AndreiaBrazil

Danon, try to go to Angra two hours from Rio. But it worth!! take a tour. 360 islands. Sugar loof, Corcovado, try to go up to São conrado to see people jumping to fly with a wonderful view. It is called "pedra da Gavea" the views are wonderful. Taxis are safe. take a note - there are taxis that you can trust - people that do it for leaving - you can call 7824-4691 or 4102-8589 . My teen agers use this service, and so do I. enjoy!!!

danon

Thanks very much.
the condo I'll be staying in is right on Joatinga Beach, I'll will have to take taxis all the time. My only concern was going back to the condo at night.

I am looking forward to visitng fantastic Rio!

mlbcruiser

Oh, there are SO MANY things to do!!! (Lots of ideas on Tripadvisor!) For instance (in no particular order):

The Sunday outdoor craft market at Impanema is interesting and has plenty of crafty jewelry, paintings, etc. to browse or buy. It's safe for a female alone. You might try to take some tours (through a tourist office, or even the desk clerk or concierge at a nice hotel can set you up. Esp. for a tip if you aren't staying there. Plus there are often brochures in hotel lobbies). There are various types of tours, from samba rehearsals to music venues (Rio Scenarium or a place to hear Samba music), but I don't recommend going to such places by yourself. Another good place you can go via a bus tour for the day is a town in the mts. called Petropolis. (It is mentioned in guidebooks as is most of the stuff on here.) We never made it when we were in Rio, but so wanted to go! (Next time?) I don't want to get into a political/social discussion involving the benefits or drawbacks of going on a favela tour, but we did it and were SO glad we did! (Learned a LOT and felt it was very worthwhile.) One really cool thing to try is hangliding That is what AndreiaBrazil meant by "jumping to fly". (I couldn't believe I had the guts to do it, but it was SOOO much fun and not so scary once you are up on the mt. & see others doing it!) If you want to do it, some operators offer free transportation. There is also a famous jeweler (H. Stern?) that offers free tours (they provide transportation from the main hotel areas as well, and will drop you off at a nearby upscale shopping mall or wherever after your tour). They in no way pressure you to buy anything but you get to see many gems - not just jewelry - and it's informative. Another thing we missed was the Carmen Miranda museum, so I can't say how interesting it was - or not? Sorry my recommendations are so hodgepodge, but hope they help!

danon

thanks again. I have a lot of time before the trip. May take a course in Portuguese .

jimeluiz

I visited the Carmen Miranda museum several years ago. It was depressing. Really poor lighting (in fact, I think they did not even have the lights turned on!) It was a fun and kitch collection of some of her dresses, costumes and SHOES- oh the SHOES. LOL!

We asked the security guard if we could watch some videos in their collection and he opened a little room and gave us a box of tapes. That was fun.

But if you decide to go be forwarned. Or perhaps things have changed..

danon

thanks for the info....