2 Best Sights in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Reviews Updated by

G
Gabriela Godoi

When in Rio, don't be afraid to follow the tourist trail—the major attractions really are "must-sees." Contrary to tourist-board images, the sun doesn't always shine on the city, so when it does, make the most of it. If the skies are clear, waste no time in heading for Cosme Velho to visit the Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado mountain, or to Urca to make the cable car ascent to the peak of Sugar Loaf. Time-pressed travelers will find that whistle-stop city tours are a good way to see many attractions in one day, while those lucky enough to spend a week or more here can afford to take a more leisurely approach. Cloudy days are a good time to visit the attractions of leafy Lagoa and Jardim Botânico and the breezily bohemian hilltop neighborhood of Santa Teresa. The historic buildings, museums, and cultural centers of Centro, Catete, Glória, and Lapa are ideal rainy-day options.

Biblioteca Nacional

Centro

Corinthian columns adorn the neoclassical National Library (built between 1905 and 1908), the first such establishment in Latin America. Its original archives were brought to Brazil by King João VI in 1808. The library contains roughly 13 million books, including two 15th-century printed Bibles, manuscript New Testaments from the 11th and 12th centuries, and volumes that belonged to Empress Teresa Christina. Also here are first-edition Mozart scores, as well as scores by Carlos Gomes, who adapted the José de Alencar novel about Brazil's Indians, O Guarani, into an opera of the same name.

Nonmembers can see the library by guided tour only (weekdays 11--4); tours are given in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Visitors will need photo ID to enter.

Library Free
Av. Rio Branco 219, Rio de Janeiro, 20040–008, Brazil
21-2220--3040
www.gov.br/bn/pt-br
Sight Details
Tours free

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Real Gabinete Portugues de Leitura

Centro

This evocative library, known as the Royal Reading Room, contains the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal and was first established in 1837 as a Portuguese cultural centre during the reign of Portuguese emperor Joao Pedro II. It’s a joy to stroll through its soaring Gothic stacks and soak up the Harry Potteresque atmosphere.