Carnival colors, bustling beaches, and fabulous food!

Rio was a vibrant, colorful, energetic city. Especially energetic during Carnival!

Sightseeing

Be a tourist! There are amazing sights to see! Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, the Harbor, the beach.
We booked a tour guide to pick us up from the airport and although we could have toured it on our own, it was great to have him along to share history, stories, and take pictures of us! And to navigate traffic… We booked the tour through GetYourGuide and was set up by Fabiana from Fabitour. Our guide, Henri, and driver, Joao, were fantastic!

Beach day at Copacabana Beach

These are the busiest, but also most organized beaches I’ve seen! Families splashed in the waves and sunbathers relaxed under their umbrellas.
All along the beach are cabanas where you can buy drinks or rent chairs/umbrellas.

Carnival

Sambadrome: Unlike any event I’ve seen before! We saw the Special Group parade and were in awe with the elaborate costumes, enormous floats, and sea of dancers. Each of the four Samba schools played the same song through their 85 minute performance so you know we were singing along by the end. Book your tickets through Bookers.
- Note: We chose to sit in Sector 9, which is the only Sector which included an assigned seat. It was also close to the judges! While it was nice to be able to leave and come back without one of us protecting our seats, be aware that the metro doesn’t get you close to this entrance. We ended up walking most of the way around the Sambadrome then taking a taxi home. Next time, we would likely sit in Sector 9 again but book the shuttle through Bookers!
Blocos (street parties): Exactly what you would picture! Drinking, snacking, music, great people watching! There is a map (put link) - on the day we set aside to wander and check out the street parties, there was a family-friendly bloco near our hotel so we started there and ended in Leblon at the beach. We brought our own drinks that we bought at a grocery store - but there were vendors all over so lots of options.

Zaza Bistro Tropical - an amazing cafe in Ipanema. We waited for about 10 minutes for a table for lunch. The food was amazing and colorful and fresh. Same with the drinks!
Carretão Siqueira Campos - dinner in Copacabana on our first night where we ate our weight in Rodízio (Brazilian meat). Great flavor - and sangria!

Rondinella - easy lunch spot across the street from the beach. Burger and beer, what more do you need?
Gurume Leblon - an unassuming sushi place in the mall but has a great selection. Delicious!

Hotel Mar Palace in Copacabana
- Close to the beach and restaurants, and included breakfast.
- Plus the (small) pool on the roof had a view of Christ the Redeemer in the distance!
- Would stay here again!

Uber. Affordable, easy. Recommended!
Taxi. We only took one taxi - only one taxi service was allowed past the barriers in the Sambadrome. A whole line were waiting when we left the parade, so was a great option for getting home.
Metro. Rio has a train system, which we took to the Sambadrome. A great way to beat traffic but were warned away from it at night - and told to follow the crowd and walk with purpose!

Affordability! Food, tours, hotels were all very affordable.
Very few people spoke English. Luckily everyone was so friendly. We did six months of Portuguese DuoLingo before the trip - between that, gesturing, and some Portuguese words sounding close to our high school Spanish, we were able to figure it out. Try to start with Portuguese rather than Spanish or English if you can!
Rio was celebrating its 460th anniversary while we visited - so we were delighted to be offered a slice of a huge cake from the feet of Christ the Redeemer.

Don’t drink the tap water. The grocery stores have water bottles for drinking / teeth brushing. Make sure to ask if ice is made with filtered water before accepting any in your drink.
Be aware of your surroundings and your phone. We walked around with a money belt tucked under our shirt with only one phone and one credit card, pulling them out only when we were inside somewhere. We never felt unsafe but we were careful to not be alone (especially at night). Just be aware!
Have fun!! The people in Brazil are so friendly and excited that you’re excited to be in their country. The food is amazing, the views spectacular, and the memories everlasting. We can’t wait to visit again in the future to see even more of the country!

BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro

BRAZIL: São Paulo