Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro has it all—beaches, hills, lakes, rainforests.It has such beautiful scenery that you don't know where to look first! How easy is it to travel solo?

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A few words to begin with...

We always had in mind to travel to Brazil and Rio, if anything was holding us back it was the reputation that it is a bit dangerous and that it is better to be in a group to feel safe. In the end we traveled alone we organized and we really didn't feel in danger wherever we turned. The trip itself was a week in Rio and below we will analyze what you should pay attention to, what you should not miss to see and our overall experience from the heartland people!!!!

Basic information about your trip...

Visa Information

For Greek citizens entering the country not they will need a visa but an entry visa in their passport which should be valid for 6 months from the day of entry. Travel instructions for entering the country and prerequisites here.

Season - climate

The climate in Rio de Janeiro is tropical, but because it is in the southern hemisphere their summer is between December - January and their winter is July - August. In the winter months, the temperature will rarely drop below 15 degrees at night, while in the summer it will even reach 40 degrees.

Currency

The currency is Brazilian Real where 1 € corresponds to 5.09brl

Exchanges can be found at airports as well as in tourist places. In most attractions you can pay by credit card

Movements

We exclusively used the app for our travel to tourist attractions uber (also Cabify & 99taxis). The cost is very economical and you feel absolutely safe. Do not choose the street taxis because the cariocas told us that it is very likely that they will ask us for more money. Certainly Rio has subways, buses and other means of transportation, but we did not use them and cannot have an objective opinion. From the airport to the hotel, a driver from the hotel was waiting for us through consultation with them.

Internet - communication

In both airports you will find kiosks where you can buy a sim card and surf We had chosen vivo where at the time we traveled it was vfm option. If your mobile phone accepts esim and you don't want to change sim, then a very good choice is Airalo where you will find details here.

Accommodation

We suggest to search for an international hotel on the main road . The choice of area would be between the beach area from Copacabana to Leblon, we ended up at PortoBay Rio Internacional in the middle of Copacabbana and most attractions were shared. If you are traveling solo choose to stay somewhere you will feel safe and comfortable in Rio, in the hotels you will find options for all tastes but we wouldn't say that the stay was expensive considering the time we went the prices for a 4 star international hotel were approx. €70-90/double room with breakfast.

What to look out for for a safe trip

It means that we did not feel any danger throughout our journey. there is crime in Rio and that you can move anywhere in the city freely without noticing things. Below we describe what to pay attention to in order to have a carefree trip.

Choose the central coastal roads for your movements by walking and for long distances use uber or electric scooter Lime which we found very useful for Copacabana
When walking around town don't wear jewelry or expensive watches
Don't walk around with your cell phone in your hand and every time you go out, have as much money as you need with you and a credit card. Passports in the room and if you want, take a photocopy to have with you.
When you go swimming take only one towel or pareo and the money-cards-mobile or stay in the room or take a waterproof neck pouch to enjoy the sea carefree
Visit the favelas with a local guide from an approved travel company (klook, getyourguide etc)

The sights...

Although Rio has a lot of sights to see, most of them are so close that if you take an organized tour you will see them all in one day.

If you have planned to stay 2-3 days in the city, we suggest you take it and see everything together (information click here)
If you have 5-6 days of stay, then we suggest you split them up and see something new every day. We chose to take the excursion to the Christos Statue with other activities but without the Sugar loaf (information click here), which we visited on a separate day without a tour.
Also, if you have a day available, we suggest you do the day trip to Arraial do Cabo where you will find magical beaches and islands... (information click here)

The chronicle of a dream trip...

Day 1...

Our arrival in Rio was in the afternoon and the driver from the hotel took us to check in... To our surprise, the room had a view of the Christos statue and a panoramic view of the Copa Cabana. It was already dark and we visited the restaurants that flood the beach with food and drink. The distance was not more than 5 minutes from our hotel and we tried delicious dishes on tables on the endless beach.

Day 2...

The next day started early and we couldn't resist a morning swim in the cold waters of Copa Cabana...

Then we called an uber and went to the Botanical Garden of Rio where it is a place of relaxation for the Cariocas. This is a huge area of green so close to the city that it was definitely worth the visit...

We then walked to the Leblon district and enjoyed delicious dishes at the Boteco Belmonte restaurant accompanied by refreshing cocktails...

The rest of the day was spent at Ipanema beach where we swam and watched the sunset from Arpoador point. The moment is magical but be careful with your things because quite a lot of people are gathering...

Day 3...

We had planned to visit the city center in the Lapa area. We took a taxi to the center and the first stop was the well-known steps of Escadaria Selarón where, due to the season and time, we found hardly any people...

We then walked to the impressive pyramid-shaped Mayan church Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião. Impressive from the outside as well as the wonderful stained glass windows inside.

Next stop passing outside the magnificent Opera House of Rio (Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro) was the historic cafe Confeitaria Colombo where we relaxed and enjoyed its coffee accompanied by wonderful desserts. The place takes you back decades and is one of the attractions of the city.

The continuation was to visit Sugarloaf by cable car to admire the sunset. Right in front of the cable car is the red beach with wonderful waters that we suggest you combine swimming here with the view from the sugarloaf. As for the view from the top of the hill...? Just magic...

In the evening we went to see the night entertainment that was suggested to us in Leblon, there we found several shops for food and drink but one caught our attention and it was Boteco Boa Praça!!!!

Day 4...

¨It was an excursion day for our visit to the famous Statue of Christ the Redeemer as well as a tour of the Tijuka natural park. The excursion continued to the picturesque district of Santa Teresa ending at Sao Conrado Beach where it is famous for lovers of para five. More details about the excursion click here

In the evening we didn't move close to our area and went for dinner in a real diamond restaurant. If you come to Rio, definitely eat at the Explorer Bar and see its wonderful courtyard...

Day 5...

¨Wake up in the morning and head north to Cabo frio and specifically to Arraial do Cabo for a day trip to the enchanting islands in the area. The distance was about 3 hours and we were transported by boat to a tropical paradise on the Atlantic. Blue-green waters, caipirinha and lots of music!!!! For details click here

Day 6...

The next day had no excursion and we enjoyed the walk in Rio. We visited Parque Lage, a wonderful mansion with a cafe inside and a view of the Corcovado mountain...

A few meters away from the mansion we will discover the Parque dos Patins with a magnificent view of the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas lake for relaxing and picnicking in the city...

In the evening we went downtown and specifically to the Lapa area for night entertainment. At the time we were in Rio (covid 2021) most of the big night shops were closed so we saw the entertainment outside (Carioca Aqueduct, Boteco da Garrafa, the roof of Selina Lapa Rio de Janeiro.)

Day 7...

Last day in Rio and it was impossible not to see a favela from the inside and not from the roof gardens of the hotels. We booked the following excursion and went with a local to Rio's largest favela, Rocinha. We met with the tour guide and took the local bus to go to the center where the tour would start, an absolute experience. We spent 3 hours, learned things we didn't know and saw how different what we hear is from what applies in these autonomous communities. For details click here

Other activities and attractions

For lovers of gastronomy, Brazil is a paradise. Wherever we ate, the food was amazing as long as you like the meat, which is the main character in most dishes.

What you must try!!!!

Feijoada, is characterized by many as a national food and is boiled beans in a pork sauce accompanied by potatoes and fluffy farofa
Churrascaria, you can't not eat at least once!! They are steakhouses where waiters pass your table with big sticks of meat and you can eat as much as you can bear.
Pão de queijo with Requeijao, the nicest cheese balls we've ever tasted
Açaí, a local purple fruit that is mainly served in the form of ice cream
Empanadas from bblanches
Caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil

For more guides for all destinations click here

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