Rio de Janeiro

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  Rio De Janeiro

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  Rio De Janeiro

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  Rio De Janeiro

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  Rio De Janeiro

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  rio-de-janeiro-holidays-4

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  Rio De Janeiro

Rio’s idyllic setting, iconic landmarks and extensive beaches have gifted it with the title ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ – The Marvellous City

The people of Rio claim that God built the world in six days and on the seventh, he built Rio de Janeiro. Its beautiful mix of mountains, rainforest and long white beaches is unparalleled in many eyes. The city’s skyline, dominated by the famous Sugarloaf Mountain and the iconic statue of the Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer) is the crown to the city below. There is no other place on earth quite like it.

Days in Rio are famously spent at the beach, sipping fresh coconut water and people watching, which is by far the best way to slip into the Rio rhythm. However, being active and adventurous in Rio can be just as much part of the experience as kicking-back to the sounds of Bossa Nova with a Caipirinha, surrounded by a perfect sunset. Surfing, stand-up paddle boarding and skating are the popular ways to keep fit, and taking lessons on Copacabana beach is a great way to meet people.

Street markets are a key gathering point for locals and Ipanema’s ‘feira hippie’ usually attracts the most crowds on a Sunday, when the roads along the beach are closed to cars and the masses appear in parades with skateboards and surfboards for a full day out and about.

Latin spirit continues in the warm hubs of Ipanema and Leblon, where the social elite and ever-increasing international residents gather, day and night. Beautiful people can be seen spilling out of boutiques, gourmet restaurants and cool bars, mingling over a cold Choppe.

As a contrast to the beach and music Rio we know and love, Santa Teresa is one of Rio’s oldest and most charming neighbourhoods, home to bohemian crowds who frequent the rustic bars, art ateliers and enchanting streets of old Colonial-style buildings. And a new stream of museums and galleries are spearheading a fresh cultural wave across town so that art and design lovers have begun emerging from all over the world. A visit to one of Rio’s best loved attractions, Escadaria Selarón, linking Santa Teresa with Lapa is a must.

Lapa offers up an electric nightlife of Brazilian music and dance, with beats and drums of Samba weaving in and out of bars and down the streets until the early hours. It is the perfect way to let your hair down and embrace the Brazilians’ love of partying. And Carnival is the embodiment of all that is Latin Soul – with over a billion spectators and an explosion of colour and sequins filling Rio’s streets with crowds of dancing bodies.

Rio’s lagoon (Lagoa) situated between the affluent areas of Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana, has a calmer atmosphere amidst the bustling city and is perhaps the best New Year destination, playing host to the world’s largest floating Christmas tree.

Most visitors will inevitably take a cable car to see the Sugarloaf or drive up to Christ the Redeemer to take in the exceptional views and in so doing will pass through the worlds largest urban forest, the ‘Floresta da Tijuca’, which is home to some of Rio’s unexpected wildlife and magical hidden waterfalls, so that a moment of respite with nature is never far away.

Rio truly combines the best of all worlds.

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