English
Rio de Janeiro is a true mix of colours, smells and flavours. Just by listening to the music of The Girl of Ipanema, written by Vinicius de Moraes, it awakens our sensuality and makes us imagine the fine white-sand beaches and the deep blue sea that bathes them.
Founded as St Sebastian of the River Janeiro, which is where it takes is name today since rio is river in Portuguese, Rio de Janeiro or simply Rio is the second city in Brazil and undoubtedly one of the most visited ones in the world, known as the Cidade Maravilhosa, The Marvelous City.
Only the Rio Carnival alone, which takes place in February for five days, brings 700,000 tourists to the city from around the planet. However, Rio isn´t just the Carnival; it´s also art and culture and it has one of the most sophisticated gastronomies in the world, as well as an amazing and lively nightlife.
Its streets, beaches, buildings and monuments have been screened in many films and it has transformed the city in an icon of mankind. The same happens with bossa nova, a music genre born in the 60s amongst the intellectuality of Rio de Janeiro, who considered the imposition of American music on the market responsible for their cultural domination, and it developed this musical style with African-American sounds which invaded the world, even the North American music market.
For those travelling to Rio, here are some details on the city and the best places to visit.
Christ the Redeemer
If you want to get to know the city in all of its splendor, you can´t miss out on Christ the Redeemer. From there you can take the best pictures of the city by day or night and its grandiosity is compared with all the great monuments of the world.
Sugarloaf Mountain
The Sugarloaf Mountain is a series of mountains that you go up to by cable car. The first stop is Morro de Urca, and then there´s Pão de Açúcar, Sugarloaf in Brazilian, where the views are considered amongst the most extraordinary ones in the world. You can hire a tour that will then take you to Praia Vermelha (red), a small beach of red sand and calm seas.
Leme
Leme is a small district in the south of the city that neighbours with Copacabana. There you can find the Morro do Leme, where there´s a viewpoint that has a wonderful view over the bay. If you like fishing, this is the place where all fishing lovers gather every day. You just have to go to Caminho dos Pescadores and you´ll find a dock built over the rocks.
Copacabana
Copacabana is located in the south of the city and it has a half-moon beach that´s called Princesita do Mar, the little princess of the sea. This was the bohemian and glamourous district of the 40s, 50s and 60s, and it still preserves its charm. There are many cinemas, restaurants, shops and theatres and it´s one of the most expensive parts of the city.
Guanabara Bay
To finish off the day in Rio, you can go on a tour around Guanabara Bay, see the avant-garde architecture of Niemeyer and see the city from another angle. There are 4 hour tours that include sophisticated lunches.
If you want to see Ipanema and dance and feel the sound of bossa nova, rent apartments in Rio de Janeiro and fly to the freedom of a world of emotions.
