RIO DE JANEIRO
After 12 hour flight from Frankfurt to Rio, we couldn’t wait to lay on the sand of the famous Copacabana beach. There was only the last obstacle to overcome – the morning traffic jam on the streets of Rio…
Rio in the morning embraced us with a lovely temperature of 30’C and really high humidity. We just quickly dropped our bags and headed right into the city center to see the world-famous Copacabana and the rest of the city known for samba, football, and beautiful beaches. We got stuck in the traffic on the way from the airport but after that, we could, even more, enjoy the sound of sea waves in the weakening Copacabana. Sunbathing in the middle of March is really inspiring…
We had a whole day ahead of us and we decided to visit at least one of the main attractions which was the Sugar Loaf. We took a bus from the nearby stop and headed to Pao de Acucar which is the starting point to the second most famous mountain in the city. You can get up there with a modern chairlift and it won’t take long. You can prepare yourself for one of the most beautiful views you have ever seen. There are actually 2 mountains connected with the chairlift. The first one is Morro da Urca and the second one is the Sugar Loaf. It means that you have 2 rides up and 2 rides down with one ticket. From Sugar Loaf you can make beautiful pictures with Copacabana, Ipanema, or Corcovado. Absolutely amazing…
Be careful with the monkeys running up on the trees. They are cheeky and can easily steal anything from your bags. This place is really amazing and you can spend a whole day here but it started getting dark and we decided to call it a day.
The next day we started with the most favorite place for me – Maracana Stadium. Every football fan knows what Maracana means, for those who don’t it’s probably the most famous football stadium in the world. The capacity at the moment is around 100.000 spectators but according to our guide, in the final match of the 1950 World Cup between Brazil and Uruguay where the home country lost 1:2, there were approximately 200.000 spectators. For most of you, Maracana is probably remembered from the last year’s World Cup 2014 when the home team was trashed in the semifinal by Germans 1:7.
It is a beautiful stadium and I’ve got such a ritual, in every city I visit I have to walk around the whole stadium. There was a long queue of fans waiting to buy tickets for the next match. The stadium itself went through a massive reconstruction recently. You can visit the Press center, VIP sector, and also the player’s dressing room. The tour ends on the “holy grass” and you can also sit on the bench. Fantastic sports experience…
Today was a very hot day and I decided to go to the beach but this time to Ipanema, not Copacabana. Ipanema is slightly smaller than its more famous sister Copacabana but I’d say more photogenic with many palm trees and hills in the background. The beaches are full of people and everyone is having a good time. Brazilians love them and it’s the best place for all their activities. Besides national sports like football and volleyball, you can also find here many food stalls, massage, souvenir shops, information centers, etc. I sat in the heated sand and let myself be carried away by the good energy of the sea, wind, music, and singing.
The next day we wanted to learn a little bit more about where we are and what we see. We have chosen an organized tour to walk around the city. The meeting point was in the city center of Carioca. Our first stop was the oldest and most famous confectionery in Rio – Confeitaria Colombo which hosted many well-known politicians, actors, and writers. From there we then proceeded to the Old Royal Palace. It was a very simple building and it didn’t look like a palace at all. Furthermore, we continued to square with the city hall and nicely decorated National Theatre.
The next stop was Santa Teresa, a place known for shops, bars, and restaurants. A few men were fixing the stage and getting everything ready for the evening concert. According to our guide, Santa Teresa is the main entertainment center and there is a balanced mix of tourists and locals. So if you ever go to Rio and you want to see the proper nightlife, you know where to go now… Not far from us, there was a famous spot – red Selaron stairs. The stairs are a known work of Jorge Selaron who just loved the area where he lived so he started to insert one tile after another into the stairs. When other people found out about his work they started to send the tiles to him from all around the world and created this unique work.
After this stop, we went for lunch where we tried the Brazilian national dish Feijoada which is actually pork with black beans, rice, bacon, and manioc flour. Bit unusual but tasted very good. After such a hearty lunch we said goodbye and everyone continued on his way. We went back towards the subway and on the way, we passed a famous church in the shape of a giant pyramid. It is the cathedral of Saint Sebastian with a respectable height of about 100 meters. Return to the hotel, rest a bit, and back to the beach…
The last day of our stay has come not only in Rio but overall in South America. Since our return flight was only later in the evening we had a whole day ahead of us. We kept the very best spot till the end and it was the visit to Corcovado mountain which dominates the city with the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Short transfer by bus and we were at the stop of the red funicular which takes tourists up to Corcovado. The whole journey to the top takes about 15 minutes and because it is an attraction of great interest, it is good to buy tickets at least one day in advance. With Easter just starting the timing was absolutely great. The statue of Christ impresses you with its size and enchants you with its simplicity. What radiates from him is hard to describe but I can only agree with the statement that it is a masterpiece of a sculpture.
A person under the outstretched Christ feels like an ant and I have a feeling that it was probably the intention of its creator Maximilien Paul Landowski. There are 2 good things about Corcovado. The first is, of course, the already mentioned statue, and the second is the absolute best and most beautiful view of the city I’ve ever seen. For years my favorite views were from the Charles Bridge to Prague Castle and from Vauxhall Bridge to the London Eye but Corcovado easily put Prague to London in the pocket. Even while ascending up along the base of the statue where by the way is a small chapel, on the left side in the distance you can see Maracana stadium, which continues with totally fantastic views of the Sugar Loaf to Morro de Urca and ends with great Copacabana and Ipanema. What else to say? If you ever go there make sure you have enough time for a tour of Corcovado so that you can see this wonderful city from above which is safely embraced with Christ and his wide-open arms.
After this top experience, we decided that we will go swimming one last time and say goodbye to Copacabana. The temperature was above 30’C, ideal to cool off in the sea. There were pretty big waves in the sea and as I was just fooling around I hit the bottom a few times. Those underwater flips made me a bit tired and it was time to say goodbye. We must admit that it wasn’t easy to leave such an amazing place and our last views went towards the Boss on Corcovado who couldn’t choose a better place than Rio…
What to say at the end? This South American trip gave us a lot and in many things opened our eyes. Of all the countries on this beautiful continent, I’d say we have traveled the most beautiful ones although I understand there are maybe even better places. Anyway, one of our traveler’s dreams came true and I would recommend it to everyone who had so much patience and read this story up to these final lines. We agreed that we put this adventure in our first place. At least for now…
Tip 1: Go for a free walking tour and find out interesting things about the city. It’s free but leave some tips at the end.
Tip 2: Book the trip to Corcovado at least 1 day in advance. You can do it in the Copacabana information kiosk.
Tip 3: Take the funicular up to Sugar Loaf Mountain and enjoy the amazing views.
Total costs: 20 nights (Brazil + Peru (Inca trail) + Bolivia): £1720.00
(Prices as of March 2015)
Thank you very much for reading this article. If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas please write them in the comment box below.
Thank you Marian for your article. We just came from Rio and some of your tips were really helpful. It’s beautiful city and we had so much fun there. We loved it! Looking forward for your next blog. Ciao!
Hi Cristina, thank you for your kind words. I am glad to hear I could help someone with my tips. Rio is amazing and we also fell in love with it. We are planning to go back there one day… Thanks again and wish you all the best on your future trips. Ciao!