The Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City), as Rio de Janeiro is called, is privileged with one of the world's most beautiful settings for a city; the blue Atlantic Ocean, green mountains and Pao de Açucar rising steeply from the sea, the enormous bay, its beautiful sandy beaches and its tropical climate. The seven million Cariocas, as Rio's inhabitants are called, created this amazing city, and it has an energy that goes far beyond its physical beauty, the locals pursue pleasure like no other people, filling beaches, samba dancing everywhere, and playing football wherever possible, all the while imbibing the local firewater, cachaça. Rio has its share of problems: a third of the people live in the favelas (shanty towns) that blanket many of the hillsides. Within these favelas, drug abuse and violence are endemic, and police corruption and brutality are commonplace. Rio’s reputation as a violent city caused a sharp reduction in tourism in the 1990s, but today, travelers will find themselves no more at risk than in most large cities in the world. The city is divided into two zones, zona norte (northern zone) and zona sul (southern zone); beaches and all tourist facilities, except for the international airport, are found in the southern zone.

Rio's summers, from December to March, are hot and humid. Temperatures rise routinely above 40°C. In the spring and fall, the temperatures stay between the high 20s to low 30s Celsius. In the winter, June to Aug, it can cool off at night to as low as 15°C, but during the day temperatures range the 20s Celsius. Most rain tends to fall in the summer in short intense tropical showers, or in the winter in longer drizzly showers.

Carnaval is often a more important consideration than weather for travelers deciding when to come to Rio. The city is in full party mode, and the excitement on the streets is unsurpassable. However, prices are noticeably more expensive, accommodation is hard to find and you won't have a moment alone. Revellion (New Year) is another expensive week to stay in Rio. Apart from these dates, anytime of the year is good to travel to Rio.

We recommend spending at least three nights in Rio de Janeiro, which will allow you to visit the most important sites and enjoy the beach for at least one day.

Major airlines fly to Rio de Janeiro International Airports from all over the Americas, Europe, Australia and South Africa. You can access Rio by plane from Santiago de Chile (h), Buenos Aires (5h), Lima (h), Iguazu Falls (2h), Sao Paulo (h), Manaus (h), Brasilia (h), Campo Grande (h), Fortaleza (h), Belem (h), Salvador (h) and Recife (h), among others. By land, most of the cities in Brazil have services here. Several Cruise Lines get to Rio de Janeiro.

By Public Transportation
Rio may seem like a large and sprawling city, but the neighborhoods in which visitors spend most of their time are very easy to get around in. From Centro south to São Conrado, the neighborhoods hang like beads on a string on the narrow strip of land between the ocean and the mountains. Most neighborhoods are thin and narrow; Copacabana in some sections is only 5 blocks deep. You can almost always see the mountains or the ocean, or both; with landmarks like that it's pretty hard to stray too far from where you want to go.

By Subway -- By far the easiest way to get around is by subway; in Centro and the Zona Sul it covers almost every major area of interest. (The exception is Ipanema/Leblon, which isn't slated to get subway service for another 4 or 5 years but now has a bus/subway service.) There are only two lines: Line 1 goes north from downtown -- it's useful for going to the Maracanã and the Quinta da Boa Vista -- while Line 2 begins at the Central Station and goes south, covering most of Centro, then swinging thorough Glória, Catete, Flamengo, and Botafogo before ducking through the mountain to its final destination in Copacabana. Extremely quick, the trip takes about 20 minutes to move you from Centro to Copacabana (as compared to a 40-60-min. bus ride in rush hour). The system is very safe and efficient. You purchase tickets at the entrance of the stations, either from a machine or from a ticket booth. The subway system is gradually expanding its integrated Metrô/bus service, with new air-conditioned buses feeding into the Metrô system from a number of popular destinations. Some of the more popular routes include: Metrô/Ipanema (to Ipanema; transfer at Siqueira Campos); Metrô/Gavea (to Leblon and Gavea; transfer at Siqueira Campos); Metrô/Rodoviaria (to the main bus terminal; transfer at Largo do Machado); Metrô-Paula Matos (to the hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa; transfer at Cinelândia); Metrô-Urca (to the Sugar Loaf; transfer at Botafogo); and Metrô-Cosme Velho (to the Corcovado; transfer at Largo do Machado). The price is the same as a regular Metrô ticket, but you have to request your specific destination at the ticket booth; integração tickets are different from regular subway tickets. After you use the electronic ticket to enter the subway turnstile it's returned so that you can present it on the bus at the transfer station.

A single Metrô or Metrô-integração ticket costs R$2.25 (US$1). Multiple tickets are available, but there's no volume discount.

Know the Subway Hours -- The subway operates Monday through Saturday from 5am to midnight. On Sundays and statutory holidays the Metrô runs from 7am to 11pm. Special schedules apply during New Year's and Carnaval.

By Bus -- Rio's buses follow direct, logical pathways, sticking to the main streets along much the same route you'd take if you were driving. What's more, they're fast. Once inside it's a good idea to wedge yourself in your seat; Rio drivers like to lean into the turns.

Some of the more important routes are listed with hotel or attraction listings, but you'll likely find many more that suit your needs. From Centro to Copacabana alone there are more than 30 different buses. Figuring out which to take is straightforward. The route number and final destination are displayed in big letters on the front of the bus. Smaller signs displayed inside the front window (usually below and to the left of the driver) and posted on the side of the bus list the intermediate stops. Armed with that information and a map, it's fairly straightforward to figure out which route the bus will take and how close you will get to your destination. A bus going from Praça XV in Centro out to Copacabana, for example, would show COPACABANA as the final destination, and on the smaller sign list intermediate destinations such as CINELÂNDIA, GLÓRIA, LARGO DO MACHADO (in Flamengo), and RIO SUL (the big mall in Botafogo). Tip: If you're going from Ipanema or Copacabana all the way to Centro (or vice versa), look for a bus that says VIA ATERRO in its smaller window sign. These buses get on the waterfront boulevard in Botafogo and don't stop until they reach downtown.

Buses only stop if someone wants to board. If you see your bus coming, wave your hand at the driver. Most buses are boarded from the front and exited from the rear. Have your bus money ready -- R$2 to R$3.50 (US85¢-US$1.45) -- as you will go through a turnstile right away. You pay for each ride; there are no transfers. Buses are safe during the day; just watch for pickpockets when it gets busy. In the evening, when fewer passengers ride, it is better to take a taxi.

By Taxi -- Taxis are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. They're the perfect way to reach those out-of-the-way places and the best way to get around in the evening. Regular taxis can be hailed anywhere on the street. You will also find taxi stands throughout the city. A ride from Copacabana to Praça XV in Centro costs about R$22 (US$9), a ride from the main bus station to Leblon, R$35 (US$15) in traffic. Radio taxis are about 20% more expensive, often work with a set fee per destination, and can be contacted by phone; try Coopertramo (tel. 021/2560-2022) or Transcoopass (tel. 021/2560-4888). Most hotels work with radio taxis so if you don't want to pay extra just walk to the corner and hail your own regular taxi. Radio taxis are said to be more reliable (and they have air-conditioning as well), but we've never had a problem with any regular taxi.

By Van -- When you see the chaotic bus-ridden streets of Rio de Janeiro, it's hard to believe that there could be a shortage of buses. However, in the last few years the city has seen an explosion of additional bus services provided by Volkswagen vans and micro-buses. Although vans were at first illegal, the city eventually legalized them. Fares range from R$2 to R$4.50 (US85¢-US$1.85) and quality ranges from downright scary to clean, modern vehicles. Those that circulate along the Zona Sul waterfront and farther out to Barra da Tijuca are generally quick and efficient. Vans can be hailed anywhere and will let you off anywhere on their route.

By Ferry -- Rio has a number of ferries operated by Barcas SA (tel. 021/2533-7524), departing from Praça XV downtown. The busiest ferry route is the one connecting downtown Rio with the city of Niterói across the bay -- also reached by car and bus by crossing the 14km (8 1/2-mile) bridge. The service to Niterói runs 24 hours a day, with hourly service between midnight and 5am. The cheapest ferry (R$2/US85¢) is the regular one, taking about 25 minutes to cross. The catamaran and aerobarco, a hydrofoil, cross the same route in less than 10 minutes and cost R$4 (US$1.65). A popular ferry for tourists as well as Cariocas on the weekend is the route to Paquetá, a large car-free island in the Baia da Guanabara. The ferries to Paquetá depart Rio at 5:15am, 7:10am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3.30pm, 4:35pm, and 7pm; the fare is R$4.50 (US$1.85).

Contact Us

- Museu Nacional de Belas-Artes.
- Museu da Escola de Belas Artes D. João VI.
- Museu de Arte Moderna Rio de Janeiro – MAM.
- Museu do Indio.
- Museu Castro Maya.