Rio de Janeiro

**Miamics** Mon Jun 17, 2013 3:53 pm

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil, on the South Atlantic coast. Rio is famous for its breathtaking landscape, its laidback beach culture and its annual carnival.

Districts

Centro including Lapa and Santa Teresa. The city's financial and business centre also has many historic buildings from its early days, such as the Municipal Theatre, National Library, National Museum of Fine Arts, Tiradentes Palace, Metropolitan Cathedral and Pedro Ernesto Palace.Zona

Sul (South Zone) including Copacabana, Leblon and Ipanema, as well as the districts along Flamengo Beach. Contains some of the more upscale neighborhoods and many of the major tourist sites, such as the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, and Sugar Loaf and Corcovado Mountains.

Zona Norte (North Zone). The Maracanã stadium, Quinta da Boa Vista Park with the National Museum the city's Zoo, the National Observatory and more.

Zona Oeste (West Zone), a rapidly growing suburban area including primarily the districts of Jacarepaguá and Barra da Tijuca, popular for its beaches. Most of the Olympics in 2016 will be hosted there.

History

Rio was founded in 1565 by the Portuguese as a fortification against French privateers who trafficked wood and goods from Brazil. Piracy played a major role in the city's history, and there are still colonial fortresses to be visited (check below). The Portuguese fought the French for nearly 10 years, both sides having rival native tribes as allies. For the next two centuries it was an unimportant outpost of the Portuguese Empire, until gold, diamonds, and ore were found in Minas Gerais in 1720. Then, as the nearest port, Rio became the port for these minerals and replaced Salvador as the main city in the colony in 1763. When Napoleon invaded Portugal, the Royal Family moved to Brazil and made Rio capital of the Kingdom (so it was the only city outside Europe to be capital of a European country). When Brazil became independent in 1822, it adopted Monarchy as its form of government (with Emperors Pedro I and Pedro II). Many historians and Brazilians from other places say cariocas are nostalgic of the Royal and Imperial times, which is reflected in many place names and shop names. In 2009, the city won their bid to host the games of the XXXI Olympics in the summer of 2016. This was the fifth bid by the city, whose 1936, 1940, 2004, and 2012 bids lost.

Beaches

Even the most seasoned tourist will find the beaches here quite amazing. They are wide and clean, with soft white sand. The main beaches from Leme to Barra have plenty of services for the beach goers, including free showers at the beach, wet trails to walk on cool sand, clean pay toilets, life-savers and police, tents and chairs for rent, soft drinks and alcoholic bars, food.

The beaches are from East to West (Downtown outwards):

Ramos (in-bay) - inappropriate for bathing
Flamengo (in-bay) - usually inappropriate for bathing
Botafogo (in-bay) - inappropriate for bathing
Urca (in-bay) - usually inappropriate for bathing
Vermelha (oceanic) - Mostly appropriate for bathing
Leme (oceanic)
Copacabana (oceanic)
Arpoador (oceanic)
Ipanema (oceanic)
Leblon (oceanic)
São Conrado (oceanic) - sometimes inappropriate for bathing
Barra da Tijuca (oceanic)
Recreio dos Bandeirantes (oceanic)
Grumari (oceanic)
Abricó (oceanic, nudist beach)

Abricó is the only official nudist beach in the area of Rio de Janeiro, it lies next to Grumari beach. Only accessible by car/taxi. An option is taking the bus numbered S-20 (Recreio) that passes along Copacabana/Ipanema/Leblon, and from the end of the line (ponto final) take a cab, for a travel time of almost 2 hours.

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Sights

Corcovado- The funicular train up costs R$46 (students from Brazil pay 50% - R$18 but are usually requested to prove showing some ID or document) for a round trip up to Cristo Redentor, and it is definitely worth the view. The queue for the train, in Cosme Velho, can get rather long; you purchase a ticket for a particular departure time (that day only). The trains run every 30 minutes. Try going when the morning coach parties have already passed through, i.e. when most tourists are having their lunch. Take a taxi to Cosme Velho, or take the Metro-Onibus Expresso combination (see above) from the Largo do Machado station. If you opt for a taxi to the up instead of the funicular, it's R$20 round-trip to enter the park, then another R$18 or so for the shuttle up to the monument. There's also a hiking trail that begins at Parque Lage and gets there (see Hiking and Trekking on the 'Do' section below).
Pão de Açúcar -The Sugar Loaf mountains (one taller, the other shorter), Brazil's top landmark, with a two-stage aerial tramway to the top; a definite must see. A ticket is R$53 (the way back is free after 7pm). There is also an unsigned trail leading to the second station where you can pay only R$22 to reach the top. Ask locals for directions. The buses number 511, 512, 591 and 592 and the subway buses from Botafogo bring you to the base station. Do not make the mistake of thinking you have seen enough once you have seen the view from Cristo Redentor. Try Sugar Loaf at sunset for a truly mind-blowing experience.
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas - A large lagoon in the middle of South Zone, with great views to Corcovado and Ipanema and Leblon beaches; you can jog or cycle all the way round; there are skating areas and you can hire little peddle-operated boats.
Maracanã - The largest football stadium in South America and once the largest on Earth. Currently closed for renovations for the 2014 World Cup, scheduled for reopening in June 2013. However, the Soccer Museum inside it is still open and it's possible to see the renovation work being done.
Parque Lage - A small park, once a private mansion, where now a school of fine arts works. Contains some interesting plants and wildlife as well as strange concrete structures that will entertain the kids. The park is the beginning of a hiking trail Corcovado, through sub-tropical rain forest (see Hiking and Trekking under the 'Do' section)
Jardim Botanico - The Botanical Garden, planted in the 1800s. It is both a park and a scientific laboratory. It contains a huge collection of plants from all over the world, not only tropical ones. If you take the bus note that Jardim Botanico is also the name of a neighborhood so make sure you take the right one to the entrance. The admission is R$6. The gardens are well kept and very lush. Not far from the cafe, first you hear swooshing sounds. Look up and you can see small monkeys swinging from tree to tree.

Buildings

Paço Imperial (1743) - Old Royal and Imperial office where order were sent, and formal inquiries with the monarch took place, colonial architecture (in downtown, next to Praça XV, Fifteen Square). Nice quiet restaurant inside.
Casa França Brasil (1820) - French cultural centre, with gallery and video hall (in downtown, next to CCBB).
CCBB - Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (1906) - A cultural centre with gallery, movie theater, video room, library and stages; usually hosts the main exhibitions in town (in downtown). An interesting building with old-fashioned elevators/lifts.
Candelária Church - Neoclassic cathedral (next to CCBB) is a fine piece of art.
Mosteiro de São Bento (1663) - Saint Benedict's Monastery, colonial architecture (in downtown).
Ilha Fiscal Palace (1889) - Located in the Guanabara Bay, next to the Navy Museum
Gloria Church (1739). Small but interesting church reached by a funicular. Nice views. (metro: Gloria)
Palácio Gustavo Capanema - Former ministry of culture, designed by French architect Le Corbusier; though small, it is regarded as an important pioneering in modern architecture (downtown).
Arcos da Lapa (1750) - Lapa Aqueduct, colonial structure that brought water from springs to downtown.
Catedral Metropolitana - a modern, cone-shaped cathedral, designed by Edgar de Oliveira da Fonseca (in Lapa).
São Francisco da Penitência church (1773) - Colonial church.
Teatro Municipal (1909) - City Theater, inspired by the Paris Opéra House (in Cinelândia square).
Biblioteca Nacional (1910) - National Library (in Cinelândia square).
Câmara Municipal - The City Hall, hosts the city council (in Cinelândia square).
Palácio do Catete - The former presidential palace (1893-1960), now hosts a museum of recent history and nice gardens (in Catete).

Itamaraty - Former presidential palace (1889-1893) and foreign office; now hosts a museum of South American diplomacy, a library and the UN information offices in Brazil (in Downtown, next to the Central station).
Palácio Guanabara - Former palace of the Imperial Princess, now governor's office; eclectic architecture; not open to public (in Laranjeiras).
Art Deco. Rio is a major centre for the Art Deco style of architecture. Indeed, the statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado is considered a classic example of Art Deco work. There are numerous buildings in Copacabana and elsewhere that employ this style.

Museums

There is no shortage of things to do on a rainy day. In addition to a wide range of museums, Rio has many cultural centres, which are run by banks and other organizations and usually host free exhibitions. Details of what is on can be found in the Segundo Caderno section of the daily O Globo newspaper, which provides more detail in a weekly Friday supplement. Also very useful is the Mapa das Artes Rio de Janeiro, which provides detailed bi-monthly listings as well as detailed maps of the city. This is free and can be picked up at most museums.

Downtown

Museu Histórico Nacional (National Museum of History) - A museum of Brazilian history stretching from colonial to imperial times; big collection of paintings, but poor in artifacts (downtown).
Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) - Includes large paintings from Academicist and Neoclassical Brazilian artists, as well as many copies of European sculptures (downtown, Cinelândia square).
MAM - Museu de Arte Moderna (Museum of Modern Art) - Opened in 1948 is the second most important contemporary art museum in Brazil, after MASP in Sao Paulo (downtown, walking distance to Santos Dumont airport). Modernist architecture spreading over almost the sea. R$ 12. Not to be confused with MAC (Museu de Arte Contemporânea) located just across the bay in Niterói. Both are worth a visit.
Museu da Imagem e do Som (Image and Sound Museum) - For researchers about Brazilian film, radio, and broadcasting industry (downtown).
Museu Naval (Navy Museum) - Located downtown not far from the ferry terminal. (www.mar.mil.br/dphdm/)
Museu do Carnaval (Museum of Carnival) - History of Brazilian carnival and parades (in downtown, next to the Sambódromo).
Museu Chácara do Céu - An important collection of South American modern art (in Santa Tereza).

South Zone

Museu da República (Museum of the Republic) - Hosted on the former presidential palace, this museum hosts permanent exhibitions about recent Brazilian history (from 1889 on); one of main features is the room where president Getúlio Vargas shot himself in 1954 (in Catete).
Oi Futuro (Formerly Centro Cultural Telemar) - Formerly Museum of Telephone, it now hosts a fine gallery with temporary exhibitions of digital art or art with interactive medias; it is sponsored by the local phone company (in Catete).
Museu Internacional de Arte Naïf (International Naïf Art Museum) - In Cosme Velho, next to Corcovado rail station.
Museu Carmem Miranda (Carmem Miranda Museum) - About this Brazilian actress and singer (the lady with pineapples-and-bananas hat), the national icon in the 1940s and 50s (in Flamengo).
Museu do Índio (Museum of the Indian) - A small museum with a collection of Brazilian Indian (povos indígenas) photographs, paintings, artifacts and other craft (in Botafogo). Very popular with local schoolchildren, but has much for adults as well.
Museu Villa-Lobos, Rua Sorocaba, 200 - Botafogo, M-F 10AM-5:30PM. A modest collection about Brazil's most important composer. Free entrance.

North Zone

Museu Nacional (National Museum) - Actually, it's the Natural History museum, with dinosaur fossils and lots of mounted tanned animals; go there if you want to see a jaguar without getting into the jungle; it was formerly the Emperor's Palace (in São Cristóvão, just next to the Zoo).
Museu do Primeiro Reinado (First Reign Museum) - A museum about the reign of Emperor Pedro I (1822-1831), but with a modest collection (in São Cristóvão).
Museu Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins (Astronomy Museum) - Also has an observatory (in São Cristóvão).
Museu do Trem (Train Museum) - A modest collection of 19th century engines, train cars and streetcars (in Engenho de Dentro).
Museu Aeroespacial (Aerospace Museum) - Located in Campo dos Afonsos (in the suburbs).

West Zone

Museu Casa do Pontal - The most important collection of popular arts and crafts (in Recreio dos Bandeirantes).

Parks

Parque do Flamengo, also known as Aterro do Flamengo.
Parque Guinle
Campo de Santana
Quinta da Boa Vista
Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos