Rio de Janeiro

Introducing Rio de Janeiro

Be warned: Rio’s powers of seduction can leave you with a bad case of saudade (indescribable longing) when you leave. Planted between lush, forest-covered mountains and breathtaking beaches, the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City) has many charms at her disposal.

Although joie de vivre is a French invention (as is the bikini), it’s the Cariocas (Rio dwellers) who’ve made it their own. How else to explain the life-lusting zeal with which the city’s inhabitants celebrate their days? While large-scale festivities like Carnaval make Rio famous, there are countless occasions for revelry – Saturday at Ipanema Beach, a festa (party) in Lapa, soccer at Maracanã, or an impromptu roda de samba (samba circle) on the sidewalks of Leblon, Copacabana or any other corner of the city.

Music is the meeting ground for some of Brazil’s most creative artists and nets an audience as diverse as the city. This is another of Rio’s disarming traits: its rich melting pot of cultures. Cariocas they may call themselves, but the city’s enticing variety of cuisines speaks volumes about its history of immigration.

The spectacular landscape is another of Rio’s shameless virtues. Verdant mountains and white-sand beaches fronting deep blue sea offer a range of adventure: surfing great breaks off Prainha, hiking through Tijuca’s rain forests, sailing across the Baía de Guanabara (Guanabara Bay) or rock climbing up the face of Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain).

As with any city in the tropics, there is always a downside, and Rio is no exception with its high crime rates and alarming social inequalities. Yet despite her many problems, Rio rarely fails to seduce, and most visitors arrive home already daydreaming of their return.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009