Flamengo & Around
One of Rio's most visually exciting additions is this futuristic space on the edge of Flamengo. Within 2000 sq meters of exhibition area spread across six…
Must-see attractions in Rio de Janeiro State
Rio de Janeiro
The epicenter of Rio’s Carnaval, the Sambódromo was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and completed in 1984. During big parades, come here for fantastic views…
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
Rio de Janeiro
Housed in a beautifully restored 1906 building, the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil hosts some of Rio's top exhibitions. Facilities include a cinema, two…
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura
Rio de Janeiro
Built in the Portuguese Manueline style in 1837, the gorgeous Portuguese Reading Room houses more than 350,000 works, many dating from the 16th, 17th and…
Flamengo & Around
The Museu da República, located in the Palácio do Catete, has been wonderfully restored. Built between 1858 and 1866, and easily distinguished by the…
Rio de Janeiro
Unearthed in 2011, the Valongo Wharf was the first arrival point for an estimated 900,000 enslaved peoples brought to Brazil after long, harrowing voyages…
Rio de Janeiro State
Only 80km from Rio's Galeão airport, Nicholas and Raquel Locke have created this nonprofit nature reserve, dedicated to restoring native ecosystems within…
Igreja São Francisco da Penitência & Convento de Santo Antônio
Rio de Janeiro
Overlooking the Largo da Carioca is the baroque Igreja São Francisco da Penitência, dating from 1726. The restored church's sacristy, which dates from…
Gávea, Jardim Botânico & Lagoa
On the outer reaches of Gávea, this lush park of native Mata Atlântica rainforest and replanted secondary forest provides a refreshing escape from the…
Rio de Janeiro
The stately Tiradentes Palace houses the seat of the legislative assembly. Exhibits on the 1st and 2nd floors relate the events that have taken place here…
Rio de Janeiro
At the northern end of Parque do Flamengo, the Museu de Arte Moderna is immediately recognizable by its striking postmodern edifice designed by Affonso…
Rio de Janeiro
Though closed for renovations at the time of research, the small Museu do Índio features multimedia exhibitions on Brazil’s northern tribes and provides…
Rio de Janeiro
This enormous fair (32,000 sq meters, with over 600 stalls) is not to be missed. It showcases the culture of the Northeast of Brazil, with barracas (food…
Paraty
Opened in 2017, this unique park is part nature reserve, part historic site. The grounds shelter 260 species of birds, walking trails, a mini-farm where…
Gávea, Jardim Botânico & Lagoa
Gávea's stellar attraction, the Planetário features a museum, a praça dos telescópios (telescopes' square) and a couple of state-of-the-art operating…
Rio de Janeiro
Built in 1905 in the style of the Paris Opera, the magnificent Municipal Theater is the home of Rio's opera, orchestra and ballet. Its lavish interior…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário e São Benedito
Rio de Janeiro
Dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary as well as the black St Benedict, this church has been an important icon for Afro-Brazilians, serving a congregation…
Rio de Janeiro
Built in 1914 on the promontory of the old Our Lady of Copacabana chapel, the fort of Copacabana was one of Rio's premier defenses against attack. You can…
Santa Teresa & Lapa
This park contains the ruins – exterior brick walls and a newly built staircase – of the mansion belonging to Brazilian heiress Laurinda Santos Lobo. Her…
Santa Teresa & Lapa
Once a foundry for the manufacturing of safes and ovens, Fundição Progresso today hosts avant-garde exhibitions, concerts and samba performances…
Rio de Janeiro
One of Rio's oldest neighborhoods, this pretty area feels like a tiny slice of Portugal, with its old shuttered houses, quiet cobblestone streets and…
Rio de Janeiro State
Revamped to celebrate Itatiaia's 80th anniversary in 2017, this visitors center, 5km uphill from the lower entrance, houses exhibits about the biology and…
Rio de Janeiro
The best thing about Barra is the beach. It stretches for 18km, with the blue sea lapping at the shore. The first few kilometers of its eastern end are…
Rio de Janeiro
Quinta da Boa Vista was the estate of the Portuguese imperial family until the Republic was proclaimed. Today it’s a large and busy park with gardens and…
Rio de Janeiro
This eye-catching lime-green neo-Gothic palace sitting in Baía de Guanabara looks like something out of a child's fairy-tale book. It was designed by…
Paraty
For accessibility, cost and beauty, this tranquil beach 17km southeast of Paraty is hard to beat. The adjacent chapel, dating to 1686, was the first…
Instituto de Pesquisa e Memória Presto Novos
Rio de Janeiro
When Mercedes Guimarães was doing construction work on her house in 1996, workers uncovered huge quantities of human fragments. After discussions with a…
Santa Teresa & Lapa
A slice of village life in the city, this small plaza is one of Santa Teresa's most picturesque little squares. While Largo das Neves is empty by day, on…
Gávea, Jardim Botânico & Lagoa
On the edge of Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, across a busy road, this park and sculptural garden has a short but steep trail to the Mirante do Sacopã. It's a…
Rio de Janeiro
A world away from the bustle of Copacabana's busy avenues, the Bairro Peixoto is a peaceful enclave centered on the leafy Praça Edmundo Bittencourt. Here…
Paraty
For sweeping bay views, climb to this historic Portuguese fort. First built in 1703 and rebuilt in 1822, its original purpose was to defend the gold…
Rio de Janeiro
Rio's fine-arts museum houses more than 18,000 original paintings and sculptures, some of which date back to works brought over from Portugal by Dom João…
Rio de Janeiro
The former imperial palace was originally built in 1743 as a governor's residence. Later it became the home of Dom João and his family when the Portuguese…
Rio de Janeiro
Inaugurated in 1880, Fábrica Bhering was the first chocolate factory in Brazil. It is now a stunning multistory, multipurpose art space and cultural…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Antiga Sé
Rio de Janeiro
This beautifully restored church and former cathedral dates back to the 1770s, and it played an important role in the imperial days of Rio. The…
Rio de Janeiro
Inaugurated in 1910, Rio's neoclassical national library is the largest in Latin America. It's home to more than nine million volumes, including many rare…
Santa Teresa & Lapa
The plaza named after Joaquim Fonseca Guimarães (a local resident whose house became Hotel Santa Teresa, just up the road) now forms the center of…
Rio de Janeiro
Designed by Brazil’s most famous architect, Oscar Niemeyer, the Museu do Arte Contemporânea is a curvilinear building with breathtaking views. However,…
Rio de Janeiro State
Dating to 1884, this beautifully preserved Victorian mansion retains a host of elegant features including French chandeliers, Belgian crystal mirrors,…
Centro Cultural Laurinda Santos Lobo
Santa Teresa & Lapa
Built in 1907, this large mansion once served as a salon for artists from Brazil and abroad and as the location of parties hosted by socialite Laurinda…
