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…
Must-see attractions in Rio de Janeiro
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
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…
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…
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,…
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…
Rio de Janeiro
Designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, this thoughtfully conceived science museum has interactive exhibitions on outer space, the earth…
Parque Natural Municipal de Marapendi
Rio de Janeiro
Near Barra da Tijuca's coastal strip, this155-hectare biological reserve has photogenic views over the Marapendi lagoon dotted with mangroves, towering…
Rio de Janeiro
One of the most picturesque beaches near Rio, Prainha is backed by cliffs and thick forest. The sea can be rough, but it's a favorite among surfers. It…
Rio de Janeiro
Inside a beautifully restored mansion overlooking Praça Tiradentes, this exhibition hall is dedicated to Brazilian crafts from across the country. Several…
Santa Teresa & Lapa
This enormous cone-shaped cathedral was inaugurated in 1976 after 12 years of construction. Among its sculptures, murals and other works of art, the four…
Rio de Janeiro
Although the waters of Baía de Guanabara (Guanabara Bay) are too polluted for swimming, the beach overlooking the Enseada de Botafogo (Botafogo Inlet)…
Ipanema & Leblon
One of Rio's top contemporary galleries moved to this Leblon location in 2017, and it continues to stage captivating exhibitions inside a four-story…
Rio de Janeiro
This avant-garde museum is set in a 19th-century neoclassical building that originally housed the Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Arts. Today the…
Rio de Janeiro
Naval enthusiasts shouldn't miss this waterfront museum, a short stroll from Praça XV. It contains the Riachuelo submarine, which you can wander through,…
Rio de Janeiro
Owned by French designer Jacques Van de Beuque, this impressive museum containing some 4500 pieces has one of the best folk-art collections in Brazil. The…
Gávea, Jardim Botânico & Lagoa
An old mansion full of antiques, the former residence of Eva Klabin houses the works of art she collected for 60 years. Reflecting Eva's diverse interests…
Rio de Janeiro
From this station you can take the Bonde tram to Santa Teresa. It's a marvelous ride on a quaint yellow streetcar over the Lapa Arches to the hilltop…
Rio de Janeiro
This tiny beach is popular with neighborhood kids who gather here for pick-up football games when school is not in session (and sometimes when it is). A…
Gávea, Jardim Botânico & Lagoa
One of several new galleries in the Jockey Club, Carpintaria stages exhibitions by both Brazilian and foreign artists. It's a great place to see sculpture…
Ipanema & Leblon
A few fishers casting out to sea mingle with couples admiring the view at this overlook uphill from the western end of Leblon Beach. The luxury Sheraton…
Gávea, Jardim Botânico & Lagoa
Offers fantastic views over Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, and the seaside neighborhoods of Ipanema and Leblon. Reachable by taking the path in the Parque da…
Flamengo & Around
This handsomely landscaped park is a pleasant escape from busy Rua das Laranjeiras outside its sphinx-guarded gates. It has a small wooded area and a tiny…
Museu de Folclore Edison Carneiro
Flamengo & Around
Created in 1968, this museum is an excellent introduction to Brazilian folk art, particularly that from the Northeast. Its permanent collection comprises…
Rio de Janeiro
Ilha de Paquetá, in the Baía de Guanabara, was once a popular tourist spot and remains a pleasant escape from the city’s bustle. There are no cars on the…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Candelária
Rio de Janeiro
Built between 1775 and 1894, NS de Candelária was the largest and wealthiest church of imperial Brazil. The interior is a combination of baroque and…
Ipanema & Leblon
The famous jeweler H Stern allows visitors to get a glimpse behind the scenes at these gemological headquarters. A 12-minute audio tour shows the process…
