Skip to main content

Trip Tips: Rio's beaches and bars are key to its bohemian ways

Sao Paulo is bigger and the capital moved to Brasília 54 years ago, but Rio de Janeiro, with its white beaches, blue ocean and jungle-covered mountains, is still the place that comes to mind when people think of class="mandelbrot_refrag">Brazil.

Home to samba and Carnival, bossa nova and modern architecture, imperial palaces and shantytowns, notorious drug gangs and world-renowned telenovellas, the 448-year-old harbor city is a microcosm of Latin America's largest country.

Soccer fans coming to Rio for the World Cup will be too late for the city's famed Carnival bash, but they'll also miss the energy-sapping Southern Hemisphere summer heat.

Rio's legendary Maracana stadium will host seven World Cup games: class="mandelbrot_refrag">Argentina vs Bosnia and Herzegovina; defending champion class="mandelbrot_refrag">Spain vs Chile; Belgium vs Russia; Ecuador vs class="mandelbrot_refrag">France, a round of 16 match, a quarter-final and the final on July 13.

Here are tips for getting the most out of a trip to Rio from Reuters, whose 2,600 journalists in all parts of the world offer visitors the best local insights.

BODIES, BEACHES, JUICE BARS

By all means visit tourist favorites such as Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) and the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado, but here are places that locals enjoy, too.

Despite its party reputation, Rio is also a daytime city. Obsessed with health and good looks, many Cariocas, as the locals are known, work hard to keep tan and fit.

Start the day by the sea with a morning walk or jog along the shoreline and its tiled Portuguese stone walkways in Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon.

Equally good routes can be found along Flamengo and Botafogo's bayside parkways, or on the 7.5-km (4.7-mile) walk around the Lagoa, a lagoon between Ipanema and the mountains. Bike rentals are easy to find.

Quench your thirst with a coconut water or have breakfast at Balada Sumos (Av. Ataulfo de Paiva, No. 620, Leblon).

Balada and the dozens of snack and juice bars along the main shopping streets in Ipanema and Leblon serve tropical juices and "natural" sandwiches. There are also options for the not-so-health-conscious, such as pork-and-pineapple sandwiches, a Rio classic.

The beach is best at late morning and late afternoon. The most popular spots are between Posto 7 and Posto 10 in Ipanema. Each posto is a lifeguard station whose number serves as a beach address.

For a beachside seafood lunch and a caipirinha - the Brazilian cocktail made with fruit and local sugarcane liquor - try Restaurante Azul Marinho (www.cozinhatipica.com.br) in the Arpoador Inn (Av. Francisco Bhering, near Posto 7).

While Ipanema beach has the cleanest water, avoid swimming the day after a heavy rain. Local newspapers print beach conditions daily, and you can ask your hotel for details.

_0">

Always bring as little as possible to the beach. Chances of getting robbed are slim, but it's best to tuck cash or a bank card in your shorts or swimsuit. Cariocas keep their hands free.

_1">

You can buy everything you need at the beach. Instead of a towel, buy a canga, a colorful shawl-beach blanket to lie on, to dry off and to keep the sun off your shoulders. Rent beach chairs from the drinks tents.

_2">

_3">

HISTORY, MUSIC, NIGHTLIFE

_4">

If the beach isn't your thing, visit Jardim Botanico, the lush gardens built by the Portuguese royal family after fleeing to Rio in 1808 as Napoleon attacked Lisbon. The stately palms and jungle walks offer soothing shelter from the midday sun (Rua Jardim Botânico, No. 1008).

_5">

Lunch at Braseiro da Gávea (www.braseirodagavea.com.br) or Hipódromo da Gávea (Praça Santos Dumont, No. 108), three blocks away. Braseiro's picanha (grilled rump steak) can't be beat. The cozido (meat and vegetable stew) at Hipodromo is a Sunday delight.

_6">

For a look at Rio's colonial, royal and imperial past, head to Museu Histórico Nacional (www.museuhistoriconacional.com.br) and other museums and churches near Praça XV. The Church-Monastery of São Bento, near Praça Mauá, is a Baroque gem. On Sundays the monks say Mass with Gregorian chant. (www.osb.org.br/mosteiro/)

_7">

_8">

BOHEMIAN RIO

_9">

Rio food lacks São Paulo sophistication but is served with panache. For a classic Rio food experience, take a cab to Santa Teresa, the charming old neighborhood overlooking downtown.

_10">

The streetcar tracks along Av. Almirante Alexandrino past some fun class="mandelbrot_refrag">restaurants. Try rabbit, pork chops and draft beer at Adega do Pimenta (www.adegadopimenta.com.br) or moqueca (fish stew) at Sobrenatural(www.restaurantesobrenatural.com.br).

_11">

Around the corner, Bar do Mineiro has a great feijoada, the bean and jerked-beef stew that is Brazil's national dish. (www.bardomineiro.net)

_12">

In the evening head to Lapa, the old bohemian neighborhood where Carmen Miranda got her start and where events are held beside the arches of the old aqueduct.

_13">

There are dozens of dance and music bars playing samba and chorinho, a kind of "Dixieland Samba," along Rua Mem de Sa, Rua do Riachuelo and Rua do Lavradio. One of the most famous is Rio Scenarium, a series of concert rooms in renovated buildings. (www.rioscenarium.com.br)

_14">

Once you've worked up an appetite, end the night with cabrito assado (roasted goat) at Restaurante Nova Capela (Rua Mem de Sa, No. 96). At sunrise, you'll be ready for a walk on the beach.

_15">

(Editing by Todd Benson, Michael Roddy and Leslie Adler)

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o