RIO DE JANEIRO TRAVEL GUIDE | Top 25 Things to do in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Hello from Rio de Janeiro! This was our first stop in Brazil and we were very excited to check out the top attractions, sample Brazilian cuisine, and squeeze in a little bit of beach time. We had an action packed week exploring the different neighbouhoods and trying everything from churrasco to brigadeiro, so we decided to film a city guide along the way. This video will showcase 25 things to do in Rio de Janeiro. Now let's get to it!

1) Christ Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) & Trem do Corcovado
2) Ipanema Hippy Fair (Feira Hippie de Ipanema)
3) Selarón Steps (Escadaria Selarón)
4) Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã)
7) Nature Hike up to Chapéu Mangueira Hill
8) Churrascaria: Buffet meat churrasco style
9) Ipanema Beach
10) Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião)
11) National Fine Arts Museum (Museu Nacional de Belas Artes MNBA)
12) Municipal Theatre of Rio (Theatro Municipal)
13) Cafe Colombo (Confeitaria Colombo) and Brigadeiro
14) Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) by Cable Car
15) Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico)
16) Sao Joao Batista Cemetery (Cemitério de São João Batista)
17) Copacabana Beach
18) Drink coconut juice from a fresh coconut
19) Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon)
20) Pão de queijo - Brazilian cheese bread
21) Praça Mauá area for museums on the weekend
22) Ride a bike all over Rio
23) Ride the subway (Rio de Janeiro Metro - Metrô Rio)
24) Feijoada (Brazilian stew with rice and beans)
25) Nightlife in Rio drinking a Caipirinhas

SOCIAL MEDIA & TRAVEL BLOGS

AUDREY:

SAMUEL:

GEAR WE USE

Our visit Rio De Janeiro travel guide documentary, before the Olympics of 2016, covers some of the top attractions including a food guide (best restaurants and street food), top museums and Rio at night. We also cover off-the-beaten-path activities you won't find in a typical Rio De Janeiro tourism brochure or Rio De Janeiro, Brasil city tour.

25 Things to do in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Travel Guide and Top Attractions Transcript:

First up, we started with the city’s most iconic sight: Christ Redeemer. We boarded the train as soon as the station opened and made our way to the top of Corcovado Mountain. Sometimes the statue can be shielded by fog, but we lucked out with beautiful blue skies and panoramic views of the city as far as the eye could see.

For a bit of colour, we headed over to the Selaron Steps, which is a tiled staircase created by Chilean artist, Jorge Selarón. Initially Selaron would scavenge construction sites looking for tiles, but in later years as his work gained notoriety, travellers began donating tiles.

Since we chose to stay in the neighbourhood of Ipanema, we ended up spending quite a bit of time at Ipanema Beach. We noticed that this beach was really popular for beach football, volleyball, and surfing. And of course, what makes this beach so iconic are its two mountains, known as Dois Irmãos. If you come here on a clear day, you can catch a killer sunset.

No visit to Rio de Janeiro would be complete without heading up Sugarloaf Mountain, so when the skies finally cleared that’s exactly what we did. We paid for our tickets and boarded the cable car for a somewhat unnerving ride up. If you’re scared of heights, this probably isn’t the attraction for you, however, if you manage to make it to the top you get some really cool panoramic views of Rio.

Copacabana Beach is the most famed beach in all of Rio de Janeiro and if you were to visit on a weekend during the summer months you’d find that the place is packed beyond belief. We happened to be here in winter so things were a lot more relaxed, but that didn’t stop visitors from braving the waters.

We did a favela tour to Babilônia and Chapéu Mangueira. On our tour we saw lots of street art, learned about life inside a favela.

And that is a wrap! We hope this video will give you guys some ideas of things to do in Rio de Janeiro on your visit, and for those travellers who have already been there, feel free to add your suggestion of cool activities and attractions in the comments below.

This is part of our Travel in Brazil video series showcasing Brazilian food, Brazilian culture and Brazilian cuisine.

Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network

[samuelandaudrey]

A few tour ideas for RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil 🇧🇷
(These are affiliate links, so we do earn a small commission if you book through them!)

[recordic]

Congratulations.... I am a "carioca", live in Rio, and really liked the video.... you were very confortable presenting Rio, very not exactly as tourists... thats why I liked ...you really felt Rio"s

[karih]

I learned a lot from this. (Easy, since I only knew of crowdy beaches and a noicy carnival in beforehand.). But now I saw all the nice areas, all the beaty and relaxing activities. Something exiting or beautiful to look at wherever you turn your head. I guess there are not-so-nice neighborhoods there too, of course. I googled to get more info since you had me started, and found that Portoguese royalties fled Portugal after the Napoleon war and moved to Rio in 1808! They threw some of the inhabitants out of their houses to get enough places to stay. Now I know more about this big city when the olympic games start. Thanks!

[andretavares]

Nice guide, but as a local I’d like to give 3 advices: 1) Don’t buy anything in “confeitaria Colombo”. You pay more than twice for things you can find in any corner, as tasteful as there. 2) Visiting the slums (or favelas, as tourists like to call) is like going to LA and visit the Skid Row neighborhood. Why? 3) DON’T take taxis! They will always try to rip you off. Use an app called “99 taxi”. It’s just like uber, but cheaper and with more drivers.

[nathanpgraf]

I like this video because it is very thorough. You cover all of the main tourist attractions and give insight into Brazilian life and culture. I’m considering a trip to Brazil and Argentina in 2020 and I believe you’ve convinced me to visit.

[keltonferreira]

Avaliação nota 10 muito bom o conteudo parabens

[TravelingisFREEDOM]

This seems to be a very interesting place, I hope I can visit sometime in the future. Seeing and sharing places like this is why I love traveling and make videos so much! And please keep up the great job! Subscribed!!

[tom]

Great video. I'm going next week for Xmas / New Year, can't wait, Rio looks amazing.

[raytru]

few thing you should have try like pastel lula dorado also in those padaria you get pao de coco that is awsom i spend 3 month a year in praia grande i have my place there name is big beach there is 25klm of it as for water i do drink from the tap never had no problem

[felipejnnt]

wow !you guys did the perfect itinerary ! how did you managed to plan all that ? again a great video !

[pedrojb]

Melhores ervas praias e girls kssksk Rio de Janeiro é

[ialeixo]

R$9, 50 num brigadeiro?? Obrigado por me lembrarem o porque de eu nunca frequentar a confeitaria

[JOAOVITOR-eomu]

Hey Samuel and Audrey, Is it safe to travel to RIO?

[annaazevedo]

Desculpa mas eu quase morro de rir dela comendo brigadeiro com garfo😂

[fheedalzahrani]

كلام فاضي اي عربي يدخل يصوت هنا نبي نوصل اكثر شيء .

[GIJoe]

I've been to Rio and Buenos Aires... have to say Rio tops Buenos Aires by Miles and Miles good food great people beautiful city!!!

[r.douglas]

Probably the best combination of natural beauty, culture and cuisine I have ever been to. I wish I had known about the botanical gardens when I went there!

[nabilah]

Rio do really have beautiful sceneries and views .😍😍 their street arts are so unique and speaks for their culture too.👍🏽

[sweetlua]

Se os políticos não estragassem tudo o Brasil poderia ser uma grande potência (ele já é, mas não se compara as outras)

[AntonioSilva-gznb]

RIO nasceu para ser um lugar lindo e maravilhoso, sempre--acolhendo a todos com um grande sorriso feito de muito amor.
RIO FELIZ SEMPRE' --adote essa idéia.