Lonely Planet Pocket Rio de Janeiro , livre ebook

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro
Top Sights
Eating
Drinking
Entertainment
Samba
Carnaval
Shopping
Outdoor Activities
For Kids
LGBT
Four Perfect Days
Need to Know
Rio de Janeiro Neighborhoods

Explore Rio de Janeiro

Ipanema & Leblon
Gávea, Jardim Botânico & Lagoa
Copacabana & Leme
Botafogo, Humaitá & Urca
Flamengo & Around
Centro & Praça Mauá
Santa Teresa & Lapa

Worth a Trip

Maracanã Football Stadium

Survival Guide

Survival Guide
Before You Go
Arriving in Rio de Janeiro
Getting Around
Essential Information
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writer
Welcome to Rio de Janeiro

Spread between forest-covered mountain peaks and golden beaches, Rio is one of the world’s most captivating cities. You can spend your days frolicking in the surf or strolling through rainforest, followed by nights sipping tropical cocktails or dancing to the addictive rhythms of samba. With so much going for them, it’s no wonder locals claim ‘Deus é brasileiro’ (God is Brazilian).

View from Pão de Açúcar | RAPHAEL KOERICH/GETTY IMAGES ©
Rio de Janeiro Top Sights

1 Copacabana Beach
The famed beachfront.

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Rio de Janeiro Top Sights
1 Pão de Açúcar
Jaw-dropping views over the city.

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Rio de Janeiro Top Sights
1 Ipanema Beach
Rio’s most captivating shoreline.

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Rio de Janeiro Top Sights
1 Cristo Redentor
The magnificent open-armed savior.

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Rio de Janeiro Top Sights
1 Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
Rio’s sparkling, mountain-fringed lagoon.

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Rio de Janeiro Top Sights
1 Museu Histórico Nacional
Rio’s most important history museum.

MJ PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

Rio de Janeiro Top Sights
1 Escadaria Selarón
A magnificently tiled staircase.

PINTAI SUCHACHAISRI/GETTY IMAGES ©

Rio de Janeiro Top Sights
1 Maracanã Football Stadium
The hallowed football arena.

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Eating

Despite top-notch chefs, ethnically diverse cuisine and a rich bounty from farm, forest and sea, Rio hasn’t earned much of a culinary reputation abroad. Within Brazil, however, it’s a different story, with cariocas (residents of Rio) convinced that there’s no place quite like home for sitting down to a first-rate meal.

STEVE OUTRAM/GETTY IMAGES ©

Regional Diversity
Variety comes in many forms in Rio, where an outstanding selection of restaurants showcase Brazil’s regional variety.
Diners can sample rich, shrimp-filled moqueca (seafood stew cooked in coconut milk) from Bahia or tender carne seca (jerked meat) covered in farofa (manioc flour), a staple in Minas Gerais. Daring palates can venture north into Amazonia, enjoying savory tacacá (a lip-numbing soup with dried shrimp) or tambaqui (a large Amazonian fish). Cowboys and gaúchos (natives of Rio Grande do Sul) from the south bring the city its churrascarias, Brazil’s famous all-the-meat-you-can-eat barbecue restaurants.

Per-Kilo Restaurants
At lunchtime locals favor pay-by-weight restaurants, which range from simple, working-class affairs to sumptuous buffets lined with fresh salads, grilled meats, pastas, seafood and copious desserts.

Best Fine Dining
Giuseppe Grill Meals are always memorable at this Leblon icon.
Olympe An imaginative fusion of Brazilian and French cooking.
Zazá Bistrô Tropical Handsomely converted Ipanema mansion with contemporary Asian-inspired fare.

Best Seafood
Espírito Santa Superb Amazonian dishes and creative cocktails in Santa Teresa.
La Carioca Cevicheria Mouthwatering ceviche and other Peruvian fare.
Sushi Leblon Famous for its inventive dishes and delectable sashimi.
Ancoramar High-end seafood in a historic building overlooking the bay.

Best Views
Xian Asian jewel with mesmerizing views over the bay.
Bar Urca Sit on the sea wall, nibble great snacks and admire the view, or head upstairs to the classy dining room.
Espaço 7zero6 Top-floor restaurant overlooking Ipanema Beach, with amazing brunches.
Aprazível A lush Santa Teresa setting with magical views over the city.

Best Atmosphere
Plage Café Outdoor dining in an elegant courtyard with views of Corcovado.
Ferro e Farinha Wonderful pizza in an atmospheric but hard-to-find space in Catete.
Bar do Mineiro An old-fashioned favorite for traditional Brazilian cooking and lively ambience.

Best Vegetarian
Prana Vegetariano The top vegetarian cooking in town.
Govardhana Harí Beautifully prepared vegetarian dishes served by Hare Krishnas.
Vegetariano Social Club A small, elegant favorite.

Juice Bars
Most cariocas start their morning at the local juice bar, where they can choose from three dozen varieties of vitamin-filled elixirs, including the very popular açaí (made from an Amazonian berry and whipped to a thick consistency – it’s eaten with a spoon).

Drinking

Any night of the week you’ll find plenty of ways to experience Rio’s electrifying nightlife: open-air bars by the lake; festive outdoor drinking spots on the colonial streets of Centro; beachfront kiosks; stylish lounges and nightclubs; and warm and welcoming botecos (small open-air bars) that are scattered all across the city.

ALF RIBEIRO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

The Scene
Rio has a number of different subcultures within its nightlife circuit, though there’s plenty of crossover between groups. The well-heeled from the Zona Sul tend to favor bars in Ipanema and Leblon, while an alternative crowd heads to the drinking dens in Botafogo. Lapa’s mix of bars and dance halls attracts a range of people from all backgrounds, who may have little in common aside from a love of samba.

Botecos
For an insight into Rio’s drinking culture, familiarize yourself with one of the great sociocultural icons of the city: the boteco . These casual, open-sided bars are found all over town, and draw in a broad cross-section of society. Young and old, upper class and working class, men and women, black and white mix over ice-cold chope (draft beer) or caipirinhas, flirting and swapping the latest gossip as bow-tied waiters move deftly among the crowd.

Best Cocktails
Explorer Bar Imaginative cocktails in a beautiful Santa Teresa setting.
Palaphita Kitch Amazonian-tinged cocktails and serene lakeside views.
Bar Astor Luscious cocktails and a great location across from Ipanema Beach.

Best Brewpubs
Brewteco A beer-lovers’ gathering spot in Leblon.
Hocus Pocus Top brews from a Rio-based microbrewer.
Booze Bar Sip your way through local craft beers in the heart of Lapa.
Escondido A casual place to start the night, with good microbrews on tap.

FÁBIO FERREIRA/GETTY IMAGES ©

Best Atmosphere
Canastra French-run neighborhood bar with great food and drinks.
Palaphita Gávea A fun, wildly decorated space, with an adjoining dance club that opens weekends.
Comuna Creative gathering space for art, music and microbrews.
Bar Léo Raise a glass over the cobblestones of Rio’s oldest neighborhood.
Baretto-Londra Very swanky party space inside Ipanema’s Hotel Fasano.
Bar dos Descasados Romantic outdoor lounge with hilltop views.

Best Botecos
Pavão Azul Cold beer and great snacks always draw a festive crowd.
Bar do Gomes Old-fashioned neighborhood charmer in Santa Teresa.
Boteco Belmonte A tranquil beachfront bar in Leme.

Worth a Trip
The nightlife scene in Barra is a mostly local affair, and it’s a good place to mingle with Brazilians. The best place to go bar-hopping is along Av Olegário Maciel, about 900m east of the Jardim Oceânico metro stop. On weekend nights the open-sided bars and eating establishments are packed.

Entertainment

Rio has a celebrated music scene, with enchanting settings in which to catch live performances, from cutting-edge concert halls to intimate neighborhood venues. Dance, theater, classical concerts and opera also have their small but loyal local followings, while cinema is an even bigger deal – Rio is one of the leading film centers in Latin America.

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Live Music
In addition to samba, Rio is a showcase for jazz, bossa nova, Música Popular Brasileira (MPB), rock, hip-hop and fusions of these styles. Brazil’s many regional styles – forró (popular music of the Northeast), choro (romantic, intimate samba) and pagode (relaxed and rhythmic samba) – are also a part of the music scene.

Cinema
There’s plenty of variety at Rio’s many cinemas. The market here is remarkably open to foreign and independent films, documentaries and avant-garde cinema. The latest American blockbusters get ample airtime at movie megaplexes, while cultural centers, museums and old one-screen theaters offer a more diverse repertoire. Films are shown in the original language with Portuguese subtitles.

Best Jazz
Blue Note Rio Fabled new space beside Lagoa.
Maze Inn Fabulous setting for a monthly jazz-concert party high up in Tavares Bastos favela.
TribOz Some of Rio’s best jazz shows in a beautifully decorated house in Lapa.
Clube Manouche Intimate downstairs club reminiscent of NYC jazz dens.
Favela Hype Catch creative jam sessions on weekends at this creative gathering space in Santa Teresa.

Best Rock & MPB
Circo Voador Creative space for top concerts in the heart of Lapa.
Barzin In addition to DJs, this Ipanema spot hosts an eclectic lineup of live music.
Fundição Progresso A Lapa showcase for top names and up-and-coming groups.
Bar Bukowski A converted house in Botafogo that hosts live bands most weekends.
Lapa 40 Graus Multi-floor space in Lapa, where you can catch concerts or shoot a few rounds of pool.

Best Cinemas
Cine Odeon Classic old-fashioned cinema and performing-arts venue on Praça Floriano in Centro.
Espaço Itaú Brazilian and foreign films.

Best Theaters & Concert Halls
Theatro Municipal Grande dame of a theater that showcases some of Rio’s bes