Rio de Janeiro for many years had been considered a city that made tourists concerned about safety issues before deciding to doing tourism in Brazil. Prospective tourists used to think twice, read on the Internet, and ask frequent travelers and past visitors about safety concerns in Rio de Janeiro.
But these concerns were several years ago. Nowadays (2012), the data shows that the safety level has increased and such issues are no longer a concern for the current tourists visiting Rio de Janeiro. Among the several causes for increased safety are the progressively higher standard of living and more efficient governmental efforts to deal with the criminals.
Besides, the city has been taking the necessary security measures to safely host major events such as the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013, the World Cup Football Games in 2014 in 12 cities in Brazil (including Rio), and the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 (actually it will be in the winter).
Crime evidently still exists, but it happens mainly farther into the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, which is an area that very few adventurous tourists go. Most visitors stay in the upscale and safe districts such as Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon and Leme (see map). In fact, you can live for months in any of these neighborhoods and never see any street crime or be concerned about safety. That’s the real Rio — the touristy areas have a low-crime rate and that’s where most tourists safely hang out and have fun.
However, Rio de Janeiro is a six-million inhabitants city, and as in most cities of such a size in Latin America, tourists should take basic security precautions such as:
- ► Do not leave your belongings unattended (it is not unusual to see tourists napping on Copacabana Beach, while leaving a bag-pack completely unattended)
- ► Hang out where and when Cariocas (natives of Rio) do — avoid isolated and deserted areas
- ► Wear a money belt for large-denomination notes and credit card
- ► Watch out for pick pockets in large crowds such as street Carnival parties and New Years Eve
Planning to travel to Rio de Janeiro in the near future? Read all the important tourist information in My Rio Travel Guide – The Essential How-To Visitor’s Guide to Rio de Janeiro.
Read related article: ► Rio de Janeiro Safest Neighborhoods
