Arpoador is a small district right between Ipanema and Copacabana. The Arpoador area is rather safe, especially at day time. There is always plenty of people going to or coming from the beach. Besides, there is a rather busy cycling path that connects Copacabana and Ipanema — the two most popular beaches in Rio de Janeiro. Safety in Arpoador Arpoador is definitely a safe area at day time, especially along the Francisco Otaviano Street, which is the busiest street that…read more
To get the right Rio tourist information you need to rely on unbiased, selected tips, and insider’s updated information. Can you get them all on the Internet? Not really. The problem is that to sort out reliable tourist information on the Internet takes time, lots of it. To find most of the information you need to make a safe, fun, and worth-investing trip to Rio de Janeiro takes dozens of hours of your spare time. Worth spending? Beware that there…read more
The best way to avoid tourist traps in Rio de Janeiro is by getting — previous to your departure — updated, reliable, and insider’s information about Rio, its attractions, restaurants and cafes, things to do and activities, nightlife, transportation, hotels, airport transfers, and more. My Rio Travel Guide has been written (and is frequentty updated) to give you instant access to this sort of information, and consequently, steer you to avoid the tourist traps in Rio de Janeiro. Here are just…read more
Santos Dumont Airport (SDU) is the second most important airport in Rio, used mainly to connect the two largest cities in Brazil — Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. In fact, there are shuttle flights all day long from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The greatest advantage of Santos Dumont Airport is that it is right in Downtown Rio (the business district, and also old Rio). On the other hand, very few international travelers use it as most domestic flights…read more
Copacabana is not far from Rio de Janeiro due to one single reason — Copacabana is in Rio! Copacabana is the name of the most famous and popular neighborhood in Brazil. It is one of the nicest areas in the country for vacationers. This 150.000-inhabitant area has a great and fine white sand beach (3.2-km/2-mile long), residential apartment buildings, hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, ATMs, drugstores, travel agencies, exchange bureaus, boutiques, parks, post-office — you name it — it is all…read more
It is absolutely safe to go to Sugar Loaf Hill at night. By the way, Sugarloaf is Rio de Janeiro’s second most visited attraction (more than 1.400.000 visitors a year). Please note that Sugar Loaf Hill is not a mountain (some call it a mountain, but technically is a hill as it is not high enough to be called a mountain). How safe is Urca neighborhood? Sugar Loaf is located in Urca District, a few minutes on taxi from Copacabana…read more
There is no worst season to travel to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil — any time of the year is good. Of course, every season has its pros and cons though. Most crowded time of year to visit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Carnival Carnaval is by far the most popular time of the year among Brazilians and foreign tourists to visit Rio. Obviously, you can’t say that Carnival is the worst time of the year to travel to Rio de…read more
Here are the top 5 street food in Rio de Janeiro. For a full and updated guide, which lists Brazilian food you can eat when visiting Rio, get your copy of My Rio Travel Guide, the insider’s guide to Rio de Janeiro. Rio Street food # 1 – Pastel Pastel is a deep-fried crispy thin pastry with assorted fillings — probably the most popular street food in Rio de Janeiro. The most famous one is found in the fruit markets,…read more
There are several markets in Rio de Janeiro you should consider visiting when travelling in Brazil. Among the most interesting and popular ones are: Fruit, Vegetables, Spices, and Seafood Market There are about 15 to 30 markets like these that are set up everyday in Rio de Janeiro. Each morning (very early) they are set up on assigned streets, and then dismantled around 1-2 p.m. (to be again set up the next day on another assigned street). These markets are…read more
Rio de Janeiro restaurants and cafes offer typical Brazilian meals as well as meals that you are already familiar with such as sandwiches, hamburgers, pizzas, pastas, crepes, pancakes, quiches, savories, pies, salads, steaks, chicken, seafood, appetizers, deserts, and more. One of the most common compliments travelers make when visiting Rio is about the variety of meals you can have in the city. It is unlike that you will complaint about the lack of typical and non-typical food options in Rio de…read more
