View over Rio de Janeiro from the summit of Corcovado Mountain
Having limited time in Rio de Janeiro is not ideal, but if that’s all you have on a business trip you can still possibly organize your time to experience at least the landmarks.
Even on a short business trip you will realize that Rio de Janeiro is beautiful, safe, lively, and absolutely worth-visiting — it offers many attractions and activities.
Limited time in Rio if you are on a business trip
If you come to Rio to work and manage to have some time off you can possibly experience the highlights of Rio de Janeiro such as:
Sugar Loaf Mountain — This astonishing block of rock offers superbs vistas over Rio de Janeiro.
Most business travelers have a chance to visit it because its opening hours are very long — from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. (however, in the evening you need to get there slightly before 8 p.m. to buy the round-trip ticket to the last night cable car up).
Another advantage of Sugar Loaf is its location — it is right between Copacabana/Ipanema/Leme/Leblon/Arpoador neighborhoods and Centro (downtown/business district).
In other words, you can visit Sugar Loaf early morning on your way to the office in downtown or you can visit it on the way back to your hotel (assuming you are staying in one of the beach areas mentioned above).
Bear in mind that lines to buy the Sugar Loaf tickets as well as to board the cable cars are longer than ever (especially in high season). The time spent to visit this attraction can take hours if not planned properly; the cable cars (gondolas) have a limited capacity to accommodate all the enthuastic tourists, locals, and business travelers.
To learn the best (and updated) way to visit Sugar Loaf on limited time get your copy of Sugar Loaf – The Definitive Guidebook: Visiting Rio de Janeiro’s Most Famous Hill. It covers not only how-to info but history and curiosities.
Sugar Loaf seen from Niterói
Christ the Redeemer statue
Visiting Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado Mountain is a must when visiting Rio de Janeiro. To get to the summit you need to take a minibus shuttle or a train.
Fortunately, to board either mode of transportation is not far from the business district or from the hotels near Copacabana or downtown. But then again, there are some tricks to beat the crowd of visitors who want to get to the top of the mountain.
To make sure you will you increase your chances of seeing the statue, learn the essential how-to practical information in Christ the Redeemer Statue – A Comprehensive Guidebook to Visiting the Rio de Janeiro Landmark atop Corcovado Mountain. Instant download!
In these guidebooks you will learn how to visit both iconic landmarks regardless of if you are on business, on leisure tourism (for example, on a cruise ship), on a layover at Rio international airport (GIG), or coming from Sao Paulo and landing at SDU for a day trip in Rio de Janeiro.