Rio de Janeiro is a very casual city. Upon arriving, you’ll quickly find out that the ´what to wear‘ question is easy to answer.
Daytime: flip-flops, shorts and t-shirt
Nighttime: t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops
No kidding. The nicest districts to live (where locals live) or to stay when visiting Rio de Janeiro as a tourist are Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon and Leme — all four are right on the beach, separated only by two triple-lane avenues.
In these areas, you see lots of locals wearing casual clothes day and night, all year around. In fact, even in the cooler months (Autumn, Winter and Spring — April through November) you see people wearing light clothes since most days in the cooler months are not that cool. You can go to the beach and easily get a tan right in the middle of the winter.
Cariocas (natives of Rio) tend to wear jeans and sneakers at night but the trio shorts/flip-flops/t-shirt will do most of the time, even going out for dinner at a mid-range restaurant. However, if you are going to a night club or to an upscale restaurant, then shorts and flip-flops aren’t the norm.
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