The phrase “best things to do” suggests a leisurely selection of charming pastimes. I must caution you, however, that in a place like Rio, a list of activities is less a recommendation and more a catalogue of perils. You may ascend Corcovado Mountain to see the colossal, unblinking statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), but you will do so only after a bewildering series of ticket queues and jostling crowds that will test the very limits of your patience. You may take the cable car up the Sugarloaf, but the breathtaking view is only a moment of respite before the inevitable, stomach-dropping descent. So, read this article not as a guide to fun, but as a necessary and deeply depressing dossier of places to exercise extreme caution. You have been warned. Now, please try not to lose anything important.
Despite the tone, this guide is designed to help you plan your trip efficiently. All prices, hours, and logistical advice are accurate at the time of publication.
If this is your first stop in Brazil, you may want to start with this Cautionary Guide for Travelers.
Best Things to See and Do in Rio de Janeiro (And Why They Might Disappoint You)
In any given metropolis, there is a list of Best Things to See and Do, an optimistic and misleading phrase that suggests these activities will be entirely delightful and without peril. Such a list, however, is merely a catalog of places where one can witness something curious, or perhaps even perform a curious deed oneself. One should approach this list with caution and a healthy dose of suspicion, as no one can truly promise that what you see and do will be anything but an experience of dreadful consequence.
While I endeavor to furnish you with the costs of regular adult admission for the various locales of interest, you must understand that the proprietors of these places will almost certainly offer lesser prices for children, students, the elderly, and other groups in order to make a simple transaction more complicated.
Altitudes of Resignation (Peaks & Vistas)
These locations require you to leave the safety of solid ground to contemplate the vastness of the trouble you have placed yourself in.
Ascend the Corcovado Mountain to the dreadful Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer)
- What the guides say: This Art Deco statue stands atop Corcovado Mountain and is Brazil’s most famous symbol. To reach the 30-meter-tall figure, one must take a century-old cog train through the Tijuca Forest, which is a very large collection of trees. At the summit, you are rewarded with a panoramic view of the Marvelous City, providing a perspective usually reserved for birds and very tall clouds.
- What they don’t tell you: You will take a tiny, over-crowded cog train up a steep hill to view a very large, imposing concrete statue of a religious figure who stands with his arms perpetually outstretched, a gesture that may be interpreted as either a benevolent welcome or a mournful resignation to the fate of the city below. The view is, admittedly, stunning, but it merely serves to illuminate the vastness of the trouble you have now placed yourself in.
- Go for: Standing at the feet of one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and soaking in the most iconic view of Rio.
- Cost: R$ 90 – R$ 120 (varies by season and transport method).
- Best Time: Aim for the first train of the morning (8:00 AM) to beat the heat and the crowds, or go for sunset.
- Getting There: You can go by train, shuttle, or on foot.
- If you choose to reach the summit using the Corcovado Railway, you must secure your ticket online at least a full day in advance. Then, arrive unnecessarily early and endure the queue, and attempt to secure a seat on the right side of the train – an effort that will yield little, as the train ride itself is an unremarkable preamble to the true view above.
- Upon arrival at the railway station, you shall be accosted by individuals exhibiting an aggressive zeal for the Corcovado Car Service. For R$100, they will offer passage via a shuttle, exchanging a small, vexing wristband for your financial freedom.
- Of course, if you suffer from an unreasonable excess of energy, you may choose the laborious ascent starting from Parque Lage. The hike is a challenging and repetitive effort, whose reward is nothing more than the same panoramic view that awaits the less ambitious among us. The details of this protracted misery can be found on AllTrails.
- Tip: If it’s a cloudy day, check the live cams at the ticket office before buying – sometimes the statue is completely swallowed by mist!
- Verdict: You will endure a claustrophobic train and a sea of selfie sticks to reach a giant concrete gesture of resignation, only to realize that the view is a stunning map of all the places you shouldn’t have gone.
Be trapped in the cable cars of the Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain)
- What the guides say: A two-stage journey in glass-walled cars whisking travelers to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. From these suspended boxes, one can observe 360-degree views of Guanabara Bay. It is a documented fact that this is an ideal location to watch the sunset, an event where the sun appears to sink into the ocean while the granite peaks turn shades of orange and purple.
- What they don’t tell you: This sheer, granite monolith offers another vantage point, one accessible only by a glass-walled cable car, which is an unfortunate means of transportation for those of us who prefer to keep both feet firmly on solid ground and one’s escape route clearly defined. You will be suspended high above the ground, packed tightly with strangers, at the whim of mechanical gears and cables. Hell is other people, you will realize, as the perfect metaphor for modern life clenches around you.
- Go for: A two-stage aerial journey providing 360-degree views of Guanabara Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
- Cost: The cost to visit the park and ride the cable cars is R$ 199. Buy timed-entry tickets online, or at the door if you enjoy an hours-long queue.
- Superlative: The Bondinho was the first cable car in Brazil and the third in the world.
- Tip: For a cheaper, more active alternative, hike the Trilha do Morro da Urca to reach the first hill for free, then buy a half-price ticket to go the rest of the way up.
- Verdict: It is a two-stage aerial tax on your nerves that suspends you in a glass box of other people’s sweat, paying its dividends in a sunset so beautiful it almost makes you forget you are hanging by a thread.
Reflect on turmoil at the Forte de Copacabana (Copacabana Fort)
- What the guides say: A historic military base located at the southern end of the beach, serving as a quiet location away from the sand. Visitors may examine old bunkers and cannons or visit the Army Historical Museum. It is also the site of a Confeitaria Colombo branch, where one can eat a traditional Brazilian breakfast while watching the waves, which is much more pleasant than military drills.
- What they don’t tell you: A military structure that juts out into the sea, offering a commanding, if mournful, view of the two great beaches. It is a place of historical conflict, and to stand there is to be reminded that even in this seemingly lighthearted place, the shadow of violence and precaution is never far.
- Go for: A peaceful walk on historic military grounds and a stunning view of the entire curve of Copacabana Beach.
- Cost: Approx. R$ 6; free on Tuesdays.
- Military History: The fort was built to defend the bay in the early 20th century.
- Breakfast: This is the best place for breakfast in Rio. Head to the Confeitaria Colombo branch inside the fort and order the Café do Forte while sitting by the water.
- Verdict: A small investment in military history and mourning, where you can consume a traditional breakfast while staring at the cannons that remind you how quickly a holiday can turn into a siege.
Circle the waters of the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
- What the guides say: Known simply as Lagoa, this is a massive saltwater lagoon and a hub for physical exertion. It is encircled by a 7-kilometer path suitable for cycling or walking. Those who prefer the water may rent pedal boats shaped like swans – a bird known for its grace, though these plastic versions require quite a bit of leg work to move across the mountains’ reflection.
- What they don’t tell you: This brackish lagoon is surrounded by parks and expensive real estate. It is a body of water that seems to hold all the city’s unmoving worries, a deceptive stillness that is far more unsettling than the crashing waves of the ocean.
- Go for: Biking, swan-shaped pedal boats, or a sunset picnic by the saltwater lagoon.
- Cost: Free to walk/cycle; Rentals vary (approx. R$ 30.00 – R$ 60.00).
- Size: The perimeter is roughly 7.5km (4.6 miles), perfectly paved for exercise.
- Christmas Tree: If you are there in December, this is where Rio’s massive floating Christmas tree is traditionally located.
- Verdict: The best things in life are free, provided you enjoy walking in a seven-kilometer circle around a body of water that has spent decades collecting the city’s unmoving worries and stagnant regrets.
Labyrinths of Claustrophobic Knowledge (Institutions & Culture)
Enter these structures to be reminded that there are far too many facts in the world and that opulence is merely a mask for unpleasantness.
Be dazzled and blinded at the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura (Royal Portuguese Reading Room)
- What the guides say: A library built in the Neo-Manueline style that resembles a setting from a fantasy film, though the books inside are quite real. It houses the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal. With its stained-glass dome and dark wood shelves stretching to the ceiling, it is a place where words are treated with the decorative respect they deserve.
- What they don’t tell you: Tucked away in a less-than-charming part of town, this library is an unsettlingly ornate, cathedral-like chamber crammed floor-to-ceiling with ancient books. The effect is one of claustrophobic knowledge, a reminder that there are far too many facts in the world to ever hope to learn them all. All of this dismal knowledge is available to visitors, entirely free of charge.
- Go for: One of the most beautiful libraries in the world, featuring a Harry Potter aesthetic and Neo-Manueline architecture.
- Cost: Free.
- Portuguese Books: It houses the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal.
- Shhh: It is a functioning library, so keep your voice down!
- Location: It’s located in the city center, so pair this with a visit to the CCBB or the Cathedral.
- Verdict: Go for the Neo-Manueline Harry Potter aesthetic, stay for the crushing realization that there are nine million books here and you haven’t even finished the one currently in your suitcase.
Be overwhelmed by opulence at the Theatro Municipal (Municipal Theatre)
Website | Map | Tour Schedule
- What the guides say: An important opera house inspired by the Paris Opéra. Its architecture is a mixture of Baroque and Art Nouveau, featuring a great deal of gold leaf and marble – materials that are very difficult to clean but very impressive to look at. Guided tours are available for those who wish to see the opulent interior without actually having to sing an aria.
- What they don’t tell you: An ornate, European-style opera house in the heart of the city, a building of impossible elegance surrounded by the chaotic, disappointing reality of the downtown area. It is a dreadful monument to a time when great effort was made to hide the unpleasantness of life behind velvet and gilt.
- Go for: Opulent European-style architecture, gold-plated domes, and elite opera or ballet performances.
- Cost: Tours approx. R$ 20; Show prices vary.
- Architecture: Inspired by the Paris Opéra, it was built using materials imported almost entirely from Europe.
- Verdict: A kitschy, gold-leafed necessity that allows you to pretend you are in 19th-century Paris for an hour – highly recommended, provided you don’t look too closely at the chaotic modern reality just outside the doors.
Face the folly of industry at the Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow)
- What the guides say: A futuristic science museum designed by Santiago Calatrava to look like a white skeletal ship. Rather than looking backward at things that have already happened, it uses technology to examine the impact of climate change and sustainable futures. Its reflecting pools have turned the port area into a modern landmark that people use to find their way.
- What they don’t tell you: This peculiar, bone-white structure, designed to resemble a monstrous creature from the deep, purports to look forward to the future. Such optimism is, of course, a deeply regrettable condition, and one is left with the distinct, unsettling impression that the future will be a great deal worse than the present.
- Go for: A futuristic, science-focused look at sustainability and the future of our planet, housed in a stunning Calatrava-designed building.
- Cost: R$ 40; free on Tuesdays.
- Green Energy: The building’s spine moves to follow the sun and maximize solar energy.
- Plan Ahead: Tickets are strictly timed and often sell out; book online in advance.
- Verdict: A skeletal, futuristic ship that asks you to contemplate a future that is likely much worse than the present; it is a profound way to spend R$40 if you enjoy being intellectually depressed.
Stand in the sun-drenched emptiness of Museu de Arte do Rio (Rio Art Museum)
- What the guides say: Situated next to the Museu do Amanhã, this institution connects a palatial mansion to a modernist terminal under a roof shaped like a wave. It focuses on the social challenges and artistic history of Rio de Janeiro. The rooftop offers a view of the revitalized port, allowing visitors to see the city’s history and its present at the same time.
- What they don’t tell you: The museum’s unsettling dual architecture – a modern, undulating roof joined to an austere, old palace – reflects the city’s profound contradiction. The palace, which once housed a police station and a hospital, carries the heavy, residual memory of custody and sickness. To ascend the serpentine, dramatic ramp is to be led not to art, but to a vast, exposed rooftop where the beautiful, tragic sprawl of the port and the shantytowns is laid bare beneath a blinding, unforgiving sky.
- Go for: A deep dive into the history and soul of Rio through art, plus a rooftop with a killer view of the Port Zone.
- Cost: Approx. R$ 20; free on Tuesdays.
- Architecture: The museum consists of two buildings: a historic palace and a modern terminal connected by a wavy floating roof.
- Photography: Visit the rooftop terrace first for photos of the Museum of Tomorrow and the Rio-Niterói bridge.
- Verdict: You will arrive for the wavy roof and leave convinced that standing on a sun-drenched terrace overlooking a tragic port is the only honest way to see the city.
Wander the hushed halls of the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB)
- What the guides say: A neoclassical building featuring a towering rotunda that serves as a very busy cultural center. It hosts art exhibitions and cinema screenings, many of which are free of charge. This makes it a cornerstone of the downtown art scene and a very important place for people who like to look at things and think about them.
- What they don’t tell you: Housed in an imposing, neoclassical structure that was once the headquarters of the Bank of Brazil, this cultural center is a deliberate, unnerving show of concentrated wealth and institutional power repurposed for public consumption. To pass beneath its heavy columns and into its circular rotunda is to be surrounded by the ghosts of colossal, invisible transactions, where the true cost of culture is the unsettling memory of who owned it. Admission is, against all odds, free. However, one is required to pause at either the ticket machine or the reception desk to acquire a separate, complimentary pass to the temporary exhibitions.
- Go for: High-quality rotating art exhibitions, cinema, and theater in a gorgeous converted bank building.
- Cost: Free (Exhibitions usually require booking a free ticket online or in the lobby).
- Superlatives: It is one of the most visited cultural centers in the world. The central rotunda is breathtaking.
- Bonus: It has great air conditioning – perfect for a midday break from the Rio heat.
- Verdict: A neoclassical masterpiece where you are not meant to linger, which makes lingering among the ghosts of high-finance transactions feel like a rebellious act of artistic appreciation.
Enter the Fundação Biblioteca Nacional
- What the guides say: The largest library in Latin America, containing over nine million items, including rare manuscripts brought by the Portuguese Royal Family in 1808. The building is a masterpiece of eclectic architecture with quiet reading rooms. It is a very large storage unit for the history of the world, which is much heavier than it looks.
- What they don’t tell you: Where the air is thick with the dust of ten million misfortunes – that is to say, books. This enormous, imposing, and thoroughly depressing building houses all the world’s sorrows in alphabetical order, a labyrinthine stack of woe-begone stories and facts, which you are compelled to consult under the stern, suspicious gaze of those who know what a dangerous thing knowledge can be.
- Go for: A tour of the largest library in Latin America and the seventh largest in the world.
- Cost: Free (Guided tours available).
- Collection: When the Portuguese Royal Family fled to Brazil in 1808, they brought 60,000 items from the Royal Library of Lisbon, which formed the core of this collection.
- ID: You must show a photo ID to enter.
- Verdict: It is a labyrinthine monument to human stubbornness that houses all the world’s sorrows in alphabetical order; you could skip this, but you would also regret skipping the dust of ten million misfortunes.
Brave the unexpected modernity of the Catedral Metropolitana (Metropolitan Cathedral)
- What the guides say: A unique cathedral shaped like a Mayan pyramid, which is an unusual choice for a church. It stands 75 meters tall and features four massive stained-glass windows that reach from the floor to the ceiling. The interior can hold 20,000 people, which is more people than one usually wants to meet at a single time.
- What they don’t tell you: This concrete cone of a cathedral, a stark departure from traditional church design, resembles a vast, unhappy megaphone. Inside, the light streams through immense stained-glass windows, creating an unsettling, otherworldly atmosphere that feels more like a space station than a sanctuary.
- Go for: The unique, Mayan-pyramid-inspired architecture and the four massive, floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows.
- Cost: Free.
- Architecture: From the outside, it looks like a brutalist concrete cone, but the inside can hold 20,000 people.
- Photography: Stand directly in the center of the floor and look straight up at the cross-shaped skylight.
- Verdict: A concrete cone that proves the best way to appreciate a sanctuary is to feel like you’ve been abducted by a Mayan-inspired spaceship with exceptionally tall stained-glass windows.
Manic Artistry and Faded Glories (Parks & Landmarks)
Venture here to see how public beauty is often stained by private misery or the relentless encroachment of nature.
Stumble up the Escadaria Selarón (Selarón Steps)
- What the guides say: These 215 steps are the work of Jorge Selarón, who spent decades covering them in over 2,000 tiles from 60 different countries. Connecting Lapa and Santa Teresa, the stairs are a vibrant collection of red, yellow, and blue. The artist considered the work never complete, so he kept adding tiles until he could no longer do so.
- What they don’t tell you: These seemingly endless steps are covered in thousands of colourful tiles from around the world. It is a work of obsessive, manic artistry by a man who, in a final, tragic gesture, chose the steps as the site of his own demise. Thus, what appears to be a cheerful, public artwork is forever stained by a private misery.
- Go for: Climbing the 215 vibrant, tile-covered steps that connect the Lapa and Santa Teresa neighborhoods.
- Cost: Free.
- Tiles: Created by Chilean artist Jorge Selarón as a tribute to the Brazilian people, it features tiles from over 60 countries.
- Best Time: This is a major photo spot. Arrive before 9:00 AM if you want a photo without dozens of other tourists in the background.
- Verdict: These stairs are a trap and the tiles are a dream; it is the most beautiful way to witness a man’s obsession with a never complete work that eventually cost him everything.
Explore the wet secrets of the Jardim Botânico (Botanical Garden)
- What the guides say: A 140-hectare garden founded in 1808 that serves as a sanctuary for tropical plants. Its most famous feature is the Avenue of Royal Palms, a 750-meter line of 134 very tall trees. It is a place where one can find toucans, monkeys, and rare orchids, all of which are much better neighbors than some people I could mention.
- What they don’t tell you: This vast garden is a humid, suffocating maze of towering Imperial Palm trees and exotic, unsettlingly vigorous flora. You may find yourself alone on a shadowy path, surrounded by a jungle that seems only too eager to reclaim the ground you stand upon. An unavoidable fee of R$73 is required for access.
- Go for: The stunning Avenue of Royal Palms and over 6,000 species of tropical plants.
- Cost: Approx. R$ 80.
- Origins: Founded in 1808 by Dom João VI, it was originally intended to acclimatize spices like nutmeg and cinnamon from the East Indies.
- Critters: Look up! You can almost always see wild marmosets and toucans in the trees.
- Verdict: A humid, suffocating masterpiece of greenery that proves the jungle is only waiting for you to stand still long enough for the Imperial Palms to reclaim your spot on the path.
Wander the ruined gardens of the Parque Lage
- What the guides say: A public park at the foot of Corcovado centered around an Italian-style mansion. The courtyard features a central pool that perfectly frames the view of Christ the Redeemer above. The mansion contains an art school and a cafe, while the surrounding trails offer a more rugged experience, which is a polite way of saying there are a lot of rocks and dirt.
- What they don’t tell you: This public park features a peculiar, derelict mansion at its centre, now housing an art school and a café. The building’s inner courtyard is dominated by a pool and an archway framing the unsettling Corcovado mountain – a picturesque scene of decay that is almost too beautiful to be trusted.
- Go for: The most Instagrammable café in Rio, located in a stunning mansion courtyard at the foot of Corcovado.
- Cost: Free (Entry to the park).
- Art School: The mansion was a former residence and now houses the School of Visual Arts.
- Café: If you want to eat at the poolside café, arrive very early (around 8:00 AM) to put your name on the list, or you may wait 2+ hours.
- Look For: There is also a cave with a small aquarium, a duck pond (but with koi fish), and an opportunity to climb a crumbling tower.
- Verdict: This is a picturesque scene of decay that earns its reputation; go in knowing you will wait two hours for a coffee, and the ruined mansion becomes tolerable – even impressive.
Pass beneath the grand and gaunt Arcos da Lapa (Carioca Aqueduct)
- What the guides say: A massive white aqueduct that is a landmark of colonial engineering. Originally designed to move water, it now functions as a bridge for the yellow bondinho tram. The plaza beneath the arches is a site for street parties, demonstrating that a structure built for plumbing can eventually become a center for dancing.
- What they don’t tell you: These colossal, whitewashed stone arches, once an aqueduct and now a stark symbol of the neighborhood of Lapa, carry a dreadful history. They brought precious water to a city of increasing density and disease, and today they loom over a nightlife district known for its boisterous, temporary relief. They are a monument to a promise of life-giving purity that now presides over a clamor of fleeting, nocturnal desperation.
- Go for: Iconic Roman-style arches that serve as the gateway to Rio’s nightlife district.
- Cost: Free.
- Origins: Originally built in the 18th century to bring fresh water from the Carioca River to the city center. Today, the Bonde (tram) to Santa Teresa runs across the top.
- Best Time: Visit on a Friday or Saturday night to experience the city’s most famous street party.
- Verdict: A hauntingly beautiful monument to colonial plumbing that now presides over nocturnal desperation; it lasts minutes to see but stays with you much longer as a symbol of Lapa’s frantic heart.
Wander among the murals and street art
- What the guides say: Rio is a global capital for urban art, particularly the Porto Maravilha area, which features the Etnias mural by Eduardo Kobra. This is one of the largest graffiti works in existence. The art found on the walls of the city reflects the creativity of the Carioca people, proving that a blank wall is simply an opportunity for a very large paintbrush.
- What they don’t tell you: A decidedly disreputable form of decoration favored by individuals who seem to believe that a public wall is an acceptable place for private outbursts of color. They often depict alarming social truths or simply a great deal of chaotic color, which, like any sudden, jarring sight, may lead to a scream and, shortly thereafter, a tragedy.
- Go for: The Etnias (Ethnicities) mural by Eduardo Kobra – one of the largest graffiti murals in the world.
- Cost: Free.
- Where to Look: Located along the road west of Museu do Amanhã, the Etnias mural represents the indigenous peoples of five continents.
- Getting There: Take the VLT (light rail) to the Parada dos Navios stop to land right in front of the best art.
- Verdict: If you’re only collecting pleasant memories, skip the social truths of the Porto Maravilha; if you’re collecting real ones, let the giant paintbrushes remind you that even walls have outbursts.
Tableaus of Human Vanity (Beaches & Excess)
A collection of places where one subjects oneself to the blinding sun or the barbaric spectacle of overconsumption.
Endure the sun at Copacabana Beach
- What the guides say: A 4-kilometer stretch of sand famous for its black-and-white wave-patterned sidewalk. It is a social hub where people play footvolley and drink coconut water. The atmosphere is high-energy, especially during the New Year’s Eve fireworks, an event involving a great deal of noise and bright lights in the sky.
- What they don’t tell you: This famed crescent of sand is not a place of relaxation, but a frantic tableau of human ambition and vanity. You will be subjected to blinding sun, questionable vendors selling everything from açaí bowls to ill-advised swimwear, and an endless parade of humanity attempting to be – and failing to be – perfectly carefree.
- Go for: People-watching, the iconic wave-patterned sidewalk, and a caipirinha at a beach kiosk.
- Cost: Free.
- Superlative: This is the most famous beach in the world, stretching for 4km.
- Safety: Rent a chair and umbrella from a Posto (lifeguard station area) and keep an eye on your belongings – don’t bring valuables to the sand.
- Verdict: You will complain the entire time about the vendors and the heat. You will still recommend it afterward because the wave-patterned sidewalk is the version of the story everyone eventually tells.
Contemplate your insignificance at Ipanema Beach
- What the guides say: A beach divided into Postos (lifeguard station areas) that serve different groups of people, such as surfers or families. The view of the Two Brothers peaks is a well-known sight. It is a local tradition to clap for the sunset at Arpoador Rock, an activity that is much kinder to the sun than ignoring it would be.
- What they don’t tell you: Far more chic, and therefore far more unsettling, than its neighbour. Here, the beautiful people gather, creating a relentless competition in attractiveness that can only lead to self-doubt. You may hear the famous tune about the girl from Ipanema, a song that proves even simple melodies can carry a heavy weight of longing and unattainable perfection.
- Go for: A trendier, slightly more upscale vibe than Copacabana, and the famous sunset at Arpoador Rock.
- Cost: Free.
- Postos: The beach is divided by Postos (numbered stations) that attract different crowds (e.g., Posto 9 is the young/social crowd, Posto 8 is LGBTQ+, and Posto 7 is popular for surfing, and is where the objectively attractive people can be found).
- Sunset: When the sun sets at Arpoador, join the locals in the tradition of clapping for the sunset.
- Verdict: A trendier way to spend your time and your self-esteem; join the locals in clapping for the sunset, because apparently the sun requires a round of applause for doing its job.
Dine and risk indigestion at a churrascaria
- What the guides say: A traditional steakhouse where servers move through the room with large skewers of meat. This rodízio style of service involves slicing the meat directly onto your plate until you tell them to stop. It is a high-speed celebration of Brazilian barbecue, featuring Picanha and a variety of side dishes that ensure no one leaves feeling like they haven’t eaten enough.
- What they don’t tell you: These establishments offer an endless, relentless parade of meat, served to you on swords. The experience is one of pure, barbaric excess, an unfortunate spectacle of gluttony that should leave you feeling ill and deeply ashamed.
- Go for: The ultimate Brazilian steakhouse experience (Rodízio), where servers bring endless cuts of grilled meat to your table.
- Cost: R$ 120 – R$ 250 (All-you-can-eat).
- Still Hungry?: Many places use a green light/red light coaster system to signal if you want more meat.
- Try: I had the pleasure of overstuffing myself at Churrascaria Palace, but you could also try Maria e o Boi, Majórica Steakhouse, or Assador.
- Verdict: A barbaric spectacle of meat served on swords that defies the basic principles of digestion; it is a five-star act of gluttony that you will regret in the morning and brag about for years.
You have reached the end of this disquieting ledger, and I must confess that I feel a certain relief. The best things to do in Rio, therefore, are not found on a map or in a glossy pamphlet. They are the moments of successful retreat: the taxi ride that gets you back to your hotel without incident, the dinner plate that contains no mysterious ingredient, and the swift, quiet departure from the city before it can draw you any further into its beautiful orbit.
Further Reading
If one is in search of a less dreadful and more pleasant perspective on Rio de Janeiro, a number of additional resources exist. These are, of course, presented with the understanding that such information is often a mere sugarcoating on a very bitter pill, and should be consumed with a healthy dose of suspicion.
- Visit Brasil – Rio de Janeiro
- Portal Turismo – Rio de Janeiro
- “A local’s guide to Rio de Janeiro: 10 top tips” from The Guardian (UK)
- “36 Hours in Rio de Janeiro: Things to See and Do” from The New York Times (paywall)
- “Rio De Janeiro Travel Guide” from AFAR
- “Getting Started in Rio de Janeiro” by Now in Rio
