Lonely Planet Pocket Rio de Janeiro

By Regis St Louis

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher

Lonely Planet's Pocket Rio de Janeiro is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Swim and surf the waves while watching the parade on Ipanema Beach, take the cog train up Corcovado for stunning views and find the perfect beat at a samba club in Lapa - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Rio de Janeiro and begin your journey now!

Inside Lonely Planet's Pocket Rio de Janeiro:

• Full-colour maps and images throughout
• Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests
• Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
• Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices
• Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
• User-friendly layout with helpful icons, and organized by neighborhood to help you pick the best spots to spend your time
• Covers Ipanema & Leblon, Gávea, Jardim Botânico & Lagoa, Copacabana & Leme, Botafogo, Humaitá & Urca, Flamengo & Around, Centro & Praça Mauá, Santa Teresa & Lapa, and more

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Pocket Rio de Janeiro is our colorful, easy to use and handy guide that literally fits in your pocket, providing on-the-go assistance for those seeking the best sights and experiences on a short visit or weekend away.

Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Brazil guide for an in-depth look at all the country has to offer.

About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveler since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travelers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Release date: Jun 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781788685702

Regis St Louis

Regis St. Louis creció en una pequeña ciudad del Medio Oeste de EEUU, el tipo de lugar que alimenta grandes sueños de viaje, y desarrolló una temprana fascinación por los dialectos extranjeros y las culturas del mundo. Pasó sus años de formación estudiando ruso y un puñado de lenguas romances, que le fueron de mucha utilidad en sus viajes por gran parte del planeta. Regis ha participado en más de 50 títulos de Lonely Planet cubriendo destinos en seis continentes. Sus viajes le han llevado desde las montañas de Kamchatka, pasando por remotas aldeas isleñas en Melanesia, hasta grandes paisajes urbanos. Cuando no está viajando vive en Nueva Orleans.

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Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro

Top Sights

Eating

Drinking

Entertainment

Samba

Carnaval

Shopping

Outdoor Activities

For Kids

LGBT

Four Perfect Days

Need to Know

Rio de Janeiro Neighborhoods

Explore Rio de Janeiro

Ipanema & Leblon

Gávea, Jardim Botânico & Lagoa

Copacabana & Leme

Botafogo, Humaitá & Urca

Flamengo & Around

Centro & Praça Mauá

Santa Teresa & Lapa

Worth a Trip

Maracanã Football Stadium

Survival Guide

Survival Guide

Before You Go

Arriving in Rio de Janeiro

Getting Around

Essential Information

Language

Behind the Scenes

Our Writer

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro

Spread between forest-covered mountain peaks and golden beaches, Rio is one of the world’s most captivating cities. You can spend your days frolicking in the surf or strolling through rainforest, followed by nights sipping tropical cocktails or dancing to the addictive rhythms of samba. With so much going for them, it’s no wonder locals claim ‘Deus é brasileiro’ (God is Brazilian).

View from Pão de Açúcar | RAPHAEL KOERICH/GETTY IMAGES ©

Rio de Janeiro

Top Sights

1 Copacabana Beach

The famed beachfront.

LAZYLLAMA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Rio de Janeiro Top Sights

1 Pão de Açúcar

Jaw-dropping views over the city.

MARCOS ANDRE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Rio de Janeiro Top Sights

1 Ipanema Beach

Rio’s most captivating shoreline.

ALEKSANDAR TODOROVIC/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Rio de Janeiro Top Sights

1 Cristo Redentor

The magnificent open-armed savior.

DIEGO GRANDI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Rio de Janeiro Top Sights

1 Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas

Rio’s sparkling, mountain-fringed lagoon.

LAZYLLAMA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Rio de Janeiro Top Sights

1 Museu Histórico Nacional

Rio’s most important history museum.

MJ PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

Rio de Janeiro Top Sights

1 Escadaria Selarón

A magnificently tiled staircase.

PINTAI SUCHACHAISRI/GETTY IMAGES ©

Rio de Janeiro Top Sights

1 Maracanã Football Stadium

The hallowed football arena.

PAOLO COSTA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Eating

Despite top-notch chefs, ethnically diverse cuisine and a rich bounty from farm, forest and sea, Rio hasn’t earned much of a culinary reputation abroad. Within Brazil, however, it’s a different story, with cariocas (residents of Rio) convinced that there’s no place quite like home for sitting down to a first-rate meal.

STEVE OUTRAM/GETTY IMAGES ©

Regional Diversity

Variety comes in many forms in Rio, where an outstanding selection of restaurants showcase Brazil’s regional variety.

Diners can sample rich, shrimp-filled moqueca (seafood stew cooked in coconut milk) from Bahia or tender carne seca (jerked meat) covered in farofa (manioc flour), a staple in Minas Gerais. Daring palates can venture north into Amazonia, enjoying savory tacacá (a lip-numbing soup with dried shrimp) or tambaqui (a large Amazonian fish). Cowboys and gaúchos (natives of Rio Grande do Sul) from the south bring the city its churrascarias, Brazil’s famous all-the-meat-you-can-eat barbecue restaurants.

Per-Kilo Restaurants

At lunchtime locals favor pay-by-weight restaurants, which range from simple, working-class affairs to sumptuous buffets lined with fresh salads, grilled meats, pastas, seafood and copious desserts.

Best Fine Dining

Giuseppe Grill Meals are always memorable at this Leblon icon.

Olympe An imaginative fusion of Brazilian and French cooking.

Zazá Bistrô Tropical Handsomely converted Ipanema mansion with contemporary Asian-inspired fare.

Best Seafood

Espírito Santa Superb Amazonian dishes and creative cocktails in Santa Teresa.

La Carioca Cevicheria Mouthwatering ceviche and other Peruvian fare.

Sushi Leblon Famous for its inventive dishes and delectable sashimi.

Ancoramar High-end seafood in a historic building overlooking the bay.

Best Views

Xian Asian jewel with mesmerizing views over the bay.

Bar Urca Sit on the sea wall, nibble great snacks and admire the view, or head upstairs to the classy dining room.

Espaço 7zero6 Top-floor restaurant overlooking Ipanema Beach, with amazing brunches.

Aprazível A lush Santa Teresa setting with magical views over the city.

Best Atmosphere

Plage Café Outdoor dining in an elegant courtyard with views of Corcovado.

Ferro e Farinha Wonderful pizza in an atmospheric but hard-to-find space in Catete.

Bar do Mineiro An old-fashioned favorite for traditional Brazilian cooking and lively ambience.

Best Vegetarian

Prana Vegetariano The top vegetarian cooking in town.

Govardhana Harí Beautifully prepared vegetarian dishes served by Hare Krishnas.

Vegetariano Social Club A small, elegant favorite.

Juice Bars

Most cariocas start their morning at the local juice bar, where they can choose from three dozen varieties of vitamin-filled elixirs, including the very popular açaí (made from an Amazonian berry and whipped to a thick consistency – it’s eaten with a spoon).

Drinking

Any night of the week you’ll find plenty of ways to experience Rio’s electrifying nightlife: open-air bars by the lake; festive outdoor drinking spots on the colonial streets of Centro; beachfront kiosks; stylish lounges and nightclubs; and warm and welcoming botecos (small open-air bars) that are scattered all across the city.

ALF RIBEIRO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

The Scene

Rio has a number of different subcultures within its nightlife circuit, though there’s plenty of crossover between groups. The well-heeled from the Zona Sul tend to favor bars in Ipanema and Leblon, while an alternative crowd heads to the drinking dens in Botafogo. Lapa’s mix of bars and dance halls attracts a range of people from all backgrounds, who may have little in common aside from a love of samba.

Botecos

For an insight into Rio’s drinking culture, familiarize yourself with one of the great sociocultural icons of the city: the boteco. These casual, open-sided bars are found all over town, and draw in a broad cross-section of society. Young and old, upper class and working class, men and women, black and white mix over ice-cold chope (draft beer) or caipirinhas, flirting and swapping the latest gossip as bow-tied waiters move deftly among the crowd.

Best Cocktails

Explorer Bar Imaginative cocktails in a beautiful Santa Teresa setting.

Palaphita Kitch Amazonian-tinged cocktails and serene lakeside views.

Bar Astor Luscious cocktails and a great location across from Ipanema Beach.

Best Brewpubs

Brewteco A beer-lovers’ gathering spot in Leblon.

Hocus Pocus Top brews from a Rio-based microbrewer.

Booze Bar Sip your way through local craft beers in the heart of Lapa.

Escondido A casual place to start the night, with good microbrews on tap.

FÁBIO FERREIRA/GETTY IMAGES ©

Best Atmosphere

Canastra French-run neighborhood bar with great food and drinks.

Palaphita Gávea A fun, wildly decorated space, with an adjoining dance club that opens weekends.

Comuna Creative gathering space for art, music and microbrews.

Bar Léo Raise a glass over the cobblestones of Rio’s oldest neighborhood.

Baretto-Londra Very swanky party space inside Ipanema’s Hotel Fasano.

Bar dos Descasados Romantic outdoor lounge with hilltop views.

Best Botecos

Pavão Azul Cold beer and great snacks always draw a festive crowd.

Bar do Gomes Old-fashioned neighborhood charmer in Santa Teresa.

Boteco Belmonte A tranquil beachfront bar in Leme.

Worth a Trip

The nightlife scene in Barra is a mostly local affair, and it’s a good place to mingle with Brazilians. The best place to go bar-hopping is along Av Olegário Maciel, about 900m east of the Jardim Oceânico metro stop. On weekend nights the open-sided bars and eating establishments are packed.

Entertainment

Rio has a celebrated music scene, with enchanting settings in which to catch live performances, from cutting-edge concert halls to intimate neighborhood venues. Dance, theater, classical concerts and opera also have their small but loyal local followings, while cinema is an even bigger deal – Rio is one of the leading film centers in Latin America.

GLOBAL_PICS/GETTY IMAGES ©

Live Music

In addition to samba, Rio is a showcase for jazz, bossa nova, Música Popular Brasileira (MPB), rock, hip-hop and fusions of these styles. Brazil’s many regional styles – forró (popular music of the Northeast), choro (romantic, intimate samba) and pagode (relaxed and rhythmic samba) – are also a part of the music scene.

Cinema

There’s plenty of variety at Rio’s many cinemas. The market here is remarkably open to foreign and independent films, documentaries and avant-garde cinema. The latest American blockbusters get ample airtime at movie megaplexes, while cultural centers, museums and old one-screen theaters offer a more diverse repertoire. Films are shown in the original language with Portuguese subtitles.

Best Jazz

Blue Note Rio Fabled new space beside Lagoa.

Maze Inn Fabulous setting for a monthly jazz-concert party high up in Tavares Bastos favela.

TribOz Some of Rio’s best jazz shows in a beautifully decorated house in Lapa.

Clube Manouche Intimate downstairs club reminiscent of NYC jazz dens.

Favela Hype Catch creative jam sessions on weekends at this creative gathering space in Santa Teresa.

Best Rock & MPB

Circo Voador Creative space for top concerts in the heart of Lapa.

Barzin In addition to DJs, this Ipanema spot hosts an eclectic lineup of live music.

Fundição Progresso A Lapa showcase for top names and up-and-coming groups.

Bar Bukowski A converted house in Botafogo that hosts live bands most weekends.

Lapa 40 Graus Multi-floor space in Lapa, where you can catch concerts or shoot a few rounds of pool.

Best Cinemas

Cine Odeon Classic old-fashioned cinema and performing-arts venue on Praça Floriano in Centro.

Espaço Itaú Brazilian and foreign films.

Best Theaters & Concert Halls

Theatro Municipal Grande dame of a theater that showcases some of Rio’s best performing arts.

Teatro Riachuelo Architecturally stunning new downtown theater with a fabulous lineup of concerts.

Teatro do Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil A downtown cultural icon for its performances and exhibitions.

Teatro do Leblon Stages thought-provoking fare.

Casa da Cultura Laura Alvim Diverse works showcased in a restored mansion facing Ipanema Beach.

Listings

Find out what’s on while you’re in town by checking Visit Rio (www.visit.rio), the city’s tourism authority. Another good source of info (though in Portuguese) is Veja magazine; it has a ‘Veja Rio’ insert with the week’s