RIO DE JANEIROThe city of happiness

Districts of Rio Centro  The city's financial and business centre has

many historic buildings from its early days, such as the Municipal Theatre, National Library, National Museum of Fine Arts, Tiradentes Palace, Metropolitan Cathedral and Pedro Ernesto Palace.

Zona Sul (South Zone) Contains some of the more upscale neighborhoods and many of the major tourist sites, such as the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, and Sugar Loaf and Corcovado Mountains.

Zona Norte (North Zone). The Maracanã stadium, Quinta da Boa Vista Park with the National Museum the city's Zoo, the National Observatory and more.

Zona Oeste (West Zone), a rapidly growing suburban area including primarily the districts of Jacarepaguá and Barra da Tijuca, popular for its beaches. Most of the Olympics in 2016 will be hosted there.

  

Rio Carnival The Carnival in Rio de

Janeiro is a world famous festival held before Lent every year and considered the biggest carnival in the world with two million people per day on the streets. The typical Rio carnival parade is filled with revelers, floats and adornments from numerous samba schools which are located in Rio

• Miramar Hotel by Windson The newly renovated Miramar

Hotel by Windsor defines seaside luxury in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. Just steps from Copacabana Beach, the hotel affords captivating views from some guestrooms and an amazing rooftop terrace that hosts an infinity-edge swimming pool and poolside bar. Each of the hotel’s 200 guestrooms provide complete relaxation with plush linens, Brazilian paintings, and on-call butler service.

Accommodation

Accommodation (2)• JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro

Experience endless celebration at the luxurious JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro. Extraordinary Rio hotel offers easy access to the city's best attractions, including Sugarloaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer and a variety of nightlife, restaurants and golf courses. The world-famous Copacabana beach is just steps away from our doors, and Rio de Janeiro Galeao International Airport is less than 10 miles away. Outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate our proximity to exciting activities like rock climbing, surfing and sailing. Guest rooms at our JW Marriott feature elegant decor, plush bedding, marble bathrooms and LCD TVs with international cable. After an exhilarating day at the beach, visit our state-of-the-art fitness center, sparkling rooftop pool or one of our two massage rooms. Our hotel in Rio also offers irresistible on-site dining and more than 7,000 square feet of stylish space for memorable weddings, receptions, banquets and conferences.

Accommodation (3) • Belmond Copacabana Palace

This glamorous landmark is pre-eminent among the best hotels in Rio de Janeiro. Since its Art Deco doors swung open in 1923, Belmond Copacabana Palace has been welcoming the rich and famous. A truly iconic city-centre hotel, Copacabana Beach only a heartbeat away, this is the best place to stay in Rio. Soak up the sun in the magnificent pool or join Brazil’s style setters at the Piano Bar. And don’t miss the hotel’s top restaurants, whether for great local dishes or fine Italian dining at the Hotel Cipriani Restaurant.

Entertainment Theatre and the Performing Arts Rio de Janeiro has a strong theatre tradition. Numerous

comedies, musicals and other plays often make their debut in Rio before being exported to other Brazilian cities. The performing-arts season in Brazil runs from April to December, with many shows, musicals and plays being performed in the theatres, and sometimes, right in the streets of Rio.

Teatro Municipal This theatre, located in Centro Rio, boasts beautiful

architecture alongside being Brazils premier performing arts venue. Come here to hear some excellent opera, symphony orchestral concerts, and ballet.

Centro Cultural do Banco do Brazil This theatre, which used to be the Bank of Brazil

building, gets about 2 million visitors a year. The excellent space offers a tea salon, library facilities, and various cultural programs. There are also regular art and photography exhibits.

Transport By plane Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport (IATA

: GIG, ICAO: SBGL, Tel: +55 21 3398-5050, fax 3393-2288) is still better known by its old name Galeão International Airport and is situated 20 km north of the city centre.

Premium buses The Premium buses are four bus lines operated by Real that depart

from right outside the arrival section of Galeão. The buses are air-conditioned and comfy, with ample luggage space. They run roughly every 30 minutes from 05:30 to 22:00.

BRT Transcarioca The BRT system Transcarioca, also called Expresso Alvorado-

Galeão is a 24/7 service of fast buses on segregated lanes, inaugurated in June of 2014. Tickets must be bought in the cashier inside the airport and are R$ 3.00. The ticket is an RFID public transport card called Bilhete Único Carioca, a pre-paid card that you can recharge later and that will give you access to the metro and buses.

Taxi The taxi trip into the city centre is rather long and some taxi drivers

try to take advantage foreign tourists that are not familiar with the pricing and options of the local transportation. Scams happen more often outbound to the City and during high tourism periods such as New Years and Carnival (mid to late February).

Transport (2) By train Rio's glorious Central Station, or Central do Brasil,

made famous by a movie of the same name, serves mostly local commuter lines (SuperVia), so it's unlikely that you'll arrive through here. It's worth a visit just to see it, though, you can get there either by bus or subway (subway is better; get off on Central station, line 1).

By bus The long-distance bus depot, Rodoviária Novo Rio, is

in the North Zone's Santo Cristo neighborhood. Taxis and coach buses can get you to the South Zone in about fifteen minutes; local buses take a bit longer. Frescão air-conditioned coaches can be found just outside the bus station. The coaches connect the station to the city centre and main hotel areas of Copacabana and Ipanema. Bus companies include Itapemirim ,Penha  Cometa ,1001,and Expresso Brasileiro 

Historical Places Christ the Redeemer built from 1926 to 1931

and covered in a mosaic of soapstone stands 30 meters high, is overlooking the city on top of Rio de Janeiro's Corcovado Mountain 710 m.

Historical Places (2) The Paço Imperial , or Imperial

Palace, previously known as the Royal Palace of Rio de Janeiro and Palace of the Viceroys, is a historic building in the center of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil From 1808, it was used as a royal residence by King John VI of Portugal as King of Portugal. In 1822 it became the city palace of the monarchs of the Brazil, Pedro and Pedro II, who used it not as a residence, but as a workplace.

Green side of Rio Rio de Janeiro City is not only

associated with the beaches and sea, but also with the green parks, mountains and green landscapes. In the parks or Rio you can see beautiful gardens, enjoy picnic areas, bicycle tracks and find trails, leisure equipment and sports activities. It is a must for all the ones who love nature, ecology and outdoor recreational activities

Best Beaches in Rio

Prainha is possibly the most beautiful beach of Rio de Janeiro, thanks to its outstanding natural beauty. Located in an unspoiled and protected area  and surrounded by hills covered with tropical rainforest, prainha  is a paradise for surfers and nature lovers.

Best Beaches in Rio (2)

Copacabana Beach

 

Ipanema Beach