Attraction
Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor)
The Art Deco statue of Christ on the summit of Corcovado, dedicated in 1931 and reached by a rack railway that has run since 1884.
Most visitors start their list of things to do in Rio de Janeiro with the two great viewpoints: Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado and the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain. Below them, the city spreads between forested mountains and the sea. The South Zone holds the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon and the Botanical Garden, while the historic centre has the Theatro Municipal, Confeitaria Colombo and the new museums of the port area. Lapa and hilltop Santa Teresa, linked by the tiled Escadaria Selarón and the old tram, are the heart of the city's samba and bar culture.
Food ranges from traditional churrascarias, galeto bars and botequins serving cold draught beer and petiscos to restaurants with Michelin stars in Leblon and Botafogo. Four or five days is enough to see the main sights at a relaxed pace, with time for a beach day, a hike in Tijuca National Park and a night of live samba in Lapa.
Attraction
The Art Deco statue of Christ on the summit of Corcovado, dedicated in 1931 and reached by a rack railway that has run since 1884.
Attraction
The 396-metre granite peak at the mouth of Guanabara Bay, reached by Brazil's first cable car, which opened in 1912 and stops at Morro da Urca.
Attraction
A 215-step staircase between Lapa and Santa Teresa covered in more than 2,000 tiles by the Chilean artist Jorge Selarón between 1990 and 2013.
Attraction
Santiago Calatrava's science museum on Pier Mauá, opened in 2015, with a multimedia exhibition on the cosmos, the Earth and humanity's future.
Attraction
Founded by the future King João VI in 1808, Rio's botanical garden holds about 6,500 species and a famous avenue of 134 royal palms.
Attraction
Brazil's most famous football stadium, opened for the 1950 World Cup, host of the 2014 final and home ground of Flamengo and Fluminense.
Café
A Belle Époque café founded in 1894, with Antwerp mirrors, carved furniture and a stained-glass skylight above its upstairs tea room.
Café
The café in the courtyard of the Parque Lage mansion, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch at tables beside the old pool beneath Corcovado.
Café
A Jardim Botânico bakery-café opened in 2014 on a quiet cul-de-sac, serving breakfast all day and named Rio's best brunch spot in 2026.
Café
A Leblon bakery and deli with pavement tables, known for its baguette au levain, generous breakfast sets and a wide daily bread selection.
Café
A Botafogo sourdough bakery-café founded by a couple who started baking in an old office, named the city's best bread in 2026.
Café
A French-style bakery, grocery and bistro in Jardim Botânico, open since 2010 and a meeting point for cyclists heading up to the Vista Chinesa.
Hotel
A symbol of Rio, opened facing Copacabana Beach in 1923, with a half-Olympic pool, the Michelin-starred Mee and a guest list of legends.
Hotel
Philippe Starck's first project in Brazil, an 89-room hotel facing Ipanema Beach with a rooftop infinity pool and Gero restaurant.
Hotel
A 375-room five-star hotel on Copacabana Beach, with an infinity pool facing Sugarloaf, a spa and a beach club.
Hotel
A five-star MGallery hotel in an 1850 coffee farm in Santa Teresa, with Brazilian art in every room, a spa and the Térèze restaurant.
Hotel
A 51-room design hotel on Leblon's seafront created by designer Oskar Metsavaht, with a rooftop pool facing Christ the Redeemer and Dois Irmãos.
Hotel
A four-star Lapa hotel opened in 2014, combining a restored 19th-century mansion with a modern tower, an outdoor pool and a free spa for guests.
Bar
A three-floor live music house on Rua do Lavradio that began as an antiques shop in 1999 and now hosts samba, gafieira and choro.
Bar
A Lapa samba house in a traditional old house on Avenida Mem de Sá, with live samba from Tuesday to Saturday and a bar food menu.
Bar
A Copacabana bar founded by Portuguese brothers in 1957, famous for draught beer and around 70 petiscos sold by the kilo.
Bar
A cachaça bar between Glória and Lapa with inventive Brazilian bar food by chef Pedro Attayde, named the city's best bar kitchen in 2026.
Bar
An intimate Leblon cocktail bar and the only Rio bar on the Top 500 Bars list, known for classic cocktails, Sunday jazz and oysters.
Bar
A family-run Urca bar founded in 1939, famous for fried sardines, cold beer and drinks on the sea wall facing Corcovado.
Restaurant
An Ipanema Portuguese restaurant opened in 2014, known for 17 salt-cod dishes in sharing portions and named the city's best Portuguese restaurant in 2026.
Restaurant
Felipe Bronze's two-Michelin-star restaurant a block from Leblon beach, where fire is the heart of creative menus rooted in Brazilian cooking.
Restaurant
Alberto Landgraf's Michelin-starred Botafogo restaurant, serving a seasonal tasting menu in a high-ceilinged, brick-walled dining room.
Restaurant
A family-run Brazilian restaurant in the hills of Santa Teresa, with terrace tables under the trees and views across the neighbourhood.
Restaurant
A Copacabana churrascaria founded in 1951, serving an all-you-can-eat rodízio of around 40 meats and recognised as part of Rio's cultural heritage.
Restaurant
A tiled Santa Teresa bar famous for its feijoada pastéis, carne seca and long list of cachaças, a classic stop on the tram route.
Thing to do
A 4-kilometre curve of white sand along Avenida Atlântica, framed by Roberto Burle Marx's wave-patterned promenade and two historic forts.
Thing to do
A 2.6-kilometre beach between Arpoador and Leblon, celebrated in The Girl from Ipanema and framed by the twin peaks of Dois Irmãos.
Thing to do
Rio's historic hilltop tramway, opened in 1877, which crosses the Lapa Arches from the centre and climbs through Santa Teresa in replica cars.
Thing to do
A rocky point between Ipanema and Copacabana where crowds gather to applaud the sunset over the sea, and one of Rio's best-known surf breaks.
Thing to do
A lagoon in the South Zone ringed by a 7.5-kilometre path for walking and cycling, with food kiosks and an Olympic rowing venue.
Tour operator
A Rio food tour company running since 2011, with a five-hour daytime tasting walk, an evening bar and samba tour and a Brazilian wine experience.
Tour operator
A Rio walking tour company founded in 2013, running tip-based tours of downtown Rio and its African heritage, plus a Lapa pub crawl and food tour.
Tour operator
A private operator running three-hour visits to Rocinha and Vila Canoas since 1992, with hotel pick-up and support for community schools.
Tour operator
A Guanabara Bay boat operator founded in 1978, running a daily two-hour cruise from Marina da Glória past Sugarloaf, Niterói and the island forts.
Tour operator
A family-run Rio company founded in 1992, taking visitors into Tijuca Forest and around the city's sights in open-top converted military jeeps.
Four or five days covers Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, the beaches, the historic centre and a night in Lapa, with time for a hike in Tijuca National Park.
Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon are the most popular bases for beaches and restaurants, while Santa Teresa and Lapa suit travellers who want history, character and nightlife.
From Galeão International Airport, taxis, app-based cars and buses run to the centre and the South Zone; Santos Dumont Airport is close to the centre and connected to the VLT light rail.
Costs vary widely: botequins, galeto bars and hostels are affordable, while beachfront hotels and tasting-menu restaurants are expensive.
Most visits are trouble-free, but street crime is a concern; keep valuables out of sight, use official taxis or app cars at night and follow local advice on which areas to avoid.