|
Pão de Açúcar - Sugar Loaf
 This natural symbol of Rio de Janeiro can be seen at the entrance to Guanabara Bay. There are two stages in the cable-car trip to the top of the rock. The first is from the station at Praia Vermelha to Urca Hill, which rises 705 feet above the bay, and the second links Urca Hill to the top of Sugar Loaf, 1,300 feet high. Each stage lasts three minutes. For tourists seeing Rio from the air, there is now a Tourist Heliport located on the top of Urca Hill.Visiting hours: Daily, 8am - 10pm
Teatro Municipal - Municipal Theatre
 Designed and built by A. Guilbert and Francisco de Oliveira Passos, the theatre was inaugurated on July 14, 1909. The main murals are by Eliseu Visconti - the ceiling and back drop - by Rodolfo Amoedo. Mosaics are by Henrique Bernadelli. Address: Pça. Floriano, s/nº - Downtown - Guided visit: Mon/Tue and Thu/Fri , 9am - 4pm
Tijuca National Park and Tijuca Forest
 Rio's largest park is the Tijuca National Park, covering 3,300 hectares, and including Tijuca Forest. The Park is the largest urban forest in the world. As you look up at the Corcovado from the Lagoa, the mass of greenery clinging to the edge of the mountain and stretching miles to your left, is the Tijuca National Park. Roads run through the entire length of the park allowing visitors to enjoy its many natural wonders, and at the weekend some of the routes become pedestrian only. The most well known part of the park is the Tijuca Forest which is reached from Alto da Boa Vista, accessible from all parts of the city. Address: Praça Afonso Viseu - Alto da Boa Vista
Carnival
 Those who have seen it before come back for more. For first timers the impact is unforgettable.The Parade of the Samba Schools in Rio is one of the greatest shows on earth. The parade is like an opera, in which scenery and fantasy float past the public, the story being told with the song, the symbols, the costumes and the floats, which year by year become more creative. The parade usually starts around 8pm, and goes on through the night, sometimes lasting until dawn, though the rising sun softens the effect and the show is more spectacular at night.
Sections 7 and 9 of the stands are reserved for tourists, and tickets can be bought at travel agencies. It is also possible to obtain tickets for other sectors, and for the covered and uncovered boxes. These should be bought well in advance.The more enthusiastic can apply for a costume, and take part in the parade. Some schools make their costumes available in the hotels for those interested. The concierge can help you realize your dream of parading down the avenue dancing the samba. Each Samba School parades around 4000 people and 10 floats, and the time is limited to 80 minutes.
The Samba Schools in Rio have their own fan clubs, just like the soccer clubs, and the parade, apart from the entertainment and spectacle, is a competition between the schools. Various aspects are judged - the theme song, evolution, the drum band, dancers, harmony, dance-master and standard-bearer, among others. On the following Wednesday, the Carnival Champion is announced, a title disputed as fiercely as the Soccer Championships. There are two unforgettable aspects of the samba parade. One is the march-past of the band, made up totally of drums and percussion instruments, around 300 of them. There is no one alive who would not feel the force of the primeval rhythm that goes right through you and sets your whole being vibrating. The other is the multiplicity of color and beauty of the participants, men and women, their sculptured bodies shining in the floodlights, and a contagious smile on their faces. It’s a ball!
Carnival Dates:
February 25 - 28, 2006
February 18 - 21, 2007
February 02 – 05, 2008
February 21 – 24, 2009
February 13 – 16, 2010 |
This is one of the main beauty spots in the city, standing 2,330 feet above sea level and providing a sweeping panoramic view of sea and mountain, a world famous vista. The mountain is crowned with the statue of Christ, 98 feet high with a 26 foot pedestal containing a chapel that can hold 150 people. The top of the Corcovado can be reached by electric train or by car. Visiting hours: Daily 8:30am - 6:30pm
Located in the Largo da Lapa Square,the center of Rio’s turn-of-the-century nightlife, the Lapa Arches hold their place in history as the most monumental work undertaken in colonial Rio. This magnificent structure contains 42 arches in two tiers. Originally built as an aqueduct to supply the city with water, today they carry another outstanding attraction: the scenic tramlines linking the Carioca Station downtown to the picturesque Santa Teresa district, a vibrant artistic community, with a great range of bars, restaurants, museums, cultural centers and artist’s studios.
A paradise of plants and trees from the four corners of the earth. Founded in 1808, it spreads over an area of about 340 acres. Over 5000 species of plants, some of the most impressive beingthe Imperial Palms planted in 1842.Open: Daily, 8am - 5pm
