2 DAYS IN RIO
When my baby..
When my baby smiles at me I go to Rio……
Peter Allen got it right. Rio is a fun city to visit when you are tripping through South America.
On a recent holiday I found myself trying to convince my risk-averse husband to end our journey in Rio for a couple of nights. He was convinced that it was “too dangerous”, nothing interesting to see and just another big city with overpopulated beaches. Well I can assure you, he was so wrong and even he admitted that Rio was absolutely worth a visit and that in fact we could easily have spent more days there taking in the stunning scenery, cultural sights and nightlife!!
Rio de Janeiro, known by Brazilians as Cidade Maravilhosa (The Marvellous City), is a paradise of stunning beaches, vibrant culture and unique attractions.
Rio de Janeiro is a city of intense contrasts, blending natural beauty with urban charm. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, in the southeastern part of the tropical zone of South America, it is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It has gained worldwide recognition as one of the most beautiful and exciting urban centres, offering a unique blend of location, architecture, inhabitants, and lifestyle.
Rio has two airports: Santos Dumont (SDU) and Galeão International Airport (GIG). Both are relatively close to the city centre, but GIG is farther away. Public transportation from both airports, such as taxis, buses and shuttles, is available. Reaching downtown Rio takes about 45 minutes by taxi from GIG and 15-20 minutes from SDU.
However given we only had a couple of days to explore this vibrant city we had enlisted the help of a private guide (with a driver) who collected us at the airport and deposited us hassle free to our beautiful hotel, The Copacabana Palace.
We had a lot to see in a short amount of time and having a local guide and driver meant we made the most of our time. However our guide did say that since the Olympics, the city’s public transport had greatly improved and that between that, walking and catching Ubers, Rio was easy to navigate for most tourists alone.
DAY 1
After waking up to the most magnificent view from our balcony, overlooking Copacabana Beach we fuelled ourselves with a sensational breakfast sitting around a pool straight out of a 1950’s movie set. Umbrellas with pom poms, olde world glamour.
But the sights of Rio were calling and we met our guide Jean-Jacques to attack the ambitious itinerary he had for the day. First stop of course was the “not to be missed” visit to see Christ the Redeemer.
This famous landmark can be seen from any part of the city that you may find yourself in. It is truely remarkable and mesmerising in all its glory.
After riding the train to the top of the mountain your first view of the statue is from behind and it is magnificent. Circumnavigating the statue gives you a unique view of its beauty and also provides you with the most amazing views over the whole of Rio.
The coastline is breathtaking and the natural beauty of the city took us both by surprise. The beaches, the forests, the harbour, the old city and the favelas could all be seen from this vantage point.
Next we were whisked through the city streets back to the coastline to explore the beaches along the coast. Situated on Brazil's southeastern coastline, Rio de Janeiro's curvaceous contours boast over 30 miles (50 km) of shoreline. We headed along the coastline all the way to Prainha beach where we stopped to watch the surfers battle with the waves. Prainha is a secluded haven situated at the city's edge. It's a natural reserve and offers consistent barrels with south swells and east winds.
If we had had more time we would have taken the walk to Praia do Secreto (Secret Beach). It is actually a beautiful natural swimming pool of 12 meters in length, that forms only when the tide is low. Therefore, before going there, it is necessary to check the table of the tides. To get to it, you must walk a narrow but light path, for approximately 5 minutes. The hike starts at the Mirante do Roncador (Roncador lookout), just before Prainha, on the left side of the road, at the edge of the avenue. After walking this way, it will be possible to see more or less the beginning of the great rock that will lead to Praia do Secreto. This one will be on the list of adventures for next time we find ourselves in Rio!!
Making our way back along the coast we had a quick stop at São Conrado beach, the beach famous for being the location for landing para-gliders. Literally there is a landing strip marked out along the beach between the boardwalk and the sunbathers that allows para-gliders to fly in from the mountains to land.
There are officials with whistles to stop beach dwellers from crossing the landing strip to ensure they don’t get hit by the incoming para-gliders. There are numerous companies that do the tandem flights like Asa Delta Brasil . If you are adventurous don’t miss taking a flight!! For me, with my recently acquired fear of heights, just watching the gliders land was all that I needed to see.
To finish off our half day of sight seeing we were dropped in the Leblon area. A newer, younger area filled with cafes, bars, shopping and restaurants. It was a great place to wander around before setting off back towards the beach front esplanade that we were going to follow all the way back to our hotel. It was a great walk and we took in all the sights and smells that beach life offers in Rio.
We strolled past Leblon beach and then onto where we pulled into a beachside bar to savour a number of cold beers to watch the passing parade of tourists and locals. Being a Saturday there was lots to take in.
With renewed energy we continued on towards the hotel passing the famous Ipanema Beach before finding ourselves back on Copacabana Beach sidewalk with its instantly recognisable swerving black and white wave lines.
An in-situ sculpture at your feet. Notably re-designed by famous landscape architect, Roberto Burle Marx. The footpath really is a work of art, in fact it is the “largest example of applied art existing in the world”, according to its listing in the State Institute of Cultural Heritage.
Back at the hotel with the sun setting, a quick dip in the pool to do a few laps in one of the most iconic settings was essential and besides one other guest I had the pool to myself. You never regret a swim!!
Next stop was dinner but being Rio you don’t dine till late. 9.30pm was standard. We had our hearts set on Brazilian BBQ and our guide had suggested a great little restaurant in a buzzing street in Leblon that was lined with bars and outdoor dining. Our choice of venue Clan BBQ on Rua Dias Ferreira, didn’t disappoint and Uber got us there easily and safely.
DAY 2
After a quick plunge in the shore-dumping ocean at Copacabana Beach I was ready for another full day of touring. You can’t visit Rio and not take in the beach culture of Copacabana Beach with the volleyball courts, beach table tennis and sunbeds and umbrellas all getting set up for the crowds of locals and tourists that would descend on the beach by midday. We got in early, then we were off to pack in as much left of Rio that we could before flying out that evening.
First stop was the obligatory visit to Sugarloaf Mountain with its famous cable car ride to the summit. The original cable car line was built in 1912 and rebuilt around 1972–73 and in 2008. The cable car goes from a ground station, at the base of Morro da Babilônia, to Morro da Urca and then on to Sugarloaf's summit.
You get a 360 degree view over Rio and it is breathtaking. You also get a great view of some of the craziest mountain climbers you will ever see as they climb vertically up this famous urban landscape.
I have to mention that given it was May the weather was unseasonably hot…the temperature at the top of the mountain was close to 32 degrees celsius and it was only that it was 10am that the Heineken tram bar at the summit was not tried. A beer on tap with a view like that… but we had places to go and things to see!!
On returning to sea level we were collected to continue our whirlwind spin around the suburbs of Rio away from the coastline before being dropped in the downtown area for a guided walk. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the history and current cultural situation in Rio 2024. He talked about the notorious Favelas (slums) that he had pointed out the day before and the crime but he was also incredibly proud of his city and what it offered visitors both in scenery and experiences.
Hosting the Olympics gave the city a reason to be cleaned up and given a new lease on life. In the downtown area and this was evident when we ventured into the old majestic government buildings that had been re-purposed.
Rio had ceased to be the capital city of Brazil in 1960 and Brasilia had been created and it had left many of the beautiful old buildings desolate as all business moved to the new capital. The downtown area had re-claimed some of its grandeur for the Rio Olympics although there were still some areas that are considered no-go zones at night. However the city had been modernised with a new freeway and metro and some of the streets had come back to life with cafes and restaurants.
Also the most extraordinary museum had been finished which is a world class facility both from its architecture and its contents. The Museum of Tomorrow is this futuristic, super interactive museum that talks about topics such as climate change, world cultures and habits, the history and future of our planet. It is a project by a Spanish architect named Santiago Calatrava. The same guy designed, for example, the City of Arts in Valencia and the World Trade Centre Transport Terminal!
No city in the world has been properly explored, my husband would state, without a visit to a cathedral or two. We explored 2 unique churches, one old and one new. 
The first was the Mosteiro De Sao Bento. The Mosteiro de São Bento (Monastery of St. Benedict), is a Benedictine abbey located on the Morro de São Bento (St. Benedict Hill) in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Mannerist style church is a primary example of Portuguese colonial architecture in Rio. It had the most amazing gilded interior and it was still operating with a seminary attached.
The second church was the main cathedral. The Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.
The Metropolitan Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral of Saint Sebastian, was constructed over 8 years and completed in 1974. Its design is a stunning blend of contemporary and traditional elements, courtesy of architect Edgar Fonseca. Built to replace the previous colonial-style cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral reflects the diverse cultural influences shaping Rio de Janeiro. Our guide warned us on approach that he didn’t like the architecture of the cathedral but he felt that he had to show us to round out our essential tour of Rio. I tended to agree with him although once inside you did recognise the majesty of the building and the stained glass walls of windows were unforgettable. Worth a visit…you can decide!!
Out of time, we squeezed the last bits of information out of our guide, as we headed to the airport.
Our guide was happy to give us a reason to return as he said Carnival is a great time to experience Rio. The city truely comes alive. The 2025 Rio Carnival will begin forty days before Easter and the dates are set according to this timing. For 2025 the dates are from Friday, February 28 to Saturday, March 8, 2025. With the start of Carnival comes a whole world of splendour and colour through the parades, the Samba schools and the floats. Colour and fun!
It had been a whirlwind visit and we both agreed that we could easily have spent more time in this city of extremes. Old and new. Beautiful coastlines and dense forests. 5 star hotels and favelas sharing the city. At no time had we felt uncomfortable or at threat and we left with all our luggage and mobile phones still in our possession. Our memories will be of the beauty and of the friendliness of all the local people and also all the tourists who were having a fun time.
As the song says……”…..free at last, what a blast”!
