Rio de Janeiro

05/09/2017 Reading time: 5Minutes

With a broad smile, the well-tanned artist presents his latest work on Copacabana beach. He has recreated the entire Maracanã stadium. Made from countless grains of sand and on a scale of 1:10,000. A few meters further on, another beach artist is sculpting bikini beauties lying on their stomachs. Their round buttocks naturally attract everyone's attention. Both sand sculptures evoke common associations that visitors associate with Rio de Janeiro. There are the city's beautiful women lolling on the beach in thongs. And, of course, Brazil's most famous stadium, where footballers from Pelé to Neymar light-footedly put the ball in the net.

However, anyone who wants to get to know Rio de Janeiro will soon discover that the city and the entire state are not limited to a few clichés. Many of the favelas, the poor districts in the mountains above the city, have been pacified. This means that they have been connected to the general supply network and are now also under police protection. Crime has also been curbed in the city. Although travelers should not wear their most expensive jewelry on the street, it is not the case that they have to look over their shoulders at every moment.

In the "Zona Sul", the seaside districts of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, people bustle along the eight-kilometer-long beach promenade until late in the evening. Many residents of Rio de Janeiro want to keep their bodies in shape and jog or cycle along the promenade. You can also see beach volleyball or beach soccer teams training at any time of day. Everyone takes part in beach life, from pre-school children to senior citizens, from general managers to cleaning ladies.

Attention: don't forget the culture
But Rio is not just about beaches and natural spectacles: Its historic center is home to historically significant buildings such as the former 18th-century governor's palace Paço Imperial, which served as the residence of the Portuguese royal family when they fled Europe to escape Napoleon in 1808. Cross the "Praça XV", the huge square where the end of slavery was proclaimed in 1888, to the winding alleyway "Arco do Telles", where the many office workers who work in the city center meet for happy hour at the end of the day. On the street terraces of the city's countless "botecos", "um chopp bem geladinho", an ice-cold beer, and appetizers such as "pastel de camarão", fried pastries filled with prawns, are served. The historic former office buildings of the Banco do Brasil and the Rio de Janeiro post office have been converted into cultural centers. In general, the city center is to be further trimmed for culture over the next few years. The old town district of Lapa is considered the heart of Rio. At the beginning of the 20th century, the city's best musicians met there for so-called "Rodas" - jam sessions where Rio's demimonde listened to them enthusiastically. In the 1940s, President Getulio Vargas put an end to the hustle and bustle and the pretty buildings with their wrought-iron balconies fell into disrepair. Around a decade ago, courageous citizens launched an initiative to renovate the crumbling but highly charming facades. Numerous pubs reopened. If you want to listen and dance your way through the whole world of Brazilian music in one evening, Lapa offers the widest choice: from the ubiquitous samba and its tango-like version choro to the polka-like forró and the bluesy baião to the slightly disreputable pagode and the Brazilian hip-hop "baile funk".

Green lung in the middle of the city
A morning hangover is best cured in the Botanical Gardens, which have been growing lushly since 1808. Back then, King João IV acquired a fazenda in order to adapt plants from distant countries to the Brazilian climate. Today, 128 giant trees stretch towards the sky and lovers like to hide in the overgrown arbors. The rear, wilder part of the Botanical Gardens is already part of the Tijuca National Park, the largest urban forest in the world. Visitors can experience the Atlantic rainforest in all its glory over 32 square kilometers within the city limits.

Relax culture in Petrópolis, Paraty and Búzios
The rainforest stretches all the way to the most popular vacation resorts in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Cariocas flee via a steep mountain road to the former imperial residence town of Petrópolis when they have had enough of the summer heat. Here, 800 meters above sea level, temperatures average 23 degrees Celsius. Rich Brazilians retreat here to their country estates called "sitios". Hidden behind thick walls, they relax in their villas or play a match on their private tennis court. Travelers get an insight into Brazilian country life when they check into a "pousada", a converted country estate. These are usually luxurious and very individually furnished. As there is no international luxury hotel industry worth mentioning outside of Rio, pousadas and solares are the most stylish and interesting option for overnight stays. If you want to take a break from the big city, you are well advised to visit the historic towns and dream beaches in the surrounding area.

Costa Verde is the name given to the stretch of coast from Angra dos Reis to Paraty, south of Rio de Janeiro. Rarely in the world will you find an area that shimmers in so many shades of green. The crystal-clear, turquoise sea stretches out in front of the densely overgrown mountains of the Serra do Mar. Paraty shines white from the sea. The pretty houses of the car-free baroque town are still original from the 18th century. The "estrada do ouro", or gold road, used to end here, where precious metals and stones from the province of Minas Gerais were delivered and loaded onto ships bound for Europe. Ilha Grande, an hour away, is one of Brazil's largest eco-paradises. There are no tall hotel buildings on the 193 square kilometer, car-free island. In fact, some parts of the inner areas can only be hiked.

The beach resort of Búzios on the Costa do Sol north of Rio de Janeiro, on the other hand, is all about "high life". In contrast to the green coast, the vegetation here is rather dry. The landscape shows the continental divide between Africa and Latin America. Holidaymakers can enjoy two dozen beaches here, from the horseshoe-shaped Ferradura Beach to Tartaruga Bay, home to three species of sea turtle. "É a minha praia" - "this is my beach" is the Portuguese way of saying when you particularly like something.

Photo: (c) Christian Heeb

Lage

Rio de Janeiro

Sprache

Portugiesisch

Anreise

Galeao, Dumont

Hauptstadt

Brasília

Weather

Das Klima Brasiliens, das zwischen 5° nördlicher Breite und 34° südlicher Breite liegt, ist überwiegend tropisch mit geringen jahreszeitlichen Schwankungen der Temperaturen.

Klima

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperaturen	29	30	29	28	26	25	25	25	25	26	27	28
Min. Temperaturen	23	23	23	22	20	19	18	19	19	20	21	22
Regentage	12	9	9	10	8	6	6	6	9	10	11	13

Währung

Real

Visa

Visumpflicht: nein, bis zu 90 Tage Aufenthalt.

Vaccinations

It is recommended that you contact your family doctor or another suitable facility about 8 weeks before the start of your trip to find out about the recommended vaccinations.

Rio de Janeiro's cuisine reflects the influences of the peoples who have shaped this city. In the beginning, these were the Africans, Indians and Portuguese, later the French, Italians and many others. From the other regions of Brazil come the exotic fish of the Amazon, the spicy dishes of the north-east and the rustic ones from Minas Gerais, the "churrasco" (spit roast from the charcoal grill) from the south of the country and many others. Only the "feijoada" (a bean dish with meat and side dishes) served on Wednesdays and Saturdays is originally from Rio de Janeiro. Even if you can eat quite well in Rio, if you know where, the restaurants on the tourist beaches of all places are by no means of Mediterranean standard. The "churrascarias" in the street canyons away from the beach are the best, also with regard to the first-class pork and chicken in Brazil. Beef, on the other hand, which in Rio mostly comes from tropical zebu cattle, is often tough and has a bland taste, except for the coveted "filet mignon".

The nightlife is very diverse and offers a wide range of alternatives with numerous cafés, scotch bars, discos, pubs and beer halls. There are good cultural programs all year round. The people of Rio de Janeiro are big beef lovers. There are three basic types of service: plated meals, self-service buffets that are charged by the kilo, or the Rodízio, where the diner is continuously served food (pizza, sushi, beef, chicken and sausages). There are also "chopes" (ice-cold draught beer) and aipim dumplings (aipim is a form of manioc that is prepared like potatoes and tastes similar to them).
No other city loves to dance as much as Rio. In addition to the huge samba parade in a stadium created by Oscar Niemeyer, carnival is also celebrated on the streets. Various groups, called "blocos", parade through the streets with thousands of supporters. If you come to Rio outside the carnival season, you should visit the old town district of Lapa. Every kind of Brazilian music is played here - from samba to baião, from forro to baile funk. But be careful: Lapa is not always completely safe. It's best to take a cab to the front of the bar and not turn into a quiet side street.

Recreational areas close to the city include the beaches, especially those of Ipanema and Copacabana, the mountain gorges of Barra da Tijuca and the islands of Guanabara Bay, which was heavily polluted by an oil spill in January 2000.
Copacabana is one of Rio de Janeiro's best-known districts, located directly on the Atlantic Ocean and boasting the famous four-kilometre-long sandy beach. The crescent-shaped beach with the promenade is also known as "Princesinha do Mar" (Little Sea Princess) and saw its golden age in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. As a district of bohemia, wealth and glamor, Copacabana has become the subject of many pieces of music, books and pictures. The term "Copacabana", which is commonly used in Germany, does not exist in Brazil, as the name refers to the district as a whole. The busy coastal road with its attractive marbled Portuguese sidewalks, which separates the beach from the buildings, is called "Avenida Atlantica".
The city is home to various museums (for example the "Museu Paço Imperial" and the "Museu do Indio"). The "Museu Chácara do Céu" exhibits works by Pablo Picasso and other modern masters such as Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani and Claude Monet. The "Museu Histórico Nacional" is one of the few remaining buildings from the 16th century. It is dedicated to Brazilian history and exhibits furniture and other objects from Brazil's colonial era.
The "Museu da República" is located in the Catete district south of the city center near the "Catete" metro station. Not to be forgotten is the "Museu Nacional do Brasil" in the northern part of the city. Opened in 1938, the "Museu Nacional de Belas Artes" (National Museum of Fine Arts) in the center of the city houses an important collection of Brazilian art from the 19th and 20th centuries as well as Italian and French masters from the 17th to 19th centuries.
The "Museu de Arte Moderna", or MAM for short, designed by the famous Brazilian architect Affonso Eduardo Reidy, is also worth a visit. The MAM has exhibits of modern Brazilian art and the history of cinema. After the catastrophic fire in 1978, the collection was rebuilt through various donations and purchases. Since 1993, the museum has also housed the collection of art patron Gilberto Chateaubriand.
The museum of the "Dom João VI" art school houses works and documents of 19th and 20th century Brazilian art production, mainly from Rio de Janeiro, but also European art. The "Museu Castro Maya" houses collections by Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya (1894-1968) in two institutions: the "Museu do Açude" (decorative arts) and the "Chácara do Céu", Museum of Brazilian Art and Iconography.

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