“Para reir, yo Río de Janeiro”. This is one of the anonymous phrases
that Cariocas repeat to refer to their city, which has been baptized with the
passage of time as the Cidade Maravilhosa.
Of the 365 days of the year, 40 belongs to Rio:
those of Carnival. It is a celebration related to a pagan festival and not to
the Christianity that monopolizes the eyes of the world and turns the city into
the center of the global festival.
But the nickname of Maravilhosa is not related
to its annual rumba; in fact, it is for what the city can offer all year long.
Its tourist wonders are gigantic cultural expressions that make Brazil proud
and make it one of the great tourist destinations of the world.
That is why we are going to list seven places
that all tourists should visit in Rio de Janeiro. These places are the most
important to, at least, have a relatively broad view of the wonderful city from
the inside.
Sugarloaf Mountain
The Sugarloaf Mountain is one of the paradigms
of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. To go up, there is a cable car called "Sugar
Loaf Bondinho", which is used to travel 1,400 meters between the Morro de
Urca and the Morro Babilonia and lasts five minutes. This cable car has a
capacity of 65 people and is one of the sites that nobody can miss in the city.
Christ the Redeemer
This statue of 38 meters high and more than 700
meters above sea level, which represents Jesus blessing the wonderful city, is
the most impressive emblem of the city. It has been visited by emblematic
figures of history such as John Paul II, Albert Einstein, Diana of Wales or
Michael Jackson. His fame reaches all levels of popular culture.
Maracaná Stadium
Lovers of history and football will love
visiting the most important stadium in Brazil. The same one where the tragedy
of 1950 happened when the locals lost the final against Uruguay and began a
curse that the world knew as the Maracanazo. It also hosted the final of the
2014 FIFA World Cup between Argentina and Germany. This stadium has been the
scene of concerts such as Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, Queen or Madonna.
It is in the Maracaná neighborhood and can be
visited every day between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.
Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro
It is an authentic journey through time due to
the theater, inaugurated in 1909, preserves the impressive architecture of the
time. It is in the center of the city and is one of the places to which every
lover of art and history must go. Until 1930, only European works were
presented, but since that year there is a great amount of local talent that
people can enjoy every week.
Copacabana Beach
It is the most important beach in Brazil. Although
its golden age was in the 40s and 50s of the twentieth century, its fame has
only grown. No beach has so many hotels, bars and places for fun as its
heritage bars, where everyone who visits Rio cannot fail to go.
It is not just a beach with perfect waters and
sands; in fact, it is also the ideal place for those who want to have fun
playing any of the varieties of football or simply go to eat high-quality fresh
fish. It is also the beach par excellence of the fishermen of Rio.
Ipanema Beach
Located very close to the Copacabana beach,
Ipanema Beach is a beauty surrounded by luxury and good taste. In fact, in its
streets are the most expensive buildings in Latin America.
Since 1960, musical movements such as the Bossa nova began to take place in
Ipanema, which unleashed customs in their beaches such as the use of thongs and
going topless.
Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro
If you are in Rio de Janeiro, you must visit
its botanical garden. There are 40,000 plants of about 6,725 different species.
It is one of the largest collections of flora in the world. It was created in
1808 by the Portuguese royal family, and throughout its history was visited by
personalities aware of its importance as Albert Einstein or Queen Elizabeth of
England. Since 1991, it has been named a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco.
Rio de Janeiro is one of the most important
cities in Latin America. Visiting it is not like entering in another city; in
fact, it is a whole parallel world where everything is football, heat, beach,
laughter, rumba, and cultural impact.