|
|
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals, trip reviews, and unique adventure travel ideas monthly.
|
|
CorcovadoCity/Region: Rio de Janeiro
The distinctive statue of Christ the Redeemer, arms spread to welcome the world, is the symbol of Rio de Janeiro and one of the seven New Wonders of the Modern World. It rests on top of Rio de Janeiro's Corcovado mountain, 2,330ft (710m) above the beaches below, and is accessed via a miniature train that runs from the Cosme Vehlo District through the Atlantic rainforest to the foot of the statue. The train ride offers stunning vistas of Rio, and the view from the summit is breathtaking.
Spread out beneath the statue is the Tijuca Forest, resplendent with attractions to enchant visitors in the cool of the rainforest among natural pools and waterfalls. There is for example the Mayrink chapel, which features murals painted by Candido Portinari, one of Brazil's best known modern artists, and the Museu do Acude, housing colonial furniture and a collection of china from the East India Company.
Phone Number: (21) 2546 8400
Hours: Daily 8.30am to 6.30pm
Admission: R$35 includes the train to the top
Sugar LoafCity/Region: Rio de Janeiro
The summit of Rio's unique 1,299ft high (396m) belvedere, named Sugar Loaf because of its resemblance to the loaves of sugar used by the Portuguese colonists, can be reached by a two-stage cable car ride. The first stage takes visitors up 722ft (220m) to the Morro da Urca, where there is a restaurant, amphitheater, heliport and spectacular view of the Yacht Club and Botafogo Bay. The second stage takes one the rest of the way to the summit for a panoramic view of the city, and the whole of Copacabana beach. The Sugar Loaf cable car is a major icon of Rio's tourism.
Address: Av. Pasteur 520
Phone Number: (21) 2546 8400
Website: www.bondinho.com.br
Hours: Daily 8am to 7.50pm
Admission: R$35 (adults), R$17.50 (children 6-12)
Botanical GardensCity/Region: Rio de Janeiro
Rio's Botanical Gardens were created in 1808 by the Prince Regent of Portugal as a temporary site for acclimatising imported plants. Today it is home to some 2,600 species of plant life, particularly bromeliads and orchids. Color is added to the botanical treasures by a wealth of wildlife, such as Toucans, Tanagers, Marmoset monkeys and brilliantly-colored butterflies.
Address: Rua Jardim Botânico
Phone Number: (21) 2294 9349
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 8am to 5pm
Admission: R$4
IpanemaCity/Region: Rio de Janeiro
Immortalised in a popular song, 'The girl from Ipanema', this part of Rio offers not only its legendary beach, but numerous excellent hotels, bustling nightlife, sophisticated shopping opportunities and quality restaurants, all within walking distance of each other. Ipanema (the name, incongruously, means 'bad water') is famous for setting fashion trends, particularly in the line of skimpy swimwear, and fashion fundis should look out for the famous bikini boutiques like Salinas, Blue Man and Bum-Bum. Also do not miss exploring the Rua Garcia D'Avila to shop for designer fashion, jewelry and furniture. Visit the Amsterdam Sauer Museum of Gems here for a workshop tour. There are numerous other streets in Ipanema to explore as well, including the attractive commercial street Visconde de Piraja that is lined with specialty shops, bars, restaurants and some of Rio's best boutiques. Visit the hippie fair at General Osorio Square on Sundays for wooden sculptures, handcrafts, exotic musical instruments and artworks.
CopacabanaCity/Region: Rio de Janeiro
This famous Rio beach neighborhood was just a small fishing village until a new highway changed the face of it sometime in the 1900s. The Copacabana Palace Hotel first opened its doors in 1923, and since then the area mushroomed with Neoclassical and Art Nouveau skyscrapers, penthouses and apartments. Visitors still flock, as they have always done, to the glamorous Palace Hotel, the place to be seen. Sometimes the visit is only to have tea or a meal at the famed Cipriani restaurant. The beach itself has white sand and calm water and is festooned with kiosks. It is a popular spot for beach sports like soccer and volleyball, and a good place to sunbathe. Copacabana beach is particularly popular on New Year's. According to tradition, visitors dress in white and congregate here to celebrate in their droves, counting more than two million people during this time.
Angra dos ReisCity/Region: Salvador da Bahia
This peninsula and group of 365 islands (one for each day of the year!) is a holiday playground that boasts 2,000 beautiful beaches and a natural wonderland of mountains, forests, waterfalls, lakes and secret coves. Visitors can take trips by schooner, yacht or motor launch to explore the delights of the area, particularly the main island, Ilha Grande. Fishing and diving are the favored activities for tourists, and on land there are hundreds of walking trails giving access to some of the less frequented beaches like Canto, Abraaozinho, Morcego and Grande das Palmas. The beaches of Aventureiro and Lopes Mendes are also popular with surfers.
Website: www.angra-dos-reis.com
Transport: It can be easily reached from Rio by road in just over two hours, or accessed by bus with daily departures every hour from the Novo Rio Bus Station
Buzios PeninsulaCity/Region: Rio de Janeiro
Once the preserve of pirates and slave traders, the peninsula of Buzios, 105 miles (169km) north east of Rio, is today the haunt of the rich and famous who flock to the city (once a fishing village) to enjoy the 20 or so beaches in the vicinity. The peninsula was popularized by legendary movie star Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s, and her statue still graces the main street of Buzios, the Rua des Pedras. The peninsula is a sophisticated beach resort with a very active nightlife and fine restaurants. The west coast beaches offer calm, clear waters while the east coast ones, facing the open sea, are a little wilder and draw the surfers and water sports enthusiasts. Among the most popular beaches are Azeda Beach, Joao Fernandinho Beach with several bars and known for its seafood, Ferradura Beach, and Geriba beach, popular for surfing.
Website: www.buziosonline.com.br
Transport: Buzios can be reached by road from Rio via the Rio-Niteroi toll bridge, or by bus from the Novo Rio Bus Station
The Meeting of the WatersCity/Region: The Amazon
Where the dark waters of the Rio Negro join the lighter muddy waters of the Rio Solimoes a natural phenomenon is caused: the separate shades of water run side by side for a length of more than four miles (6km) without mixing. The separation is apparently caused by the difference in temperature, density and flow rate of the waters from each river: Rio Negro travels at about a mile (2km) per hour with a temperature of 72°F (22°C) while Rio Solimoes flows at between two and four miles (4-6km) per hour with a temperature of 82°F (28°C). This phenomenon has become a major tourist attraction in Brazil, best accessed by taking an hour's journey by boat from the floating docks in Manaus.
Lake Janauari Ecological ParkCity/Region: The Amazon
This park, an hour by boat from Manaus on the Rio Negro, provides a taste of the Amazon experience with its 9,000 acres of dry land forests, lowlands and flooded forest (known as igapos). Day package trips are available from Manaus including lunch in a typical regional restaurant and a visit to the area's other main attraction, The Meeting of the Waters. Daytrippers are also taken on a canoe trip on the lakes and streams. Lake Janauari Park has abundant examples of the famous Amazon Victoria-Nympheaceae water lily that spreads its round leaves, measuring up to seven feet (two meters) in diameter, on still shallow waters. The flowers, which start out white and turn mauve then dark red, only last three days.
Adolpho Ducke Botanical GardenCity/Region: The Amazon
This vast forest reserve, covering more than 39 square miles (100 sq km) to the east of Manaus, provides tourists with the opportunity to discover what lies beneath the dense Amazon rainforest canopy. The park building complex hosts plant nurseries and an exhibition of the woods of Amazonas, as well as a library and restaurant. A network of trails has been created in the forest, and local youths are trained and employed as guides to direct visitors along the paths.
Museu de ArteCity/Region: Sao Paulo
A large concrete building supported on delicate pillars in the Avenida Paulista houses an important collection of Western art. This museum features the work of the great European artists from the last 500 years, and hosts visiting exhibitions. It is open every day and entry is free on Thursdays. The complex includes a reasonably priced restaurant.
Address: Av. Paulista 1578
Phone Number: 3251 5644
Hours: Monday 2pm to 7pm, Tuesday and Thursday 9am to 10pm, Wednesday and Friday to Sunday 9am to 7pm
Admission: R$15 (adults), free for children under 10
Mercado MunicipalCity/Region: Sao Paulo
This imposing neo-Gothic style hall, dating from 1933, is the venue for a huge market, which sells local fruit, vegetables, cheese and other produce. The hall is noted for its gigantic stained-glass windows that depict scenes from the coffee plantations and other agricultural pursuits. The building is north of Praca da Se.
Address: Rua da Cantareira 306
Iguaçu FallsCity/Region: Rio de Janeiro
The Rio Iguaçu arises in the coastal mountains of Paraná and Santa Catarina and snakes west for 370 miles (600km) before it widens majestically and sweeps around a magnificent jungle stage, plunging and crashing in tiered falls at the border with Argentina and Paraguay. The Foz do Iguaçu (Iguaçu Falls) are over two miles (3km) wide and 262ft (80m) high and their beauty is unsurpassed. Their name, fittingly, comes from the Guarani Indian word meaning 'great waters'. The deep flowing waters of the river tumble down 275 falls (almost twice the height of Niagara Falls) the most famous of which is Devils Throat which, on the border with Argentina, drops 230ft (70m). As well as taking in the stunning views, visitors can enjoy kayaking and other watersports in the river. The best time of year to visit is August to November, when there is least risk of floodwaters hindering the approach to the catwalks. The falls are surrounded by the Iguaçu National Park, a huge sub-tropical rainforest covering 135,000 acres that is home to thousands of different species of flora and birds including parrots and hummingbirds.
Transport: The easiest way to get to the falls is by air from Rio. Alternatively you can take a bus via Curitiba
Next Page »
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
Related Brazil Content
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Brazil City Guides:
|
Concierge.com Insider Guides:
|
|
Brazil Community:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
