The climax of the party scene is the famous Carnaval, though deciding to celebrate the New Years in Rio, in which millions pack the beaches for an all night festival with an ending of a beautiful display of fireworks, is hardly disappointing.
The beaches in Rio face the Atlantic Ocean, thus providing bigger waves and cleaner waters. Come surf or boogieboard at one of the many beaches, or try some sailing. The Copacabana beach area which also boasts of the best hotels, has easy access via the Metro to the city center. Ipanema (and all the lovely girls- and boys- who are from it) is an urbanized beach where the bikinis are teeny-weenie and street vendors line the streets selling all kinds of local artistry and craft. Come check out the weekly Hippy Fair (Babilonia Feira Hype) and see and hear live music, get a massage, get a henna tattoo, and more!
Architecturally, Rio is varied and quite interesting to contrast; with some buildings and monuments digging several centuries into the city's history, while others attemping to take on the modern, sleek look of other contemporary cities. There are also many churches worth exploring, like the Nussa Senhora de Candeleria.
Another fair called Fairarte, located on Rio's most historic square Praca XV, is a craft market and contains many artists showing off their work: ceramics, glass, leatherworks and silver; food and drinks.
The downtown neighborhood of Centro, along with most of Rio, offers great deals for shopping. There are also endless street vendors everywhere, and street markets, selling from the most typical tourist merchandise to beautiful locally designed jewelry and musical instruments, such as the berimbau. |