Rio de Janeiro

For its partisans, Rio is the joie de vivre capital of Brazil, the greatest city in Latin America, or simply the “Cidade Maravilhosa” (“Marvelous City”). Whether or not you agree, Rio certainly does flaunt a distinctive and exotic personality based largely around a cult of the sun. The true carioca is said to be someone who goes to the beach “before, after or instead of work.” On a sunny Saturday afternoon, half a million enthusiastic souls descend on Copacabana and its adjacent cafés, bars and restaurants along the Avenida Atlântica. 

Rio is not a destination for historical and cultural sightseeing in the conventional sense. In fact, architecturally the city often seems like a ramshackle sprawl of concrete, a place of majestic disarray and intermittent squalor, though the downtown area does possess one or two striking cathedrals. But from the summit of the Corcovado, the panorama is truly astonishing. No other city in the world has a setting of equivalent splendor.

Rio’s cool, dry “winter” season extends from June to September, when it is reliably sunny and the temperature averages 75 degrees. However, Rio is at its most inimitable during the “summer” from December to March, when the average temperature is often 10 degrees hotter and showers are frequent. This is the time of the Rio Carnival (February 21-26, 2020) and also the season when the famous beaches are packed.

Read the Harper Way Rio City Guide

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350 Acres of Botanical Gardens

Located at the foot of the Corcovado and part of Tijuca National Park, Rio’s Botanical Garden is among the finest in the world. Founded in 1808, it comprises nearly 350 acres with both cultivated exhibits and tropical rainforest. The garden is part of the Atlantic Forest ecosystem, which extends down the east coast and that, in 1832, moved a young Charles Darwin to raptures.

View Rio From the Water

To really get a taste of Rio, you need to rent a boat from the expansive Marina da Glória. Whether it be a ship, tourist boat or a speedboat, make sure to see the city from the water. Rio has great beaches and people really appreciate them more when seeing their length and grandeur from across the water.

“Zona Sul”

All large cities have an area of privilege, and in Rio, this is to be found at the southern edge of the so-called “Zona Sul,” in the districts of Ipanema and (especially) Leblon. The latter is close to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, a lake 5 miles in circumference.