Rio de Janeiro Attractions

My visit to 'The City of God'

Advantages: Supports a wonderful school, you find out more about how the people live
Disadvantages: Quite shocking at times

The Favela Tour: History of this tour from the Favela Tour site: "Brazilian born in 1968, Marcelo Armstrong is the pioneer of tours in favelas in Rio, since 1987 he's been working on the tourism market, having had the possibility to travel to many countries and getting to know different cultures. When he returned to Rio de Janeiro, his hometown in 1992, he decided to organize visits to favelas. Given their bad reputation, it was hard to gain the ...
...One of these was The Favela Tour which she explained took you into a couple of the favelas, introduced you to some of the residents, took you to visit a school and you walked through these streets seeing how the people lived in these Favelas or 'slums' of Rio. She was a genuinely nice local guide and she assured us that the tour was not voyeuristic or depressing; it was a way of seeing another side of Rio beyond the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, ...

catsholiday 26.01.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Favela Tour, Rio de Janeiro

cathedral or cooling tower - you decide

Advantages: Eco building and hold a lot of people, simple
Disadvantages: Rather ugly from outside

Catedral Metropolitana The Metropolitan Cathedral in Rio de Janeiro is incredibly surprising in shape and impact. When we first arrived and were told that this was a Cathedral we didn't quite know what to say. I thought it was such an ugly looking building, resembling n electricity cooling tower rather than a Cathedral. I'm not big into Cathedrals and churches but they are usually quite attractive buildings and often have an interesting history. ...
...at the ugliness of the Metropolitan Cathedral I was now becoming quite impressed. Once you were inside the four tall floor to ceiling windows immediately took your eye and then you were drawn to look upwards and found that these windows met and created a cross in the top of the building - subtle rather than' in your face' imagery. The altar was simple, no fussy, gold and fancy statues at all. Behind the altar was a smaller chapel which was again, ...

catsholiday 12.01.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Metropolitan Cathedral Rio de Janiero

Find Redemption in Rio

Advantages: Breathtaking views over a sprawling, stunning city.
Disadvantages: Can be very crowded.

...go upwards. Corcovado, at some 700-odd metres, is one of the taller peaks around and amongst which Rio is built and offers some astounding views of the city and bay. The vista, though, is perhaps not the primary reason tourists ascend the slope - atop Corcovado stands Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor), the iconic statue overlooking Rio. Completed in 1931 after a nine-year construction process, and until fairly recently the largest of its kind ...
...of Corcovado, along with the viewing platforms that surround and lead up to it. Situated in a national park but very much in the city, a rather more peaceful atmosphere surrounds the Redeemer, despite the considerable crowds that gather. The construction shows admirable restraint, fitting well into the leafy vegetation that would once have covered the area; although there are all the amenities one would expect of such an attraction - a restaurant, ...

Puggers 19.05.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro

Aie - que bom! (Ah, so good!)

Advantages: Not so full of tourists, plenty of variety of resturants, good beach
Disadvantages: Can seem "simple" to those who are not accustomed to the area.

...slower-paced, less tourist area of Barra da Tijuca. Because it is not as such a tourist spot as the more well-known areas, the beach along Barra is cleaner, calmer and the water in the area is cleaner too. There are plenty of Posto's and Kiosks so you can go to the toilet, have a wash and grab yourself a fresh, chilled coconut to drink, while laying on the beach. During the week, the beach is only busy in the morning and evenings. The rest of ...
...to the huge shopping centre, Barra Shopping, which along with the New York Centre next to it, has a huge range of resturants, fast-food, and cafes. All along the main road, Avenue das Americas, which stretches the length of Barra, you will find many resturants which are open until late most days. If you want to do some shopping, head towards the "butterfly" banners of Barra Shopping. "Huge" does not do this place justice. There are more shops that ...

ozzape 17.10.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro

A great lake in a great city

Advantages: Calm, peaceful - lively at night - great amount of food stalls
Disadvantages: Sometimes have to face a lot of traffic when you leave

Lagoa De Freitas, as it is usually called, is a really cool place in Rio just to hang-out and chill. It is the Carioca equivalent to Central Park in New York. Getting there can not be easier - just follow any of the main roads from Copacanaba, Leblon or Ipanema. There are plenty of car parks around, which usually cost a flat-rate of R$2, and you can keep the ticket for the whole day, which means you can usually park somewhere else around the lake ...
...the vicinity. During the day you usually find people jogging, running, walking or cycling around the Lagoa, as it is a pleasant location for doing this if you do not want to bump into the tourists and sunbathers at the beach. Not all of the track around the lake is paved or suitable for everyone - however the more northern edges are better. Dotted along the Lagoa you will find many food vendors selling hotdogs, popcorn, coconuts, sweetcorn, sweets, ...

ozzape 18.10.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Rodrigo de Freitas Lake, Rio de Janeiro