Overview

Rio de Janeiro is an enormous city situated in the south-east of Brazil. With its 6, 1 million inhabitants’ intra-muros (community known as the Cariocas) and 11, 35 million within its urban surroundings, Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city after Sao Paulo. Famous worldwide for its carnival, its beaches (Copacabana and Ipanema) and likewise for its statue Cristo Redentor (“Redeeming Christ”). Ancient Brazilian capital, it has become an excellent site for tourists and culture.
The actual city Rio de Janeiro was discovered the 1st of January 1502 by the Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos. The city’s name was the result of an error by Lemos himself. Being the month of January and believing to have discovered the mouth of a stream or a river, the Portuguese explorer christened the site of the bay of Guanabara “Rio de Janeiro” (January River in English).

Given that most of the Cariocas are African or Portuguese descendants, many immigrants have contributed to constitute the population of the ex-capital of the country. So Italians, German, Hungarian, English, Russian, Irish, Scottish, Dutch and even Japanese communities still live together in the different neighborhoods of the city. Which makes it even more interesting!!?

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Tourist sites

El pão de açucar:

“The sugar bread” is a rocky peak of 395m with a specific shape which was always the symbol of Rio. The Indians named it PAU-ND-ACUQUA, which signifies “high pointed headland and isolated”. For the Portuguese it sounded like pão de açucar, and the peak was looking like this kind of bread. The Portuguese name stuck. In the west, we can discover amazing panoramas where the beaches leme, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon stretch, surrounded by the mountains. At your feet you’ll see the districts of Botafogo and Flamengo. Whatever hour it is, the view from here is unbelievable.

Corcovado:

The famous statue of the Redeeming Christ is facing on the peak of Corcovado of a height of 710 meters, which is visible from all the districts of Rio. The statue measures 38 meters high. All around Corcovado is the magnificent forest of Tijuca which is reaching almost the center of the city.

Pedra da Gavea (the mountain of the enigmatic face)

The mountain of Pedra da Gavea is around 900 meters high. It overhangs the long sandy beaches. We access it from the botanic gardens of Rio. We can do aerial sports such as hang-gliding from the top. Pedra da gavea is famous for its cliffs which represent a huge head sculpted in the rock. The Cariocas recite numerous legends about this ancient Phoenicia with affection.

Santa Tereza

The district of Santa Tereza, winding paved street, with its amazing view of the bay, is certainly one of the most picturesque of Rio. The best way to visit it is to catch the famous “bonde electrico” (tramways) from 1896. This site offers you many marvelous view points!! More so, this district profits from a young and artistic development, take time to walk around the numerous art shops and the various original bars & restaurants, many with breath-taking terraces. If you like to mix amongst the locals and their culture, you’ll love this place.

Forest of Tijuca (Floresta da Tijuca)

The biggest urban forest in the world with a surface of 3200 hectares, regroup hundreds of species of fauna and flora which can only be find in la “Mata atlantica”. Situated in the heart of the city, a few minutes away from most of the districts in Rio, these numerous historic sites are worth a visit.

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The Beaches

Copacabana

4 kilometers of perfect beach is certainly the favorite beach of the tourists. It was in the 20’s acquired its notoriety with the construction of the Copacabana Palace Hotel in 1923, the only hotel deluxe in all of Latin America at the time. In summer, the population rises by hundreds of thousands.

Ipanema

This beach is situated in the most select residential area of the city. Today, Ipanema is the center of fashion and sophistication. The most luxurious boutiques of Rio are found in the streets of Ipanema and Leblon. The beach of Ipanema is the meeting point for the bronzed young of Rio. It almost the only beach where the ladies are topless!! Less animated and less noisy than Copacabana, Ipanema is without a doubt the most romantic of all the 25 beaches in Rio.

South of Ipanema we can find some of the most isolated and well preserved beaches. The beaches of Sao Conrado, Recreio dos Bandeirantes and Prainha, well frequented by surfers, and that of Grumari, perfectly isolated.

The Carnival

The origin of the Brazilian carnival is European, coming from the Entrudo, marking the beginning of Lent. The Entrudo consist of throwing water at somebody else. It was basically a purifying ritual, but after a while it became violent: various objects (ink, paper, rotten fruit, sticks….) were thrown at passers by, causing deaths. This is why it was forbidden in 1856 in Rio.

At the end of the XIXth century, the Cordões make their appearance in Rio. They are small groups which parade in the streets of the city, dancing and playing music.

The most famous carnivals in Brazil are in São Paulo, Recife, Salvador de Bahia and naturally Rio.

Street Carnival

In Rio, the carnival kicks off in the streets of the city with pre-carnival dances, parades of bands followed by people in fancy dress, and blocos. These parades begin well before the carnival, the first ones even being three weeks before the official opening of the festivities.

During the carnival, the parties are organized in different clubs around the city. The town hall also holds dances open for all the public in certain traditional localities in the city, an example being the “Cinelandia”.

Parade of the samba schools

During the carnival, there is a parade from different samba schools. At the end of the carnival, rendered public the following Wednesday, the results are awarded, and the parades of the winners are transmitted live on television.

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Apartments

In order to make the most of your stay in a city where you’ll never want to leave, we have selected the best accommodation available in Rio de Janeiro. They are not only situated in close proximity to all the major tourist attractions, but also only a few meters away from the beach. What’s more, so that you can rest after your long nights of Brazilian dancing, or simply to chill out, our apartments have all the comforts and bare necessities we need.
Also, in our selection, we have apartments which are more luxurious, with outstanding views, which few Cariocas can boast, and even with large terraces and/or balconies so that you can even profit from the Brazilian sun at home. Finally, we also have at our disposition some other apartments with special other extras such as a Jacuzzi or a swimming pool. In short, we have a vast range of choices for all your desires.

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Dates proposed by Kosta5

• February for the Carnival
• December through til February for the warmest climate
• Brazilian national public holiday
• June and July jogo pan Americano

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Key Info

Dates : All year long

People : As much as you want

Reservations : We advice you to book with an anticipation of 3 months, especially during the high season

Prices : variable... the best of course!!!

Included:

• Apartment
• On demand: information about any special activities during your stay. Any extra information needed about shopping, restaurants, museums, concerts, clubs etc. …
  

Not included:

• Plane tickets
• Personal and travel insurance

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