Rio de Janeiro - Rio de Janeiro guide, attractions and pictures


Rio de Janeiro Travel Guide


Rio de Janeiro is a city of astounding beaches, dense mountain forests, spectacular festivals, festas, music, and creative artists. The city is a melting pot of various cultural backgrounds, a well as diverse languages and delicious cuisines. Rio stands for a city of adventures, surfing, sailing, mountain hiking, and rock climbing. The city is a cultural, economic, and financial hub with a special charm and passion for life.

The Tamaio people were the aboriginal inhabitants of the Baia de Guanabara area. The Portuguese sailor Gaspar de Lemos landed at the large bay in 1502. The French settled first in 1555, but the Portuguese expelled them and took the Tamaio in slavery. The original inhabitants were completely annihilated by the end of the 17th century. The regular supply of African slaves secured labor force for the sugar plantations and the gold mines. Rio de Janeiro became the third most important city in Brazil. In 1807, the army of Napoleon entered Lisbon and Prince Dom Joao sailed with his court to Brazil. The prince, who fell in love with Rio, became the official ruler of Brazil. Then, Rio de Janeiro experienced its Golden Age between the 1920 and the 1950s. The construction of luxurious hotels turned the city into a famous place of the Hollywood celebrities.

Rio de Janeiro is a famous host of carnival events. The Rio Carnival is one of the most spectacular shows in the world. The event includes street parades, balls and gala balls, lively music, and dancing and it takes place in February. Rio is famous for its white sand Copacabana Beach. The beach is visited by millions of tourists during the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Adjacent to Copacabana, the Ipanema beach houses top notch cafes, diners, and shops. The famous Botanic Garden features about 6000 species of plants and trees. In 1992, UNESCO declared the park a biosphere reserve. The Sugar Loaf Mountain is a rock formation of granite and quartz, rising from the waters. The mountain is a favorite place for the rock climbers. The Corvocado Mountain is famous for the 1000 tone statue of the Rio symbol: Christ the Redeemer. The Church of Our Lady the Candelaria combines Baroque, Neoclassical and Neo-Renaissance architectural elements. The area is known for the Candaleria massacre: the killing of eight young men in the surroundings of the church. Lastly, Estadio Mario Filho is an open-air football stadium, owned by the Rio de Janeiro State Government. Seating more than 88 thousand spectators, this stadium is the largest in South America.




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