Visiting Rio (Part 1)

Visiting Rio (Part 1)

The Portuguese named the city Rio de Janeiro following an expedition in January 1502 when they mistakenly believed they had moored in a river mouth and the city' s name is a direct translation; January river.

A visit to Rio can be counted as a visit to one of the most exciting cities in the world. Apart from the city, you have within minutes, the beaches of Copacabana. Rio is also the home of the carnival, the Bossa Nova and the Samba. It’s a wonderful city especially when viewed from the many vantage points around such as Sugar Loaf Mountain.

Sugar Loaf Mountain was made famous by James Bond in the late 70s when he fought Jaws on top of the cable car. The view is amazing even on cloudy days as the distant landscapes appear and disappear through the mist and clouds. Rio is a tropical climate with ever changing weather. So if you are up the mountain quite often a little patience pays off if you are waiting for the perfect picture.

Back at sea level you enter the historic old town which is in the downtown district. When you explore here you can get a feel for the city' s roots in its Portuguese architecture. Downtown is known locally as Centro and was the former residential area of the Portuguese government of Brazil. Today it’s the financial hub of the city, so while being very busy it still retains an old world charm.

Depending on your idea of fun then you should always be aware of when the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is due. You may want to be there or you may want to avoid it due to the crowds and increased prices for almost everything. This is the best known carnival in the world, as well as being the largest and longest celebration. It’s a continuous party filled with parades, drinking and people enjoying themselves. You should also note that there seems to be non-stop music wherever you go. Carnival Sunday happens seven weeks before Easter Sunday so the date is different each year. The carnival is a national holiday in Brazil and runs from Friday night to noon of the following Wednesday. However that’s the official length. It really starts about a week before with Simpatia é Quase Amor parades at Ipanema Beach. These are free events in the open air, where you can mingle with residents and watch the free rehearsals in Sambódromo.

One week after Carnival there is the Champions' Parade on Saturday which is the end of the month long party. Many of the Cariocas say that the year only really starts when Carnival is finished.

The second section of this article will focus more on the hotels, shops and attractions.