Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro sits on Guanabara Bay in south-east Brazil, hemmed in by mountains that come almost to the water. The setting — Sugarloaf, Corcovado, the Tijuca forest and the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema — is itself inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape, which is unusual and tells you where the value lies.

The city divides into the Zona Sul, the beach neighbourhoods where most visitors stay, the Centro, with the colonial and early-modern city, and the vast Zona Norte and Zona Oeste beyond. Favelas occupy many of the hillsides throughout.

Rio has one of the most dramatic urban settings on earth, and it is a genuinely outdoor city: swimming, hiking, running and football all happen in public, daily, in the middle of it.

It is also the home of samba and of Carnival, and the musical culture is active year-round in Lapa and in the neighbourhood rodas rather than only in February.

• Cristo Redentor on Corcovado. Reached by cog train through the Tijuca forest or by official van. Go early; cloud often closes in later in the day.
• Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar). Two cable-car stages to the summit, best in the late afternoon for the bay at sunset.
• Copacabana and Ipanema. Distinct beaches with numbered lifeguard posts that function as social markers, and a promenade that is busy from dawn.
• Tijuca National Park. Urban Atlantic rainforest with waterfalls and trails, including the climb to Pedra da Bota and the harder Pedra da Gávea.
• Escadaria Selarón. The tiled staircase between Lapa and Santa Teresa, made by the artist Jorge Selarón over two decades.
• Santa Teresa. A hillside neighbourhood of colonial houses and studios, reached by the restored tram.
• Lapa on a weekend night. Under the arches, with samba bars and street crowds; go with a plan and without valuables.

December to March is summer: hot, humid, busy and the time of Carnival and New Year on Copacabana. Prices are at their highest and accommodation must be booked far ahead.

April, May, September and October are the best compromises: warm, drier, and much less crowded.

June to August is the local winter — still mild, with water temperatures that remain swimmable and the clearest skies for the viewpoints.

Rio is rainy in short heavy bursts rather than all day, and heavy summer rain can close trails and cause landslides.

Ipanema and Leblon are the calmest and most comfortable beach bases, with good restaurants and an easy walk to the water.

Copacabana is busier, larger and cheaper, with metro stations along it and the widest range of hotels.

Botafogo and Flamengo, on the bay, are residential, well connected and better value, with a strong local restaurant scene.

Santa Teresa is atmospheric and hilly, with guesthouses and views, but requires transport for everything.

Ipanema and Leblon: the most affluent beach neighbourhoods, with the Sunday hippie fair and the lagoon behind them.

Copacabana and Leme: the long crescent beach, dense apartment blocks and the fort at the far end.

Botafogo and Flamengo: bayside, with parkland, museums and a good independent restaurant scene.

Centro: colonial churches, the Theatro Municipal, the modern art museum and the revitalised port district with the Museum of Tomorrow.

Lapa: the aqueduct arches and the city's samba and nightlife centre.

Santa Teresa: hillside streets, artists' houses and the tram.

The metro has two main lines running from Ipanema through Copacabana and Botafogo to the centre, and is clean, safe and the best way to move north–south. A rechargeable card covers it.

Ride-hailing apps are widely used and generally preferred to street taxis, particularly at night. Buses are extensive but harder to navigate for visitors.

Galeão (GIG) is the international airport; Santos Dumont (SDU), on the bay beside the centre, handles the shuttle to São Paulo. Traffic can be heavy, so allow generous time.

Feijoada, the black bean and pork stew, is traditionally eaten at lunch on Saturdays and is a long meal rather than a quick one.

On the beach, água de coco, biscoito Globo and mate are sold by vendors walking the sand. Pão de queijo and the pastel handle snacking.

Botecos — informal corner bars — are the heart of eating out: cold draught beer, small plates and no reservation. Churrascarias and per-kilo buffets cover lunch, and the caipirinha is the national drink.

Niterói, across the bay by ferry, has the Niemeyer contemporary art museum on a headland and the best view back at Rio.

Petrópolis, in the mountains about ninety minutes north, was the imperial summer capital and is noticeably cooler.

Ilha Grande and Paraty, along the Costa Verde to the south, are beach and colonial-town destinations better suited to an overnight than a day.

Búzios, east along the coast, is a beach resort peninsula and a long day trip.

Rio is moderate by international standards and swings hard with the season: Carnival and New Year are several times the normal price for accommodation.

Eating cheaply is easy — per-kilo buffets, botecos and beach vendors — while restaurants in Leblon and Ipanema are not. The metro is inexpensive, and the beaches, the Tijuca trails, the Lapa street scene and the Sunday closure of the beachfront roads all cost nothing. Sugarloaf and Corcovado are the two significant paid attractions.

Take only what you need to the beach. Locals bring a little cash and nothing else; opportunistic theft is the most common problem visitors have.

Use ride-hailing at night rather than walking between neighbourhoods, particularly around Lapa and the Centro after dark.

Go up Corcovado early. Cloud builds through the day and the statue is frequently invisible by afternoon.

Do not enter a favela independently. Conditions vary and change; if you want to visit, go with a recognised community-based operator.

Book far ahead for Carnival and New Year, and expect minimum-stay requirements.