Christ the Redeemer
Huge Art Deco statue of Jesus with open arms, standing on the summit of Corcovado. A cog train or road leads up, and the platform gives sweeping views over the city, bay and mountains.
Rio de Janeiro
Copacabana beach, Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer give this city its iconic status, and its yearly Carnival is famous.
Attractive locations
Sugarloaf Mountain
Rounded granite peak rising from the harbour entrance. Two cable car stages lead to the top, where visitors look out over Guanabara Bay, Botafogo and the beaches of the south zone.
Copacabana
Long curving beach backed by high-rise hotels and a wave-patterned promenade. It is a place for swimming, beach volleyball, evening strolls and the city's large New Year's Eve gatherings.
Ipanema
Fashionable beach neighbourhood with a wide stretch of sand, tree-lined streets and cafes. Locals gather on the rocks at Arpoador at the end of the day to watch the sun set.
Tijuca National Park
Large patch of Atlantic rainforest inside the city, with waterfalls, trails and viewpoints. It also contains the Corcovado hill, so nature and a famous landmark sit side by side.
Maracanã Stadium
The huge football stadium in Rio, which has hosted two World Cup finals and the 2016 Olympic opening ceremony. Visitors come for stadium tours and, on match days, for the atmosphere.
Selarón Steps
A steep staircase in the Lapa and Santa Teresa area covered in colourful tiles from around the world, decorated over many years by the Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón. It is a favourite photo stop.
Airports
Santos Dumont Airport SDU
It is about 4 km in a straight line from Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro Galeão – Tom Jobim International Airport GIG
It is about 12 km in a straight line from Rio de Janeiro.
Francisco de Assis Airport JDF
It is about 126 km in a straight line from Rio de Janeiro.
Scams and safe taxis
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan25.7 °C208 mm
- Feb25.8 °C152 mm
- Mar25.4 °C173 mm
- Apr24.3 °C101 mm
- May22.3 °C71 mm
- Jun21.5 °C49 mm
- Jul21.0 °C45 mm
- Aug21.3 °C42 mm
- Sep22.0 °C69 mm
- Oct22.9 °C108 mm
- Nov23.4 °C220 mm
- Dec24.7 °C232 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Jan, Nov, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 46% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
festival
New Year's Eve at Copacabana
Dressed in white, millions fill the beach at one of the largest parties in the world.
festival
Rio Carnival
This annual event is among the biggest in the country, filling hotels and pushing prices up, so plan early.
sport
FIFA Women's World Cup 2027
South America hosts the Women's World Cup for the first time.
Official sitefestival
New Year's Eve at Copacabana
Dressed in white, millions fill the beach at one of the largest parties in the world.
Who can help
Emergency
Police 190. Ambulance 192. Fire 193.
local government
Military Police emergency number 190
Helps with: Brazil's national telecom regulator lists 190 as the Military Police code. The same list gives 192 for the SAMU ambulance, 193 for fire, 194 for Federal Police and 197 for Civil Police.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Brazil who needs the police urgently, including visitors.
Phone: 190
local government
Civil Defence (Defesa Civil) number 199
Helps with: Brazil's civil defence service for floods, landslides and other disasters, listed by the national telecom regulator and the Ministry of Communications as the Defesa Civil emergency number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Brazil affected by a disaster or at risk from one.
Phone: 199
ngo
Brazilian Red Cross (Cruz Vermelha Brasileira)
Helps with: Brazil's national Red Cross society, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. Its site describes first aid courses, health care in disasters, disaster risk management and work reconnecting migrants with their families.
Who qualifies: People in Brazil who need its first aid, health, disaster or family-reconnection services.
Address: Praca Cruz Vermelha 10, Centro, Rio de Janeiro
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Brazil
Helps with: The UN migration agency, in Brazil since 2016. It supports migrants, returnees, displaced people and host communities, and works with governments on migration. Its office is in Brasilia.
Who qualifies: Migrants, returnees and displaced people in Brazil. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Address: SAUS Quadra 5, Bloco N, Ed. OAB, Salas 401 a 412, Asa Sul, Brasilia-DF, 70070-913
local government
DEAT, Tourist Assistance Police Station (Rio de Janeiro)
Helps with: Rio de Janeiro's special police station for tourists, listed by the city tourism body RIOTUR. It is in Leblon. A separate tourist police battalion (BPTUR) is in Copacabana.
Who qualifies: Tourists in Rio de Janeiro who need to report a crime or get police help.
Phone: +55 21 2332-2893
Address: Av. Afranio de Melo Franco 159, Leblon, Rio de Janeiro
local government
RIOTUR tourist information (Rio de Janeiro)
Helps with: Rio de Janeiro's city tourism body. Its information page lists the tourist police stations and gives its own office address and phone for tourist information.
Who qualifies: Anyone visiting Rio de Janeiro who wants tourist information.
Phone: +55 21 2088-0000
Address: Rua Dom Marcos Barbosa 2, 2nd floor, Cidade Nova, Rio de Janeiro