One day in Rio de Janeiro

Day by day

1. Day 1: Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain

   Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana Beach and Ipanema Beach, then Maracanã Stadium in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Christ the Redeemer

      Take one of the first trains on a clear morning; cloud often settles over the summit later in the day, so look at the sky before you set off. Allow 2–3 hours including the train.

   2. Late morning

      Sugarloaf Mountain

      Arrive about an hour before sunset to see the city in daylight, at dusk and lit up; fit walkers can climb Morro da Urca by trail from the Pista Cláudio Coutinho path at Praia Vermelha. Allow 2–3 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Feijoada

      Botecos and restaurants traditionally serve it on Saturdays, and in some places on Wednesdays; samba-school and hotel feijoadas with live music are a Saturday institution.

   4. Afternoon

      Copacabana Beach

      Walk the promenade early in the morning when locals jog and play footvolley, and leave valuables at your hotel. Allow Half a day.

   5. Late afternoon

      Ipanema Beach

      Use a lifeguard post (posto) as your meeting point and rent chairs and an umbrella from a beach stall (barraca) rather than carrying your own. Allow Half a day.

   6. Evening

      Maracanã Stadium

      Buy match tickets through the clubs' official sales or a reputable tour operator, and take the Metrô to Maracanã station rather than driving.

Before you go

• Christ the Redeemer: Buy timed train or van tickets online in advance for weekends, holidays and the December–March high season.

If it rains

• Swap in Museum of Tomorrow (Praça Mauá): Pair it with the Museu de Arte do Rio across Praça Mauá and ride the VLT tram back to Centro.
• Swap in Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR) (Praça Mauá): Take the lift to the rooftop terrace first, then work down through the galleries.
• Swap in AquaRio (Gamboa): Visit on a weekday morning; weekend afternoons and school holidays are crowded.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 12–16 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.7 hours in June to 13.5 hours in December.

Getting between stops: Metro. MetrôRio Line 1 runs from Ipanema (General Osório) through Copacabana, Botafogo and Centro to Tijuca; Line 4 continues west to Leblon, São Conrado and Barra da Tijuca, and Line 2 serves the Maracanã.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Rio de Janeiro
• 3 days in Rio de Janeiro
• 4 days in Rio de Janeiro
• 5 days in Rio de Janeiro
• 7 days in Rio de Janeiro

Questions travellers ask