Rio Tourist Guide

 Tomorrow March 1st is Carnival, one of the main holidays in Brazil. During this period, the biggest party in the world takes place, where thousands of people take to the streets in costumes to enjoy the "street blocks" of the city. Cultural associations that have a themed soundtrack. In the Sambódromo, a kind of open-air theater with concrete stands with capacity for more than 60 thousand people, the famous samba school parades take place. Due to the pandemic, the samba school parades were postponed until April, and the blocks parades were cancelled. Despite this, several closed parties take place during this period. That next year carnival can happen and that we are without the danger of Covid 19. Foto reprodução: blogdothame.blog.br Foto reprodução: correiobraziliense.com.br

 Praia Funda is a wild beach located in the neighborhood of Barra de Guaratiba, West Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The access trail to this paradise starts at the left corner of Praia da Barra de Guaratiba, the main beach in the neighborhood. It has a moderate level and requires a lot of physical preparation on the part of visitors. The walk takes an average of an hour and a half. Its greenish sea contrasts with the sky and the forest that borders it. Be careful when bathing as there is strong current in some parts of the beach. As it is a wild beach, there is no infrastructure for restrooms, restaurants or lifeguards. The stunning landscape, the sound of the sea, the forest, form a paradisiacal setting. The trail does not have good signage, for this reason I recommend hiring an experienced tour guide who actually knows the place.

 In this post I have selected five unmissable places to visit in downtown Rio de Janeiro. 1. Theatro Municipal Theatro Municipal is in front of the famous Cinelândia square in the historic center of Rio. Its construction was inspired by the Opera Garnier in Paris. There is a guided tour that goes through the interior of this magnificent work. 2. Real Gabinete Português de Leitura The Real Gabinete Português de Leitura is a historic library located near Tiradentes square, behind the João Caetano Theater. Its very well preserved interior is always listed among the most beautiful libraries in the world. 3. Pedra do Sal Pedra do Sal was a pier where enslaved blacks unloaded salt. Since then the area has had a great importance for black history. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was there that one of the most famous musical styles in the world, samba, emerged. Every Monday and Friday, the famous "roda de samba" takes place, an event where people gather in a circle and sing

 Copacabana is the most famous neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. It is located in the South Zone of the city and its fame is due to the beach that attracts thousands of tourists every year. The neighborhood concentrates a wide variety of shops which ends up attracting many people to its streets. Its waterfront concentrates the main hotels in Rio, especially the Copacabana Palace, a hotel opened in the 1920s. Copacabana highlights the social contrasts that exist in Brazil. Because it concentrates luxury buildings, but also slums. In its streets, a large number of homeless people wandering around looking for food, a sad scenario of the lack of public policies that fight poverty. This is the controversial Copacabana neighborhood, with its beauty, uniqueness and disorder that constantly reminds us that life doesn't stop.