Best places to see while you are in Rio for Olympics 2016
Besides the obvious Sugar Loaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer Statue, here are some of the places that you must not miss while you are in Rio de Janeiro.
Arpoador beach: Arpoador is located between the Fort Copacabana and Avenue Vieira Souto and offers one of the most beautiful viewpoints of Rio de Janeiro. From the top of its rock formations, the tourist can have beautiful views of the beaches of Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana - in addition to admire the famous Rio’s sunset.
In Arpoador’s sea it is possible to surf. On its boardwalk you can find the Girl from Ipanema Park, a beautiful green area with fitness area and playground for children.
Copacabana Beach & Copacabana Fort: The Copacabana and Leme beaches share the same range of sand, which has a total of 4.1 km. Copacabana is the most famous of the two (and certainly one of the most popular beaches in the world) and offers an excellent infrastructure for tourists. There are several kiosks around the place, good restaurants in the surrounding streets and several hotels nearby.
Besides the sea, the tourist can enjoy on-site walking the famous promenade of black and white Portuguese stones and watching some of the imposing buildings that adorn the Atlantic Avenue.
The Copacabana Fort is located next to one of the most famous beaches of Rio de Janeiro and in addition to beautiful views of the state capital, it offers a lot of history for the tourist. Opened in 1914 as a defence point of the Guanabara Bay, the fort has 12 feet thick walls and houses the Army History Museum.
Ipanema: Immortalized in one of the great successes of Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, Ipanema is one of the most popular beaches of Rio de Janeiro. The sophisticated commerce of their surroundings and the beauty of its landscape attract to its beaches people of all profiles and tribes. Ipanema has officially 2km in length, situated between Arpoador and the Jardim de Allah.
In this space, visitors can watch young artists in post 9, attend an openly gay space in post 8 and have fun playing football or footvolley. Many bars that exist between the waterfront and the Visconde de Pirajá are great choices for a beer.
Fiscal Island: The Fiscal Island is another great place that you should not miss while you plan to visit Rio de Janeiro. It is located in the middle of the Guanabara Bay and is home to a beautiful building of neo-Gothic architecture. The building, which resembles a castle, was inaugurated in 1889 by Emperor D. Pedro II, as a customs post.
Legend has it that during a party held in Fiscal Island, D. Pedro II took a tumble. His reaction came in the form of humorous rhetoric: “the emperor slipped, but the monarchy did not fall”, would have said the sovereign. Pure irony, the Republic was proclaimed six days later. Today, besides the Rio landscape, tourists can admire the imposing Fiscal Island furnished rooms and works of art in stained glass and stonework.
The site also houses an exhibition centre of the Navy. Ships to cross the bay and the planes that land every minute at the airport Santos Dumont complete the picture.
Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon: A famous postcard of Rio, the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon is embedded in the heart of Rio's south zone, between the districts of Ipanema, Leblon and Gávea. Walk through its banks, which have 7.5 kilometres long and are filled with nature and surrounded by towering mountains, it is a perfect activity for a sunny day. On the way visitors will come across sports fields, cyclists, roller rink, amusement parks and several kiosks for a beer or lunch. You can also ride a pedal boat in lagoon waters.
Michael Jackson’s slab: One of the milestones in the history of Santa Marta favela was Michael Jackson's visit in 1996, which caused the community to gain international recognition and began to be remembered for reasons other than traffic and poverty.
The figure of the star, who used the site as a backdrop for the music video “They Do not Care About Us”, is very remarkable there. There is also a bronze statue made in 2010 by cartoonist Ique (made a year after his death), a mosaic panel created by Romero Britto, stencil graphite made by artists from the Swell community, besides being subject souvenir of the local craft shops. The slab has 110 square meters and offers panoramic views of the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. Recently the area has been revitalized by the project ‘All Colour for You’ by Coral Paints and had the floor and retired railings, painting of facades of all the surrounding houses, installing toilets, lighting and bins. The site hosts parties, lunches and cultural presentations and is the most visited attraction in the Santa Marta favela.
