Brazil

Where to Go

• Copacabana: the long, lively beach of the city's grand hotels and promenade.
• Ipanema and Leblon: Rio's best-known neighborhoods for restaurants and shops, with the beach at their door.
• Santa Teresa and the old center: hillside streets, art and colonial churches.
• Tijuca National Park: one of the largest urban forests in the world, with Corcovado at its edge.

What to Do

Take the cable car up Sugarloaf at sunset and the train up Corcovado to Christ the Redeemer early in the day. Walk the promenade from Copacabana to Ipanema, watch sunset from Arpoador, and spend an afternoon in the botanical garden. Hike in the Tijuca forest with a guide, and eat your way through Ipanema and Leblon.

Best Time to Go

Rio is warm all year. April to October is milder and drier and good for sightseeing. December to March is hot and humid, with summer storms, and New Year's Eve on Copacabana and Carnival in February or early March are the busiest and most expensive weeks. July to October is also jaguar season in the Pantanal.

Getting Around and How Long to Stay

Rio has direct flights from New York, Miami and several European cities. Use a driver or guide for the sights. We suggest three or four nights in Rio, then a flight to the Pantanal or Iguaçu Falls.

Where to Stay

Copacabana: Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel has been the city's grand hotel since 1923. Emiliano Rio is smaller and more modern, near the Ipanema end of the beach.

Ipanema: Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro is on the beachfront, with a rooftop pool looking along the beach.

Pairing

For a safari angle, add the Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, where jaguars are seen along the rivers in the dry season. Iguaçu Falls, on the border with Argentina, is a short flight from Rio. Brazil also pairs with Peru on a longer South America trip.