South America
Beaches, mountains, samba, and the greatest street party on earth.
Brazil is South America turned up to full volume — a giant, joyous country of Amazon rainforest, endless beaches, and a musical, football-mad culture like nowhere else. Rio de Janeiro is its beating heart: a jaw-dropping city wedged between forested mountains and the sea, where Christ the Redeemer watches over the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, samba spills from the bars of Lapa, and the sheer beauty of the setting stops you in your tracks. Exhilarating, sensual and unforgettable.
What things cost: Rio is mid-range — cheaper than Western Europe or the US, with great value on food, drink and beach life, though the smart Zona Sul hotels and restaurants aren't cheap. A beach caipirinha, a per-kilo buffet lunch and the metro all cost little. Keep an eye on your things; when a zone below says 'low', that means low for Rio.
Sometimes the event picks the city for you.
Over two million people, most dressed in white, pack Copacabana beach for one of the world's biggest New Year's celebrations — a spectacular midnight fireworks display over the sea, offerings floated to the goddess Iemanjá, and beach parties till dawn. Wear white, jump seven waves for luck, and soak it up.
Rio de Janeiro · Copacabana Beach
The feast day of Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of Rio de Janeiro (the city's full name is São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro) — marked by a procession carrying his image through the streets of the centre and a mass at the modernist cathedral. A quieter, traditional glimpse of the city's faith.
Rio de Janeiro · Centro
The greatest party on earth — five days when the whole city stops for the samba-school parades in the Sambadrome, the hundreds of free street blocos, glitter, drums and non-stop dancing. Overwhelming, euphoric and unforgettable; book beds and Sambadrome tickets many months ahead, and prepare for chaos.
Rio de Janeiro · The Sambadrome & citywide
