5 Reasons to Visit Rio de Janeiro in Brazil

Rio de Janeiro is a beautiful city located right on the ocean in eastern Brazil. It is truly such a unique place as it has both incredible beaches and dynamic mountains surrounding this large city! It is one of the top places to visit in South America and we absolutely loved our time there! Here are 5 reasons to visit Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to convince you to visit!

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Is Rio de Janeiro Safe?

Safety is a common concern when discussing visiting the city of Rio de Janeiro. We spent 5 days exploring the city and felt safe the entire time! We stayed in the Copacabana neighborhood. After watching the sunset in Ipanema we felt entirely fine to walk back to our Airbnb in the dark. Obviously be smart and use precaution but from our experience we had no issues with safety in Rio de Janeiro! Back in 2014 Dave went on a 6 week study abroad program in Rio de Janeiro and had a great and perfectly safe trip as well!

If you are concerned about the items you are traveling with, I always use this clip to clip the zippers shut on my crossbody purse. That way I know no one can open it and take my phone or wallet from inside. It’s small and gives a lot of peace of mind especially when we’re in a really crowded place!

1. There are Beautiful Beaches!

The fact that there are beautiful beaches right in the city makes Rio de Janeiro the perfect city to visit whether you’re a beach person or a city lover! You can explore the city all you want and then end the day with your toes in the sand. There are quite a few beaches to choose from too so you can have your pick!

Copacabana Beach is a really good option if you’re staying in the neighborhood of Copacabana. It took us about 10 minutes to walk there and we tossed our packable towels down to enjoy a few hours of sun. There is a boardwalk that runs along Copacabana beach with lots of restaurants where you can get something to eat or drink. There are also vendors selling food and items such as clothing, jewelry, pictures and more!

You also definitely want to make sure to visit Ipanema Beach. We found it a bit more crowded than Copacabana Beach because it’s fairly well known. But the mountains around it make it really pretty! It is also one of the best places to watch the sunset each evening!

One thing we quickly noticed while on the beaches in Rio is that you can get literally anything you want without having to get up! There are people that walk around the beach area selling food, drinks, t-shirts, bathing suits, sunglasses and anything else you could possibly want!

2. It’s Inexpensive to Visit!

Rio de Janeiro is such an inexpensive city which makes it a lot easier to visit if you’re traveling on a budget! We were able to find our own apartment (with a washing machine in a good area) for about 35 $USD per night.

We were able to get food for very reasonable prices too. On the beach you can get an açaí bowl for about $0.75 USD and caipirinhas (a popular alcoholic drink in Rio de Janeiro) for about $1 USD each. They were delicious and so cheap!

The only thing we found to be expensive were the admission tickets to go to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain (or Pao de Acucar). It is one of the most common places to see in the city which explains the high price tag. Entrance to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain requires taking 2 cable cars to get to the top and cost us 99 Real each or about $18 USD per person. However, we would say that it is 100% worth the money! The views you get from Sugarloaf Mountain are absolutely beautiful! We highly recommend visiting during sunset because it has easily one of the best sunsets we have seen anywhere in the world!

We also visited the famous Christ the Redeemer Statue but honestly didn’t love it as much. Even in the low season it was really crowded and the viewing area is pretty small. If you’re traveling on a tight budget we would recommend skipping Christ the Redeemer and heading to Sugarloaf Mountain!

3. The Weather is Great All The Time!

Summer in Rio de Janeiro is from December through March which is opposite from the Northern Hemisphere. However, even during the coolest winter months temperatures rarely fall below 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 21 degrees Celsius. This makes it a great place to visit at all times of the year because you will be met with relatively warm temperatures all year!

We visited in August which is technically during the winter months and it was hot! We were sweating while visiting Christ the Redeemer and spent many hours laying out at the beach!

This warm weather makes Rio de Janeiro a great place to visit no matter what time of year! It also means that you can avoid some of the larger crowds that come with the popular summer months.

I did notice it got a little chilly at night because you’re right on the water. I love this jacket and tossed it in our daypack for when it got cooler later at night.

4. The Food is Delicious!

There is some seriously delicious foods to be tried in Rio de Janeiro! You can find açaí bowls everywhere as the berry is common in parts of the Amazon. A caipirinha is a popular drink in Brazil and you will find them everywhere! It’s a drink made with Cachaca, which is alcohol from the area made from sugar cane mixed with lime and sugar. It’s delicious and tastes similar to a mojito without the mint.

You have to try barbecued meat before leaving Brazil. Brazilian steakhouses have now become common internationally for their unique approach. Servers walk around with various kinds of barbecued meat such as chorizo, different cuts of steak, chicken, lamb, pork and more.

You get a card with two different colors to signal when you want more and when you don’t want any. Usually restaurants like that have a fixed price which allows you to eat as much as you want.
It’s a little more expensive than we usually spend but we wanted to try it out while we were in Rio. Both Brazil and Argentina are known for their barbecued meats so we had to see for ourselves. It cost us 209 Real or about $40 USD for us both. It was delicious and we were really glad we did it!

5. The Mountains Make for Amazing Sunsets!

The city of Rio de Janeiro is surrounded by impressive mountains. I couldn’t believe how large the mountains are so close to this bustling city. It really has it all! With the city skyline and large mountains it makes for some incredible sunsets. Rio had hands down some of the most amazing sunsets we have ever seen while traveling!

Make sure to go to Ipanema Beach and watch the sunset from Arpoador Rock. Walk to the edge of Ipanema Beach. You will see a staircase and pathway leading to the rocks. Walk out to the rocks and find a spot to sit and enjoy. It’s beautiful as the sun disappears behind the mountains.

Our top recommendation for Rio would be to go to Sugarloaf Mountain for sunset because you can unobstructed views as the sun sets over the mountains surrounding the city! From the top of Sugarloaf Mountain you literally can see all of the city beneath you. The views are absolutely incredible! We couldn’t believe how colorful the sky got and it seemed like it just kept getting better and better. Make sure to get there before sunset to get yourself a spot!