Good morning
Rio!

Golden beaches, stunning sunsets, mellow bossa nova rhythms … welcome to Rio de Janeiro! We’ve all been secretly dreaming ourselves away to this splendid city. Not for nothing is it called Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City).

Get comfy on your sofa and enjoy this trip.

MORNING

We’re starting the day off with some mellow guitar rhythms, dreamy views and a brief language class. Ready?!

Home of bossa nova

Rio has a special place in music history. When a group of students, artists and musicians came together in the late 1950s on the tropical beaches of Rio, a new sound was born. Combining soft samba with traditional Brazilian rhythms and American jazz, bossa nova is made for slow days.

Close your eyes and you’ll be transported to Ipanema with our bossa nova playlist.

Listen here

Explore with one click

Rio has so many amazing sights, and while you’re getting busy with making your very own must-see list, we’ve assembled a little virtual tour to start you off.

📍Christ the Redeemer
📍Enrique Lage Park
📍Copacabana Beach
📍Selaron Steps

Start here

Helicopter ride

Hop on a helicopter and enjoy the city from above.

Watch video

AFTERNOON

It’s time for lunch! Take a break to get energised again, and then you’re ready to discover a bit of culture and history, as well as get your kids busy with something.

Talk like a local

Portuguese speakers will quickly notice the distinctive accent spoken in Rio, also known as the carioca accent. The carioca accent is the most widely recognized in Brazil, partly due to Rede Globo, the second-largest television network in the world, being headquarted in Rio.

Ready for a bit of Portuguese?

Start the class here

Greetings

Olá / Oi (informal) – Hello
Como você está?/Como está?/Como tá? (informal)/E aí?(informal) – How are you?
Tchau (informal)/Adeus (formal) – Goodbye
Bom dia/Boa tarde/Boa noite – Good morning/good afternoon/good night

Showing courtesy

Por favor – Please
Obrigada (if you are female), obrigado (if you are male) – Thank you
(Tip: Locals often shorten this to ‘brigada or ‘bridago, omitting the “o”)
Muito obrigada/o – Thank you very much
De nada – You’re welcome

Carioca slang

Caraca – word used to express surprise in a situation; it loosely translates to ‘wow’ or ‘oh my god/gosh’

Valeu – an informal way to say ‘thanks’; roughly translates to ‘cheers’ in English

Sinistro – a popular slang among the younger generation of Rio; it literally means sinister, yet it is often used in a completely different context that means ‘cool’

Lunch Time

There’s nothing more soothing than cooking a hearty Brazilian feijoada with bossa nova in the background.

Find the recipe

Afternoon at the museum

Explore all the possibilities of shaping the future at the Museum of Tommorrow.

Start the tour

Fun Facts

Rio was once the only European capital outside of Europe. While being chased by Napoleon’s troops in 1808, King João VI packed his bags and brought his entire kingdom to Rio until 1821.

Rio was home to the biggest football match when Brazil met Uruguay in the final of the 1950 Word Cup. Almost 200,000 people witnessed the defeat of the national team, and the silence of the dozens of thousands was so loud, they gave it a name: Maracanazo.

Rio City Guide

Travelling with kids?

We’ve got you covered. Get them excited for their trip to Rio de Janeiro with this fun colouring activity.

Download it here

EVENING

Nighttime in Rio means samba, drinks and, obviously, delicious food.

Happy hour

When life gives you lemons … make caipirinha!

Here’s the recipe

The munchies

How does barbecued corn on the cob on the beach sound? Add a beer or caipirinha, and it’s like you’re on Copacabana.

Here’s the recipe

Cultural encounters

Rio is the setting of many movies, TV series and Brazilian soap operas.
Additionally, great Brazilian writers were born here, so there’s plenty of literature to put on your TBR pile.

Movie

This iconic Brazilian film follows the life of a young boy growing up in one of Rio’s most notorious slums.

Binge-watching

Keen on traveling back in time to the 1950s of bossa nova? This movie tells the story of a 1950s housewife who goes to Rio de Janeiro to meet up with her husband, only to find out that he’s left her. She decides to stay and open a bossa nova club.

Books

This classic book is told by a protagonist who narrates his own life story from beyond the grave.

Good morning Rio!