TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Corcovado – The Statue of Christ:
This is one of the main beauty spots in the city, standing 2,330 feet above sea level and providing a sweeping panoramic view of sea and mountain, a world famous vista. The mountain is crowned with the statue of Christ, 98 feet high with a 26 foot pedestal containing a chapel that can hold 150 people. The top of the Corcovado can be reached by electric train or by car.
(Address: Railroad Station - Rua Cosme Velho, 513 - Cosme Velho - Phone: (55 21) 2558-1329 Visiting hours: Daily 8:30am - 6:30pm)

Pão de Açúcar – Sugar Loaf:
This natural symbol of Rio de Janeiro can be seen at the entrance to Guanabara Bay. There are two stages in the cable-car trip to the top of the rock. The first is from the station at Praia Vermelha to Urca Hill, which rises 705 feet above the bay, and the second links Urca Hill to the top of Sugar Loaf, 1,300 feet high. Each stage lasts three minutes. For tourists seeing Rio from the air, there is now a Tourist Heliport located on the top of Urca Hill.
(Address: Cable Car Station - Av. Pasteur, 520 - Praia Vermelha - Phone: (55 21) 2546-8400 Visiting hours: Daily, 8am - 10pm)

Arcos da Lapa e Santa Tereza – Lapa Arches and Santa Tereza
Located in the Largo da Lapa Square,the center of Rio’s turn-of-the-century nightlife, the Lapa Arches hold their place in history as the most monumental work undertaken in colonial Rio. This magnificent structure contains 42 arches in two tiers. Originally built as an aqueduct to supply the city with water, today they carry another outstanding attraction: the scenic tramlines linking the Carioca Station downtown to the picturesque Santa Teresa district, a vibrant artistic community, with a great range of bars, restaurants, museums, cultural centers and artist’s studios.

Teatro Municipal – Municipal Theatre
Designed and built by A. Guilbert and Francisco de Oliveira Passos, the theatre was inaugurated on July 14, 1909. The main murals are by Eliseu Visconti - the ceiling and back drop - by Rodolfo Amoedo. Mosaics are by Henrique Bernadelli.
(Address: Pça. Floriano, s/nº - Downtown - Phone: (55 21) 2544-2900 - Guided visit: Mon/Tue and Thu/Fri , 9am - 4pm)

Jardim Botânico – Botanical Gardens
A paradise of plants and trees from the four corners of the earth. Founded in 1808, it spreads over an area of about 340 acres. Over 5000 species of plants, some of the most impressive being the Imperial Palms planted in 1842.
(Address: Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008 - Jardim Botânico - Phone: (55 21) 2294-9349 Open: Daily, 8am - 5pm)

BEACHES

Rio has 90km of white sand beaches of which the following are the most interesting:
Vermelha - At Urca - 245 meters long situated below hill.
Leme - Leme and Copacabana seem to be the same beach as there’s no physical break separating them. Leme is around 1km long.
Copacabana - One of the world’s most famous beach, curving along the elegant Av. Atlântica. It stretches for around 3,4km from Av. Princesa Isabel, in the east, to the Copacabana Fort in the west. The widest beach in Rio, Copacabana is the home of beach soccer and volleyball.
Arpoador - 800 meters of sand located at the beginning of Ipanema and backed by a pleasant park.
Ipanema - Renowned for the hit tune "Girl from Ipanema", spreads over 2km and is separated from Leblon by the canal at Jardim de Alah (Alah’s Garden) which links the Lagoa to the sea.
Leblon - Around 1,3km Leblon runs from Ipanema to the Leblon belvedere, one of the most beautiful views of both beaches.
São Conrado - Its official name is Praia da Gávea, but is better known as Pepino. It is the landing area for the city’s hang gliders who pack the sky each weekend with their colorful kites.
Barra da Tijuca - Rio’s longest beach, it stretches over 18km along Av. Sernambetiba. A hot spot on the beach is the area around the Barraca do Pepê, a famous brazilian hang glider who died competing outside Brazil.
Recreio dos Bandeirantes - A charming 2km long inlet at the end of Sernambetiba Ave. Sheltered by a the large rock, Recreio is safe for swimming.
Prainha - A secluded sandy strip, 700 meters long, Prainha is a surfer’s beach. It is an Environmental Protected Area.
Grumari - Reddish sand in an unspoiled setting. The sea is often rough here. It is also an Environmental Protected Area.

SHOPPING

Standard hours at the malls are 10am to 10pm from Monday to Saturday, and 3pm to 9pm on Sundays. All the national and international labels are available, as well as export quality shoes, CDs, toys and sports goods.
In the South Zone the main shopping malls are the Rio Sul and the Shopping da Gávea, competing with the stores and smaller malls of Ipanema. Garcia D'Ávila street is where international names like Vuiton and Cartier can be found, plus some of the largest jewelry and precious stone stores in the world, such as H. Stern, Amsterdam Sauer and Ben Bros. Although precious stones are not produced in Rio, this is where the best designers and goldsmiths are established. Apart from the stores, there are museums where the visitor can see the whole process, from a model of a mine through to the design and making of the jewelry.
After Leblon and on the way to Barra, one passes through São Conrado, home of the Fashion Mall, which as its name suggests, offers an excellent range of Brazilian fashion. Arriving in Barra, where there has been a recent boom in new shopping malls, one should visit Downtown, Cittá America, Barra Garden and Barra Shopping, each of which covers the whole range of products on your shopping list.
For a total decorating experience, visit the Rio Design Center in Leblon or Barra, where Casa Shopping can also be found. The stores cover the whole range of material for decorating the home, including decorative handcraft from all over the country. Antique collectors should reserve time at the weekend to visit the fairs in the Praça 15, downtown, and in the Praça Santos Dumont, in Gávea, as well as the antique stores in the Rua do Lavradio, in Lapa, where furniture, candelabras, crystal and metal pieces can be found. There are also the open fairs, such as the Hippie Fair in Praça General Osório, in Ipanema, where all sorts of handcrafts, art and leather goods can be found, and the Babilônia Feira Hype, in the Jockey Club, in Gávea, where every fortnight the booths are loaded with clothes, mainly for the young. A typically Brazilian event is the open street market, selling fruit and vegetables, which moves around from borough to borough, so a little local knowledge is needed to know when one is operating near to your hotel. The show of fruit and greens is spectacular, and prices are reasonable.

AIRPORT

Rio's international airport is located on Ilha do Governador which has excellent access to Rio's south zone where most of the major hotels are located. The airport is served by 28 international carriers as well as the three major Brazilian airlines and between them they offer direct flights to-and-from more than 80 international cities and most of the major Brazilian centers of population. A shuttle service operates between Rio and São Paulo and is based at Rio's smaller city center airfield, Santos Dumont. An efficient taxi and bus service links the international airport with the main hotels and residential areas.

International Airport - Galeão - Antonio Carlos Jobim::
Tel - information:
(55 21) 3398-5050
Flights:
(55 21) 3398-4527 / 3398-4526

Domestic Airport - Santos Dumond:
Tel - information and flights
(55 21) 3814-7070

CLIMATE

Rio de Janeiro is a tropical city. Summer runs from December through March with temperatures ranging from 25º C (77º F) to 42º C (108º F) while winter runs from June through August when temperatures can drop to around 20º C (68º F) in the day and a cool 16º C (60º F) at night.

CLOTHING

Appropriately enough for a city where the beach and warm weather play such an important role, casual dress dominates in Rio, although during working hours men will not feel out of place in a suit and tie and women in smart dresses or a suit. Few of Rio's night spots require formal attire. For men, slacks and a sport shirt are sufficient; for women, casual attire is fine. Women may appreciate having a shawl or cardigan in hand for the more heavily air-conditioned buildings, while a light sweater is all that is necessary for winter nights.

COMMUNICATIONS

Rio has an excellent telecommunications system which links Rio to the rest of Brazil and the world. Direct dial and collect calls can be placed from any telephone. Pay phones are located throughout the city and operate with telephone cards. Portable cellular telephones are available to visitors for a small rental charge. The International Direct Dial (IDD) code for Brazil is 55 and the city code for Rio de Janeiro 21.

CULTURAL

Rio de Janeiro has more than 200 locations for movies, theater, musical and artistic exhibitions, 82 museums and 76 libraries. Besides traditional museums, the city is home to museums dedicated to trains, to planes, to trolley-cars, to jewelry and gemstones, to sport, to the Indians, to primitive Brazilian art and even to Carmem Miranda, among others.

ELECTRIC CURRENT

The electric current in Rio is 110 or 120 volts, 60 cycles, alternating current. Many hotels and large apartment blocks do, however, have some 220 volt outlets.

TAXI

Rio has an extensive taxi fleet which includes yellow metered cabs which can be hailed in the streets, as well as a series of special taxis operated by licensed companies which can be found at the airports, hotels or booked by phone. From the international airport and the main shopping centers most of the special taxis work on a fixed fare by area which is paid in advance at the company's counter above which the fare price must be displayed.

www.rioconventionbureau.com.br/