Itinerary · 7 days · 32 places
7 Days in Rio
A week in Rio between the beaches of the Zona Sul, the lookout peaks of Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado, and the old Centro with Lapa and Santa Teresa — with samba in the evenings in Copacabana and beneath the arches.
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Photo: Arnaldo Silva · Pexels
The route on the map
The plan, day by day
Day 1Settling into Copacabana
Arrival in Rio de Janeiro
Hotel check-in
Copacabana lies between the beach and the hills, and everything important is within walking distance of Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana.
Praia de Copacabana
Burle Marx's wave-patterned mosaic pavement runs for four kilometres along the water, and in the evening half of Rio jogs and cycles here.
Day 2Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon
Forte de Copacabana
The old coastal fort at the southern end of the beach displays cannons and a military museum, and from its walls you can see the whole bay as far as Leme.
Praia de Ipanema
Posto 9 is the loudest, youngest stretch of the beach, with the twin peaks of Dois Irmãos rising in the background.
Rua Dias Ferreira in Leblon
Leblon's restaurant street is lined with bistros and botequins, with small shops and bookshops in between.
Mirante do Leblon
From the viewpoint at the end of Avenida Niemeyer you look back across Leblon beach over the whole Zona Sul.
Pedra do Arpoador
On the rock between Ipanema and Copacabana the crowd applauds as the sun sets behind Dois Irmãos.
Evening: Rua Farme de Amoedo
Ipanema's bar street fills up after sunset, and people drink draught chopp standing on the pavement.
Day 3Sugarloaf, Urca and Botafogo
Pão de Açúcar
Two cable cars take you via Morro da Urca to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, where Guanabara Bay lies below you with Christ the Redeemer and Corcovado behind.
Praia Vermelha and Pista Cláudio Coutinho
From the red-sand beach a paved shoreline path runs along the foot of the mountain, often with marmosets sitting in the trees.
Parque do Flamengo
Burle Marx's sweeping coastal park between the bay and the city is Rio's green spine, with views across the water to Sugarloaf Mountain.
Museu da República in the Palácio do Catete
The former presidential palace still has the bedroom where Getúlio Vargas shot himself in 1954, and behind it lies a peaceful palm garden.
Mirante Dona Marta
The viewing platform on the road up to Corcovado shows Botafogo, the Lagoa and Sugarloaf Mountain in a single picture.
Evening: Cobal do Humaitá
The old market hall has become a courtyard full of bars and grill restaurants, where you sit under the open sky in the evening.
Day 4Centro, Lapa and the arches
Mosteiro de São Bento
Behind the plain façade of the Benedictine church lies a 17th-century Baroque interior covered entirely in gold leaf.
Praça XV and Paço Imperial
The Brazilian imperial house governed from this waterside square; today the Paço Imperial hosts exhibitions, surrounded by old lanes.
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura
The neo-Manueline reading room from 1887 stacks 350,000 Portuguese volumes right up to the glass dome.
Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião
From outside, the 1976 concrete cone looks like a Maya temple; inside, four 64-metre bands of stained glass run down to the floor.
Escadaria Selarón
Over twenty years, Jorge Selarón covered the 215 steps between Lapa and Santa Teresa with tiles from all over the world.
Evening: Arcos da Lapa
Samba bands play beneath the white aqueduct in the evening, surrounded by the dance halls of Rua do Lavradio.
Day 5Corcovado, the Botanical Garden and Lagoa
Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado
The rack railway from Cosme Velho climbs through the rainforest to the 38-metre statue of Christ, from whose base you can survey the whole city.
Parque Lage
A mansion with a courtyard and pool sits right beneath the rock face of Corcovado, surrounded by jungle and a hiking trail leading uphill.
Jardim Botânico
The avenue of imperial palms, orchid houses and giant water lilies fill 140 hectares at the foot of Corcovado.
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
A 7.5 km loop runs around the coastal lagoon, where Rio jogs and cycles; rowing boats wait on the shore.
Evening: Palaphita Kitch on the Lagoa
This wood-and-bamboo kiosk by Parque do Cantagalo serves caipirinhas with a view of the illuminated Christ above the water.
Day 6Santa Teresa and the Tijuca Forest
Parque das Ruínas
A steel staircase has been built into the ruins of a patroness's villa, and from its roof the view takes in the Centro, the bay and Sugarloaf Mountain.
Museu da Chácara do Céu
Next door, the home of the collector Castro Maya shows Matisse, Picasso and Portinari in small rooms with a terraced garden.
Largo das Neves
The little square at the top end of the tram line is Santa Teresa's quiet living-room corner, with a church and bar tables under the trees.
Vista Chinesa
This Chinese-style pavilion in the Tijuca Forest stands above the Lagoa; from here you can see Ipanema, Leblon and Dois Irmãos all at once.
Mesa do Imperador
The stone picnic table where Dom Pedro II is said to have dined lies on a forest road with sweeping views over the lagoon.
Evening: Largo do Guimarães
Santa Teresa's bars cluster around the tram stop; on Fridays several of them have choro and samba playing at the same time.
Day 7The port district and departure
Museu do Amanhã
Calatrava's spiky building on Praça Mauá uses data and projections to show where climate and population are driving the Earth.
Boulevard Olímpico and the Etnias mural
Along the harbour promenade, Kobra's 190-metre mural of the five continents stretches across an old warehouse wall.
Departure from Rio de Janeiro
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Viatro AI opens this plan in the app — with map, travel times and opening hours. You change the days, pace and places yourself.
