Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil, on the South Atlantic coast. Rio is famous for its breathtaking landscape, its laid back beach culture and its annual carnival. Although, their soccer skills here are very well recognized.
The harbor is surrounded by spectacular geographic features including Sugar Loaf mountain at 395 meters (1,296 feet), Corcovado Peak at 704 meters (2,310 feet), and the hills of Tijuca at 1,021 meters (3,350 feet). These features work together to collectively make the harbor one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
It is a common mistake to think of Rio as Brazil’s capital, a distinction it lost on 21 April 1960 when newly built Brasilia became the capital. Beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema, the Christ The Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue, the stadium of Maracanã and Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) are all well-known sights of what the inhabitants call the “marvelous city” (cidade maravilhosa), and are also among the first images to pop up in travelers´ minds, along with the Carnaval celebration. Sadly, most people also know Rio for its violence and crime. The drug lords and the slums, or favelas, are the tip of very old social problems.
In Rio de Janeiro you can probably find something to fit any craving. A good approach to local food is “comida por kilo” – buffet style restaurants where you pay by the weight of the food on your plate. For the hungry, nothing beats a good “rodizio” or “churrascaria” (all-you-can-eat grilled meats). Brazil has the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan, and sushi has become widely popular in Rio too. If you are a sashimi and sushi lover, you will find a great deal of options in Rio de Janeiro. Because its huge coast, many Brazilian specialties are in the seafood area. They are very rich in shrimps, lobster, calamaris, shellfish, clams, mollusks and many other tasty fishes. So, once in this land, don’t miss the opportunity to order those lovely dishes. Travellers with fatter pockets may also splash out a bit at the Dias Ferreira street in Leblon, Rio’s up-and-coming restaurant row. Rio has also many open juice bars. Very often, these are located on street corners and have long, curved bars offering you juices from pretty much every fruit you can imagine.