Every time I go to Rio, I love checking out the exhibits here. This July, I got here just in time…read moreto check out the Picasso and Spanish Modern Art exhibit. Pretty awesome. Though the Japanese art exhibit a couple years ago was super cool. Just FYI, they don't let you take photos of the artwork, but will let you take pictures of the placards with descriptions. The top floor has a permanent money and president office exhibit. Don't miss out on that. Price to get in? Free. Dat line tho. It wrapped around the building, and then some. There are lots of street vendors outside selling filled churros and popcorn. But there are also some sweet and savory snacks available inside. There's also a book shop.

Free exhibit of Salvador Dali's work at the cultural center!! What what!!! Great activity (thank…read moreyou random stranger at a bar for telling me) for a rainy day or if you are in the Centro area. It is kind of confusing when you enter so don't think the exhibit is only a tiny showcase of a few paintings and nose/lip sculpture. You'll have to loop around the museum to find the line to the exhibit where you go up to the first floor on an old elevator that is hand cranked by a human (crazy)! Rumor has it going during the week is easier to get in - we went in around 2pm and didn't have to wait in line but when we were done around 330ish, there was a long line. Come early!

Sadly, the theater wasn't open when my friend and I dropped by. We got a hold of one of their…read moreperformance schedules and saw that they had several interesting performances, some of them free, the week we were in Rio, but we just couldn't fit it into our schedules. Still, we hung out and took photos of the exterior, and it's truly stunning. To get to the Municipal Theater, take the green line to Cinelandia station, and you will arrive in a big city center. The Theater is on the north side.

I've been in awe with this building ever since I was 4 years old. Each time I go to Rio, I take a…read morepicture here with my mom. And every time, tickets are sold out. Finally, I got the opportunity to go inside and see a ballet! Yay! I've seen it pre-renovation. And it's so shiny on the top. It's so beautiful inside. You should really go. Get your tickets as soon as you get there. I was lucky enough to score some tickets. They were also pretty pricey. Like R$250 (they had run out of GA tix). I decided I was going to go no matter what. You can buy some snacks, candy, scotch, or champagne during intermission. It's fancy. Fortunately the stand on the left takes credit card. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to purchase my tiny espresso. They sadly don't have a souvenir shop, which I was totally bummed out about. I would have probably bought all the things. The shows are often late at night, so a lot of people take the taxi for safety reasons. If you're not dressed too fancy, you can get by taking the metro.

Yelp Review 2025 #179:…read more I originally wanted to visit this museum because of its architecture. It reminds me of Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias in Valencia, Spain. Museu do Amanha or Museum of Tomorrow is a nice museum in the Centro area of Rio focusing on visually presenting in a scientific method how our current affects our future. During my visit, the exhibits had climate crisis (no longer climate change) as the theme. Full-price tickets are 40 Brazilian Reais or under $8 which is not bad at all. If you want to check out specific exhibits, it's extra. The goal is to hopefully, open up our eyes as to how our actions or lack thereof affect our future in 50 years time or future generations. And bring awareness so we can make better choices. The resources we enjoy now may not be around in the future - nothing lasts forever unless, we do better. I visited on a Saturday afternoon and this museum was packed! I would've picked a different day and time but that's just how my itinerary worked. I only did a quick walk until I got overwhelmed by the crowd and I left. You can take pictures without flash/ annoying selfie sticks and short video clips in all areas of the museum except for Cosmos. There's a shop and a cafe. There are also vendors outside the museum selling popcorn, churros and açaí bowls. It turns out the architecture looked familiar because Museum do Amanha and Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias were designed by the same Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava.

An unexpected treat! We decided to check out this museum when someone suggested it to us. The…read morecurrent exhibition focuses on sustainability and climate change. There was a series of amazing pieces, installations, interactive artworks, amd digital pieces throughout the entire 2nd floor. The architecture of the museum itself is a marvelous work of art. Highly recommend.

After an unexpectedly drawn out gestation period, the former mayor of Rio César Maia's…read morecontroversial vanity project in Barra da Tijuca opened in early 2013 with the intention of hosting a wealth of high-level cultural shows from ballet and theatre to music. The 'grande sala' can hold over 1,600 people, but elsewhere in the huge, elevated concrete construction, the Teatro do Câmara theatre, 21 multi-use spaces, an orchestra practice room, three cinemas, an art gallery, café and restaurant are all to be found. #coolplacetohangout

We took uber there, it is not in a walking distance from every tourist place you might be. We…read morechecked before that Sunday's and Holidays was old anyway. It wasn't today. Llegamos en uber aqui, no es una distancia para caminar de los tipicos lugares turisticos que uno puede estar. Chequeamos antes de ese domingo horarios y feriados. Estaba cerrado. No era hoy!

For R$14, the museum is a fairly decent value. That said, today we were a little unlucky because…read morenearly half of the museum seemed to be closed off for a private event. What we did see was nice though, featuring a variety of sculptures, photographs, and paintings. One of the signs also mentioned that the museum is the best collection of Brazilian artists (up to interpretation I suppose). The area around the museum does leave a little to be desired, with a lot of trash and homeless people, but it is still situated in a pretty park that overlooks the bay. It's also a close walk to the WWII memorial, which is also worth a visit if you're in the area.

One of the most popular landmarks in Brazil, the Selaron Steps are a highlight of the Lapa…read moreneighborhood. we were lucky to be able to stop by twice first time at night which was great because there were not that many people around & the next time during the day so glad we came before just way too many people during the day hard to really enjoy the area. The steps are a fun colorful display of different countries, art, bright colors & traditions infused together to make these crazy colorful steps. This was a nice stop for sure & definitely worth the look.

This is one of the major tourist spots (after Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mt) in Rio. It's…read morejust as crowded but not as much? Maybe I'm used to the chaos of Rio by now haha. It's mainly crowded at the bottom of the steps (duh, you have to walk up the steps). I think it's actually better at the top with the Brazil flag. Also, it's fun to find the tiles with the different cities from all over the world. I loved the Paris ones. You have to go to the other sites early in the morning but this one is fine if you can just walk to the top.

This museum was originally a fortress and weapons depot that dates back to when Brazil was still a…read morecolony. The cannons in the courtyard are a dead giveaway of that. It is located in the downtown area but was fairly easy for me to get to with the metro. You get off at the Carioca/Centro stop. The museum houses almost 300,000 items that are from throughout Brazil's history. Some of the more prominent items on display include former thrones of Portuguese kings, artifacts from indigenous peoples, old horse carriages and paintings from very famous Brazilian artists. This museum is a good diversion if you are getting tired of the beach.

The Brazilian National History Museum was marvelous. I was a bit suspicious of a national history…read moremuseum that wasn't in the capital, but the Rio National Historical Museum certainly did the job. The museum covers a wide range of exhibits. The sections devoted to the discovery of Brazil and Portuguese colonization were particularly interesting, as was the accompanying room devoted to discussing Brazil's indigenous populations and the plight they suffered at the hands of the Portuguese and Brazilians. My personal favorite was the portion of the museum devoted to independence, the Brazilian Empire and the Brazilian Monarchy. The rooms devoted to the Imperial Era were exceptionally well done, and incredibly educational when it came to learning about Pedro I, Pedro II, and Princess Isabella. I gave it four stars for two reasons. The first was that the English language signs were haphazard. While some parts of the museum were fully accessible in English, other weren't at all. Luckily I know English and Portuguese, but if I hadn't it would have adversely affected my experience. The second thing I didn't enjoy was that there was no mention whatsoever of the military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985. Obviously it wasn't a pretty period in Brazil's national history, but it's certainly a sizable chunk of Brazilian history and I was looking forward to seeing how they discussed it. Otherwise, though, I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone in Rio looking to learn more about Brazilian history.