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!

A great place to take the pulse of the vibrant Brazilian fine-arts scene, the Museum of Modern Art…read moreoccupies a striking concrete-and-glass modernist building. Augmenting the permanent collection of about 6,400 works by Brazilian and international artists is the slightly larger Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection of modern and contemporary Brazilian art. MAM has earned respect over the years for its bold, often thought-provoking exhibitions. The venue also hosts events such as music performances and DJ sessions. Its theater screens Brazilian and international independent and art-house films.

What are the odds to be invited to a wedding in Rio in April and coincides with the biggest show on…read morethe planet Earth: the Rio's Carnaval! When I heard that the Carnaval was this year postponed 2 months due to covid, I could not believe how lucky I was. Since I was a kid I always wanted to go. I learned Portuguese and even to dance samba because I loved the music, the tropicalism, the language, the culture...and somehow it took me so many many years to finally go. I even was for years fan of Mangueira samba school, just because their colors are green and pink, my favorites! My friend (the bride) organized the whole excursion for more than 50 of us. It was a fantastic organization and I suggest everyone buys their tickets well in advance and get into a camarote if possible. Camarotes are those somehow private areas with lounges, music, catered food and drinks...of course you pay the price and this year was around $400 to get into one of these. You will have prime view and you will feel super pampered plus you will get a shirt indicating what camarote you belong to. We were in Folia Tropical and it was phenomenal, in terms of food, drinks, atmosphere, the music, the view to the parades. I even cried of happiness, I could not believe I was there! It was like a dream. Logistics wise was a bit stressful, though. No one asked us for the covid vaccination card and there were way too many people. Of course, for 2 years no show, this year 2022 was even more spectacular, but I found it chaotic to go back to our hotels. On the way there, the bus was organized, in the way back we have to do different line depending on what area of Rio you were headed to. There was a lot of confusion and tiredness as you can imagine the energy spent and leaving like 4 am knowing that the party was going to keep going but you have a limit of energy. Overall, a once in a lifetime experience and what better than to be with a great group of awesome people sharing the moment.

The Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro is the stadium where all the parades and celebrations of Carnaval…read moreare happening, that you have seen in movies and television. There are obviously blocas and parties happening everywhere during Carnaval, but if you want to see the schools who are putting together the floats and performances, this is where to do it. The floats that the schools create are so impressive, I couldn't even believe it. Giant constructions of characters and scenes, with some having animatronics moving around even. The stadium of the Sambadrome itself is very much like a high school football stadium, with metal bleachers, and concrete construction - so not too comfortable at all in itself. But the people who are attending the parades in the Sambadrome, are very active and moving around a lot, so you won't stay in your seat anyway usually! There are folks with beers and waters walking around and selling them right to each bleacher area or seat, so you won't go thirsty while attending the festivities. Overall, the Somadrome is not the most comfortable stadium I have ever been to, but for the events of Carnaval, it worked just fine and was a fun space to celebrate and see the floats and festivities!

What a wonderful place. This review is for the music school part (not the percussion store which is…read morepart of the same business). The teachers here are absolutely top-notch talent and human beings. I took private and group lessons for several instruments and participated in the bloco Batuquebato. I thoroughly enjoyed EVERY SINGLE LESSON. All the teachers are passionate, talented, and so excited to share their culture and knowledge with students. They are also a very positive, cheerful group of people. The staff is great, very helpful in getting you in touch with people. They also have practice rooms available. The community of students here is lovely as well. The only caution - very few of the teachers speak English fluently so some basic Portuguese will make both your lives easier. But it is still worth learning there without language proficiency, because they're always willing to make it work, even if they need to mime! In the end, music is the universal language :-)

You have to try stop by Lapa during your trip to Rio. We got there a bit early at 8pm as we were…read morehungry and planned to just grab a bite there. We were surprised to see so many food stalls there which was great as we love street food. After walking up and down the street and looking at all the vendors we stopped by a pasta joint just west of the aqueduct. To our surprise the owner spoke perfect English. He was very helpful in telling us about the area and where we needed to go. The pasta was really good too so be sure to stop by and try it. We then hit up a few bars street vendors. They had the cheapest drinks we've seen anywhere and they were very stiff. Get a fresh fruit caipirinha as they're incredibly tasty and the blend it with whole fruit right in front of you and they were only about $5 US. The bars are really cool around the area and they have plenty of samba, reggae, hip hop and all types of music. Again, a stop in this are is a MUST. Regarding safety, I never once felt threatened here even though we went to about 10 bars in the area. Just be smart and not have jewelry and keep your wallet in your front pocket and you'll do just fine. Also, avoid dark alleys but I shouldn't have to tell you that. Don't pay attention to the rumors. This area is safe.

Yelp Review 2025 #187:…read more Arcos do Lapa also known as Carioca Aqueduct because that was the original function of this structure when it was built in the 17th-18th century. It brought fresh water from Carioca River. But because of technical and financial issues, the project was put to a halt. By the 19th century, it served as a bridge for Santa Teresa tram I was walking around Lapa on my first day in Rio at 9am and 6am the next day. Of course, you can take better pictures at 6am while the city is still asleep. No cars, only a handful of people. There's a lot of homeless people in this area. Watch your step because there's plenty of poop here both from dogs and humans - not something you'd read on travel blogs and travel guides. The aqueduct is in between the cathedral and Escadaria Selaron. Check it out at night too when it's lit up.