La Plage at the Botanical Gardens. Although this has been around for a long time, this was a new…read morefind for us. The mansion that houses the restaurant is old-world elegant. The crowds lined up to take photos in the iconic courtyard, which encircles an old roman styled pool: The ambiance was beautiful, and the food was exquisite! I had one of the best steaks I've ever eaten in Brazil; it was so tender I would have cut it with a fork. My wife had grilled chicken Caesar salad which was very tasty. Then came dessert, along with a full-flavored cup of coffee. After the enjoyable meal, we explored the mansion, which abuts the rainforest. There are walking trails and other scenic areas to sit in and enjoy the plush greenery. I would highly recommend that this stop is on everyone's list of things to see in Rio.

You're coming here strictly for the views/vibe. The food is decent but it's nothing special. If…read moreyou're coming here strictly for the food you'll be disappointed. That's not to say the food is bad, it's alright. But on a Monday morning the wait to get a table was over an hour. It's outdoors so it can get really hot too. Even after we were seated it took FOREVER to get our food. Luckily we were just killing time until our flight. If you have other things to do it could be annoying. I got a burger and it was ok. It was cooked alright but it was a little bland. The fries were also just ok too. It's a nice experience but temper your expectations.

This parque is at the end of Leblon. You take the first street off of Albuquerque (toward the…read morebeachside) and head uphill and make a left. This smaller street zigzags up a steep but fairly short hill. But do watch out for cars as there's no clear shoulder. At the top you'll see gates to the park. It says it closes at 5pm but it could be for vehicles. There's usually a gate guard hanging around. The view of Ipanema beach is awesome from here and for such little work. There is a memorial for the flight from Rio to Paris on Air Frances nicely carved out in glass. There's several stairs down to another couple open areas, the last one with another memorial with the names of the people on the plane. If you continue up into the park it has a long and curvy road that culminates to a parking lot with a pretty garden, pond and office. There's a great hike up to the base of Dois Irmãos.

Rodrigo de Freitas is a huge lake that is in the middle of Rio surrounded by Copacabana, Ipanema,…read moreand Leblon. The surrounding paths around the lake are much quieter than the beach areas of the city. It is a good area to go jogging, bike riding, and there are swan pedal boats for rental too. I also noticed a few restaurants and food carts along the lakefront as well. I wouldn't call this place a must see for visitors, but you should pass by in a car to see what it looks like. The lake is also supposedly very polluted however, so it would be advisable to avoid swimming or jumping in.

It's not until you're drinking in the view from the top of Corcovado (aka Christ the Redeemer) that…read moreyou take in just how large this lake actually is. From that viewpoint though, you see every step of the 4.5+ miles of flat perimeter trail that surrounds it and you begin to understand how it is that this can be the venue for canoeing and rowing competitions during the 2016 Summer Olympics. Before my trip to Brazil I'd been led to believe that there was danger around every corner but my family walked around this lake late in the day, concluding after dark, without hint of incident. In fact, the scariest thing that happened was suddenly coming upon a giant Capybara mere feet from the footpath. He was not armed. The path around the lake is perfect for walking, jogging or bike riding and is well patrolled by trios of bike-riding police and never for a minute did I fear for my safety. As you make your way around there are numerous opportunities to stop for drinks or food. There's a Cine-plex, a food truck, bars/cafes, and even swan-shaped pedal boats for rent (in the daytime). If you're there in December, the lake sports a giant floating, moving, lit Christmas tree which is quite the attraction. The perimeter path around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas is well-lit and well-used and is a great place to get in some non beach-based exercise. The water here is supposedly polluted (something that's being worked on) so contain your swimming to the nearby shores of Ipanema.

The monument was incredible - the views from the top were absolutely amazing!…read more The lack of organization and zero crowd control was very frustrating. There were no queues for the train, nor for the entrance into the statue making it a total free for all.

During our visit to Brazil this of course was on our list of something we needed to see…read more We had a tour nice & early, getting in we took the elevator up so it doesn't take long once u are up there it's just simply .. WOW! The views from up here are insane, we had the lovely surprised of seeing monkey which was fun. The worse part is the crowds, we were here early morning like 8am & it was unfortunately crazy jammed packed so many people it's annoying & u pretty much just kinda deal with it. There's a gift shop, bathrooms & area for drinks. This was amazing to see in person, the crist statue, the insane views it really gives u such perspective at the beauty around u. Definitely worth the visit & one of those things that I would say are a must see.

Yelp Review 2025 #185:…read more Another free, quick and beautiful thing to see and visit in Rio. It can be quite tricky to find as evidenced by one elderly Italian tourist frantically asking me where this place was staying she's already walked up and down the street looking for this place. You're not going to immediately see the ruins of a brick building you'd see pictures of online. It's behind the gate with a facade of half a house that's yellow. The gate that says Gloria Maria Park just to make it even more confusing - you're at the right spot. Brazilians like to give places multiple names. Named after Glória Maria, a well-known Brazilian journalist/ reporter/ tv personality. You'll see murals of Glória Maria on the walls. Take the steps to the side to go up and you'll find the ruins of a mansion. A socialite once owned this building and would have artists and musicians over. The mansion has several floors. Currently, the mansion grounds have been used for concerts, exhibits, etc. There's a bar and a terrace where you can see a nice view of Rio.

Beautiful panoramic views of the city and mountains from Santa Teresa…read more A little bit of a drive up some winding roads but the views are excellent once you arrive. We met people from all over the world

This was our first time here. We took at cab to the park entrance. You go through a small…read moreneighborhood and up a windy road. The park itself is quite big and is very beautiful. You can see a different side of Dois Irmãos. It has a lot of parking, wide open spaces, plenty of shade and grassy area. There are picnic benches and a kids playground. There used to be a museum but it's closed according to the website. They also have a huge lake. It seems like a beautiful place to spend the day with family and friends. It's in the heart of Tijuca forest. We used it as a starting point to a hike up Vista Chinesa. There's a trail that starts on the right side as you walk in (past the parking, children's playground, and rest area). It starts off paved and the road eventually turns into cobble stone and then dirt. As you start getting deep into the forest you'll eventually see some houses in the distance. There's a clearly marked sign for Vista Chinesa trail which turns off and it's clearly defined all the way to the top. Definitely worth the view!

Gorgeous panorama of Rio, with the Christ redeemer in the background. Make sure you get there an…read morehour before sunrise because it fills up quickly. We hired a taxi to stay there because it's close to impossible to call an uber once you're up there. Also check the forecast!! We went on a foggy day so it was hard to fully enjoy the sunrise.

This is the best view in Rio. Its free and accessible by taxi…read more But you must ask your taxi to wait for you, because I this lookout point is located in a quiet neighbourhood up a hill where taxis dont necessarily frequent. You will pay a fee for this. I dont know if its right, but the taxi added 20 Rs during our 25 minute time at the lookout and then asked for a an additional 10rs for the wait. We refused to pay the extra 10rs because 20rs was already added during his wait. Ask your taxi driver his fee for the wait. From this lookout point you get a great view of the bay around sugar loaf, and a nice direct view of the statue of Christ. There is no uphill walk or hike. You can park and walk right over to the lookout. Its beautiful and relaxing. Dont miss this viewpoint in Rio.

I booked a Jeep tour leaving from Rio to this park in the morning. A lot of locals come here to…read morepicnic, hike, and swim in the lagoons with waterfalls. The tour was really fun with great sights and you really feel like you're in the rainforest even though you're pretty close to Rio. Some highlights: -Mirante das Canoas - Great view at the top of the park above São Conrado beach -Cascatinha Taunay - large waterfall where you can swim in the lagoon below -Mayrink Chapel - a small, pink chapel that is in the middle of the rainforest I would definitely recommend the tour, it was really fun to ride in the Jeep and only requires half a day.

We booked a tour for this rainforest it was a private tour by error but worked out well for us…read more Our guide gave us a nice tour, lots of walking & if u are lucky u get to see some animals, we saw Coati's , a whole family of them very cute. The waterfall was not what I initially thought from looking at pics the waterfall looked like it's something u could enjoy by getting in the water it was not the only area where u could get in the water was like a small looking pond annoying simply because would have been nice to cool off during all the walking. We got to see plenty of nature, trees, caves not terrible overall.