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.

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