• Copacabana beach
  

  
  Copacabana is best known for its 4 km beach, which is one of the most famous in the world. It always has a flurry of activity: overamped footballers singing their team’s anthem, locals and tourists lining up for caipirinhas at kiosks, and beach vendors picking their way through the mass of bronzed bodies.
  
  

• Ipanema and Leblon
  

  
  The favored address for young, beautiful and wealthy, these twin neighborhoods boast magnificent beach and tree-lined streets full of enticing open-air cafes, restaurants and bars. They're also the epicenter of the city's high-end shopping. While traditional sights are few, you can frolic on the beach and explore the leafy streets.
  
  

• Corcovado mountain and Christ the Redeemer statue
  

  
  Corcovado, meaning "hunchback" in Portuguese, is a 700 m high granite peak in central Rio de Janeiro, accessible by a funicular. Atop it, Cristo Redentor
  www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/rio-de-janeiro/sights/landmarks-monuments/cristo-redentor gazes out over Rio. At night the brightly lit, 38m-high statue is visible from nearly every part of the city.
  
  

• Sugarloaf Mountain
  

  
  Sugarloaf Mountain is a granite peak in Rio de Janeiro, on a peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean. 400m / 1,300 ft high, it is known worldwide for its cableway and panoramic views of the city. Sugarloaf and two nearby mountains form one of the largest urban rock climbing areas in the world, with more than 270 routes
  
  

• Carnival
  

  
  Still the greatest reason for visiting Rio seems to be the Carnival. This highly-advertised party lasts for almost two weeks and it is well known for the escolas de samba (samba schools) that parade in Centro, on a gigantic structure called Sambódromo (Sambadrome). During Carnival, Rio has much more to offer though, with the blocos de rua, that parade on the streets.
  
  

• Music and nightlife
  

  
  Samba plays all across town, though if you're looking for its heart, you'll probably find it in the bohemian neighborhood of Lapa, where the entire neighborhood becomes one large open air party, and where many of the best clubs are located. You'll be seeing lots of flyers and talk about "raves". Usually Rio's raves are devoted to trance, which is pretty popular, especially with the upper-class youngsters, though some electronic parties do offer djs of other styles.
  
  

• Favela Tour
  

  
  A number of operators offer tours of Rocinha, the largest (but not the safest) in Rio. Many tours are done by outside companies in safari-like buses. Also you can try to go with someone who lives in Rocinha on a walking tour. It is also possible to arrange tours to other favelas, although Rocinha has a longer history of tourism and is one of the more developed favelas.
  
  

• Maracanã Football Stadium
  

  
  Estádio do Maracanã is a famous open-air stadium, mostly used for football matches. Newly renovated, it's a landmark of Brazilian football. It's impossible to go to Rio and not visit it. Country's best players have passed through here.
  
  

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