Centro, Lapa and Santa Teresa
Centro. At the heart of Guanabara Bay, Centro is the city's historic district, home to the main municipal and cultural buildings (Cathedral, Municipal Theatre, Tiradentes Palace, Fine Arts Museum, Arco de Teles...). It is also the city's business center, with its many skyscrapers, stores and markets such as Uruguaiana. Today, the downtown area accounts for over 50% of Rio's economic activity. Several of the Centro's streets are of particular interest: the lively Ouvidor, Uruguaiana, Buenos Aires and Senhor dos Passos, which delimit the Saara shopping district. On Calle Carioca, dating from the early 20th century, you'll find a music publisher, instrument stores, second-hand bookshops and an old cinema, all set against gaunt colonial facades. A walk is a must! The streets are often narrow and crowded, but it's in the middle of this maze that you'll immerse yourself in the everyday working life of the Cariocas. Don't forget the Confeitaria Colombo.
Empty at weekends and in the evenings, and therefore potentially dangerous, walks in the Centro are not recommended. The nocturnal Rio of Lapa and the bohemian Rio of Santa Teresa, on the other hand, are very lively in the evening and quite safe... if you stay in the heart of the lively areas.
Lapa has a special place in Rio, especially in Carioca nights. This very popular district, close to the eponymous arches, still contains some of the soul of the Rio of yesteryear. Weekend evenings are bound to be lively here, as local clubs such as Scenarium, Carioca da Gema and Democratico play host to excellent samba bands whose fame sometimes extends beyond the borders of Rio. If you follow the safety instructions, Lapa is synonymous with a successful evening.
Santa Teresa is Carioca's Montmartre, with its bohemian spirit firmly anchored to its worn cobblestones, and much freer and less touristy than our own Montmartre. Beautiful bourgeois mansions bear witness to the district's glorious past. Santa Teresa is undergoing a renaissance and has once again become a must-see for locals and tourists alike. Bobos are reclaiming the district, which is taking on the allure of an unlikely harlequin coat thanks to street art frescoes on the dilapidated walls of magnificent colonial houses. Bohemian bourgeois, artists and a busy, hard-working little town rub shoulders in a mix that only Rio can offer. From then on, everything seems to take on an artistic dimension. The bondinho, the local tramway, partly rehabilitated in 2015, climbs the hill during the week as it did in the good old days. At the top of the hill, the climb up to Largo de Guimarães offers a view of the historic center, the city's business district and the entire Zona Norte as far as the Maracanã stadium, while the Parquedas Ruinas(Ruins Park), adjacent to the beautiful Chacara do Ceú museum, offers a magnificent view of Guanabará Bay and Sugar Loaf further south.
ZonaNorte. This is the city's most extensive zone, stretching from the north of Centro and the traditional neighborhoods of São Cristóvão and Tijuca to the outskirts of the metropolis. This is the deprived, working-class Rio, which you cross on your way to the international airport or to the Tijuca forest and its national park, at an altitude of over 700 metres. Apart from visits to the Luis Gonzaga cultural space and the Maracanã stadium, tourists rarely come here.
Zona Sul, sea side
Here you'll find Rio de Janeiro's best-known - and often most exclusive - neighborhoods: Copacabana, Ipanema, Leme, Leblon, Urca, Flamengo, Botafogo and Glória.
Flamengo, Botafogo and Urca don't have the prestige of Ipanema. Yet they offer idyllic views of the Pão de Açucar and Guanabara Bay. The large Flamengo park, built on the seafront Aterro in the 1950s, is ideal for morning strolls or jogs. The innumerable soccer pitches, wedged between the main avenues, are a constant scene of matches. The beaches of Flamengo and Botafogo are also superb, but unfortunately the water is very polluted. These two safe neighborhoods are nevertheless excellent options for a stay in Rio: conveniently located between the historic Centro and the beaches of the Zona Sul, and less expensive than hotels in the chic Copacabana, Ipanema or Leblon. Last but not least , Flamengo has become one of the trendiest districts at night. São Salvador Square is its image: festive, tolerant, progressive!
Gloria bridges the gap between Centro and Zona Sul. The district takes its name from the small Baroque church overlooking it. Less well known than its neighbors, it is nonetheless home to some of the city's most important sites and monuments (Parque do Flamengo, Museum of Modern Art, Manchete building). Beautiful Art Deco buildings and the yacht club complete the picture of a district that's a pleasure to get to know.
Copacabana is undoubtedly Rio's best-known beach. Wealthy bourgeois used to have a beach house here! With the densification of Copacabana, Rio has undergone a complete facelift, becoming a seaside capital. The construction of Copacabana Palace and the waterfront in the 1920s helped forge Rio's image and identity around the world. The sea-bathing craze was to establish the city's reputation once and for all. Today, somewhat abandoned by young Cariocas, the district remains a magical and cosmopolitan place par excellence, but much more popular than the posh Ipanema district. Copacabana lives to the rhythm of crowded buses, shopping and employees, tourists and strollers. Some may miss the Copacabana of the 1960s, less dense and less disfigured than today by buildings that are not always aesthetically pleasing, but this district continues to convey a certain timeless magic. At weekends, the beach is crowded with thousands of Cariocas, and the tanga show (low-cut swimsuits) begins in a good-natured atmosphere and ends in the evening on the terraces of the many botequim set up on the mythical Avenida Atlântica. On Sundays, as in Ipanema, the avenue is closed to cars, and there's an interesting tourist market where you'll find some of the city's cheapest T-shirts, pareos and swimwear. Beware of avenues that are deserted at night and far from the beach... The crisis has made them unsafe!
Leme. The mythical bay of Copacabana runs for almost 4 km, and ends with the district and beach of Leme towards the Sugar Loaf. A quieter place, Leme is alive to the rhythm of its many street markets and boasts a number of excellent restaurants. The beach is extensive and pleasant, topped by the morro of Leme Fort, which overlooks the district.
Ipanema and Leblon are the hype districts of the Fluminense capital. In the 1950s, the densification of Copacabana moved the "chic" Rio to the beaches of Ipanema and then Leblon. The district is just 2 km long and 500 m wide, but it brings together in this small space the posh, artistic (but high-end) population and tourists passing through. This is where you'll find the most boutiques, restaurants and coolest bars in the whole Zona Sul. The district is definitely younger than Copacabana and Leblon, a veritable HQ for Carioca's golden youth. Leblon was established in the 1970s as an extension of Ipanema, but without any of the glamour. Today, it's a very pleasant residential area, with restaurants, but nothing to visit.
Zona Sul, green side
This zone includes the very different neighborhoods of Catete, Laranjeiras, Cosme Velho, Lagoa, Jardim Botanico and Gavea.
Lagoa and Jardim Botânico. Lagoa is located on the other side of the Ipanema and Leblon districts, towards the mountain, Corcovado, which overlooks Rio and is reflected in Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. The tall buildings and expressways that line it do little to break its tranquil, relaxing appearance, but it is regularly polluted by the sewage that flows into it. Wedged between the lagoon and the Dois Irmãos mountain, the Jardim Botânico owes its development to Emperor Don Joao VI in 1808. It is bordered by the Jockey Club grounds. The district abounds in small, steep, discreet streets winding along the Corcovado mountain, hemmed in between the Lagoa and the beginning of the Tijuca forest, where some heavenly residences hide. Around the lagoon, you'll also find the immense and unmissable Parque Lage, at the foot of Corcovado. Many of the artists' studios here open their doors for a weekend in June.
Laranjeiras and Cosme Velho are smaller, less-frequented neighborhoods, as they are only residential, but full of charm and, above all, very quiet, making them pleasant places to stay for those looking for guest-houses. Larenjeiras lies above Catete and Flamengo, while Cosmo Velho is above Laranjeiras, at the foot of the Tijuca forest and Christ the Redeemer .
Catete developed strongly at the end of the last century, becoming one of the city's first affluent residential districts. The creation of the Palace of the Presidents of the Republic (now the Museu da República) on rua do Catete gave the whole area a powerful boost and initiated the long process of development towards the Zona Sul. Today, this relatively non-touristy district retains an old-fashioned charm, with many old buildings preserved amidst a forest of buildings. There are also a number of decent hotels here, more affordable than in the Zona Sul.
East zone
It's a predominantly residential area made up of two neighborhoods, São Conrado and Barra de Tijucà.
São Conrado. This district lies between the Zona Sul and Zona Oeste, bordered by a beautiful beach camouflaged between two morros (behind the Dois Irmaõs overlooking Ipanema beach). Like Barra da Tijuca, it is characterized by tall buildings on the waterfront. Pleasant to live in, it doesn't offer much to visit, and many will find this district, like Barra, soulless... Except for paragliding or hang-gliding enthusiasts, who can jump from the morro São Conrado.
Barra da Tijuca: this is a vast, upmarket district far from the city center, which developed from the 1980s onwards, when a new, emerging, affluent class decided to settle ever further from the city center. Today, this district, with its large condominiums, highways and expressways, huge shopping centers and the inevitable parking lots in front of the entrance, bears little resemblance to the traditional Rio. Barra boasts Rio's largest beach: 20 km of fine sand along the Pepê, Barra and Recreio "spots", with waters that are almost always clean. Many Cariocas now go there at weekends, for the many restaurants, bars and clubs. Tourists may visit Barra once or twice, but there's nothing exceptional to see!
