What To Do With 72 HOURS in RIO DE JANEIRO!

18 places in this vlog

In the order they appear. Tap a time to play it here, or ↗ to open YouTube at that second.

1. 0:50

   Corcovado Rack Railway

   🚡 Activity · Cosme Velho

   Online tickets were 97.50 R per person; the earliest train leaves at 7:20, and the hiking trail has reports of muggings.

2. 2:09

   Christ the Redeemer

   🏢 Landmark · Corcovado

   The panoramic view is arguably more worth the trip than the statue itself, which looks more epic from below.

3. 5:03

   Parque Lage

   🌳 Park · Jardim Botânico

   Arrive early to avoid the queue that builds later in the morning.

4. 5:18

   Plage Café

   ☕ Cafe · Jardim Botânico

   Breakfast for two came to about 140 R, pricey for Brazil but worth it for the scenery; service was fine despite reviews.

5. 7:27

   Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas

   🌳 Park · Lagoa

   City bikes cost 5.90 R for the first 15 minutes, then 0.50 R per minute.

6. 8:01

   Sugarloaf Mountain

   🏢 Landmark · Urca

   Cable car tickets are 185 R at the bottom but 130 R if bought atop Morro da Urca after hiking up.

7. 8:41

   Morro da Urca

   🥾 Hike · Urca

   The trail gate closes in the afternoon, so start early if hiking up for sunset.

8. 10:29

   Santa Teresa

   🏘️ Neighborhood · Santa Teresa

   Described as the safest neighbourhood to stay in Rio.

9. 12:09

   Museum of Tomorrow

   🏛️ Museum · Centro

   Tickets were 30 R; the sphere-in-a-sphere projection is the highlight, though content is mostly in Portuguese.

10. 14:46

    Confeitaria Colombo

    ☕ Cafe · Centro

    You can order takeaway from the cake counters at the front without sitting down.

11. 16:47

    Royal Portuguese Reading Room

    🏛️ Historic site · Centro

    Free to enter; ranked by Time as the world's fourth most beautiful library.

12. 18:56

    Theatro Municipal

    🏢 Landmark · Centro · brief mention

13. 19:07

    National Library of Brazil

    🏛️ Historic site · Centro

    Free to enter, and photos are allowed on the ground and second floors.

14. 21:56

    Selarón Steps

    🏢 Landmark · Lapa

    Very crowded; a vendor sells custom tiles printed with your photo on the steps.

15. 23:21

    Ipanema Hippie Fair

    🛒 Market · Ipanema

    Smaller than expected, with no real food section; go around 9am before the heat.

16. 25:47

    Ipanema Beach

    🏢 Landmark · Ipanema

    Umbrellas rent for 30 R a day, and vendors sell bikinis and cocktails right on the sand.

17. 28:13

    Copacabana Beach

    🏢 Landmark · Copacabana

    The road closes to traffic on weekends, making it ideal for a bike ride along the full length.

18. 29:48

    Guanabara Bay

    🏢 Landmark · Guanabara Bay

    The sunset sail included caipirinhas or beer, snacks and a swim stop.