View of Rio de Janeiro from Santa Teresa with Guanabara Bay and Sugarloaf Mountain
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Rio de Janeiro in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 8.1 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days let you bring together Rio's two faces: the downtown where kings and emperors lived, and the postcard of granite peaks and beaches. Each day pairs a morning walk with the big viewpoints in the afternoon, once the heat eases off. It's an active pace, built for a first visit that wants the essentials without rushing.

Day 1From Belle Époque café to Corcovado

Kick off with "Rio Highlights on Foot", from the Royal Reading Room to the Lapa Arches and Glória Hill. Have feijoada in Lapa, then take a taxi to Cosme Velho to ride up to Christ the Redeemer; if the peak is in cloud, save it for later. Drop down into Santa Teresa and ride its yellow tram back to the centre. At dusk, "Witches, Tunnels and a Saint" starts at the Arco do Teles and ends on the Selarón Steps. Dine on roast kid with broccoli rice at Nova Capela, right there in Lapa.

  1. Morning

    Rio Highlights on Foot: From the Real Gabinete to Glória Hill

    Mixed · 3 km · 2 h 5 min

    1. Royal Portuguese Reading RoomA façade that looks lifted from Lisbon's Jerónimos Monastery guards the largest Portuguese library outside Portugal.
    2. Confeitaria ColomboSince 1894, beneath mirrors from Antwerp, it has served coffee and cakes to poets, presidents and queens.
    3. Theatro MunicipalThe Republic wanted its own Paris Opera, and built it in four and a half years.
    4. Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint SebastianAfter three centuries of borrowed churches, Rio gave itself a 75-metre concrete cone of a cathedral.
    5. Lapa ArchesColonial Brazil's biggest structure once carried water to the city; today it carries a tram.
    6. Church of Our Lady of Glória do OuteiroA figure-of-eight Baroque gem, the church of imperial baptisms, with the bay at its feet.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Feijoada at Bar Brasil. Avenida Mem de Sá, 90, Lapa

  3. Afternoon

    Christ the Redeemer

    The Art Deco statue that has crowned Corcovado since 1931, inside Tijuca National Park. The best way up is the Corcovado train, which leaves Cosme Velho and climbs through the rainforest. Check the sky first: in cloud, you'll see nothing at all.

    Directions

    Santa Teresa

    A hillside neighbourhood of old mansions, artists' studios and cobbled streets rising above Lapa. Wander around Largo dos Guimarães and ride down on the bondinho, the tram that crosses the Lapa Arches. Best in mid-afternoon, while the light is good.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Witches, Tunnels and a Saint on a Colonel's Pay

    Mysteries & legends · 2.7 km · 1 h 55 min

    1. Arco do TelesBeneath this eighteenth-century archway, Rio's most sinister legend was born: that of Bárbara dos Prazeres.
    2. Ladeira da MisericórdiaRio's first street climbs towards a hill that no longer exists, where people hunted for the Jesuits' gold for centuries.
    3. Santo Antônio ConventThis convent's saint was made a captain, promoted to lieutenant colonel and drew army pay for two centuries.
    4. Lapa ArchesBeneath the old aqueduct grew the Lapa of the malandros, where Madame Satã ruled.
    5. Selarón StepsA Chilean painter covered 215 steps in tiles and vowed the work would only end with his death.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Roast kid with broccoli rice at Nova Capela. Avenida Mem de Sá, 96, Lapa

Day 2Imperial court and golden sand

Give the morning to "From Portuguese Court to Empire", from São Bento Monastery to Candelária, the Paço Imperial and Praça Tiradentes: the Rio that was capital of an empire. Lunch on Leão Veloso soup at Rio Minho near Praça XV (it's a lunchtime place, so check hours), then take the metro to Copacabana. Spend the afternoon on the beach with a coconut on the promenade, and before the sun drops, ride the Praia Vermelha cable car up Sugarloaf. Sunset over the bay is the best ending you could ask for.

  1. Morning

    From Portuguese Court to Empire: Rio as a Capital

    History · 2.4 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. São Bento MonasteryA plain façade hiding one of the most dazzling gilded interiors in Brazil.
    2. Candelária ChurchA shipwreck vow, almost a century of building and a dome shipped piece by piece from Lisbon.
    3. Old Cathedral (Antiga Sé)The church where two emperors were crowned and where the future Pedro I first met Leopoldina.
    4. Paço Imperial and Praça XVFrom this long white house, a viceroyalty, a kingdom and an empire were governed.
    5. Tiradentes PalaceWhere the jail that held Tiradentes once stood, a palace now honours him.
    6. Praça TiradentesA square named after Tiradentes with a statue of Pedro I: two heroes who never met.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Leão Veloso soup at Rio Minho. Rua do Ouvidor, 10, Centro

  3. Afternoon

    Copacabana Beach

    Four kilometres of sand between Leme and Copacabana Fort, lined by the famous black-and-white wave promenade. Swim where everyone else does, bring only the basics and stay until mid-afternoon. Several metro stations serve the seafront.

    Directions

    Sugarloaf Mountain

    Running since 1912, the cable car climbs in two stages from Praia Vermelha, stopping at Morro da Urca, to the granite summit guarding the mouth of the bay. Arrive an hour before sunset to watch Copacabana, Christ the Redeemer and the city lights come on.

    Directions

The map

Rio de Janeiro in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Rio de Janeiro in 2 days

  • Leave slack for Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf: if the day dawns cloudy, swap the afternoons. Queues are often long, so it's worth buying tickets or train seats online and checking times.
  • Between downtown and the South Zone the metro is fast and safe; for Cosme Velho and Urca, a taxi or ride-hailing app saves a lot of time. At night, in the centre and Lapa, get around by car rather than walking empty streets.
  • Take the bare minimum to the beach: a towel, a little cash and your phone out of sight, never left lying on the sand. Respect the lifeguards' red flags; the sea at Copacabana has strong currents.

Questions

Rio de Janeiro in 2 days: your questions

Is two days enough for Rio de Janeiro?

For a first visit, yes: the historic centre, Christ the Redeemer, Santa Teresa, Copacabana and Sugarloaf. You'll miss Ipanema, the Botanical Garden and the Museum of Tomorrow. A third day gives the trip room to breathe and lets you pick the clearest day for the viewpoints.

Which is better at sunset, Christ the Redeemer or Sugarloaf?

For sunset, Sugarloaf: the sun goes down behind Corcovado and the whole bay changes colour. Christ the Redeemer is at its best with good visibility, early in the morning or mid-afternoon. With two days, do both and save Sugarloaf for last.

How much walking is there in 2 days?

The routes total about 8.1 km: 5.7 on day one (the highlights and the mysteries) and 2.4 on day two. Add hilly Santa Teresa and the beachfront stroll. Day one is clearly the more demanding.

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