The 2014 FIFA World cup and the 2016 Olympics are to be held in this wonderful city. Surely many of you would want to travel to Rio de Janeiro to watch these spectacular world events. Apart from this, there are also many other reasons which makes it enriching to travel to Rio. The many tourist spots and the various fascinating locations which you should not miss as a tourist to Rio are described below.
Museum of the republic
This museum is located in the midst of a very well maintained park in the neighborhood of Catete. It has a nice book shop lining up the front entrance of the museum. There is a small theater in another building inside the park nearby this museum. This theater shows some plays of importance to Brazilian history. Sometimes there will be exhibition in the alleys leading to the museum. This museum was actually the Brazilian parliament until it was moved to the capital city, Brasilia. It is free of charge on Wednesday and on other days there will be an entry charge.
Christ the Redeemer statue
This is the most iconic landmark of not just Rio but the whole of Brazil. This statue was built between 1922 and 1930. It was considered as the largest Christ statue until this record was broken by Christ the King statue in Poland. It is 30 meters tall without including the 8 meter wide pedestal and the 28 meter wide stretched arms. Located at the peak of the 700 meter high Corcavado mountain in the Tujica Forest National Park overlooking the city, this statue weighs 635 tonnes. It was built using reinforced concrete and soapstone. This is one of the most historic statues in the world much like the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Petropolis
Petropolis is a very small city on the outskirts of Rio which is of historic significance and natural beauty. It was used as the summer home by the Portuguese and Brazilian royal family in the old days. A 40-80 minute bus ride from Rio’s main bus terminal will take you there. But the duration of the travel mainly depends on the traffic. This city is like a small US suburb. There are a variety of restaurants which serve the local Brazilian delicacies. There are not too many cars or car parking and its convenient to walk around.
You can walk to the museum and cathedrals which are located downtown. It is nice and a beautiful mini-version of Rio.
Maracana football stadium
Locally known as Maracana Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho, this stadium sums up the heart and soul of Rio and Brazil. This is one of the most important football stadiums in the world. It hosted the 1950 FIFA world cup final between Brazil and Uruguay which ended in a heart break for the local fans. It will once again host 2014’s FIFA world cup final. As a football fan, if you have not visited the Maracana then you have not visited Rio. Even if you are not a football fan, you would still have a great time visiting this stadium or you could even watch a match if you are lucky. A seat in the mixed section costs about $40.
When you go to Rio de Janiero during the world cup, the Olympics or any other time in the future then you will enjoy touring the spots and mentioned above. There are many other important sites that can also be visited. The friendly locals will definitely guide you to the other great destinations.
