Going to Rio July 09

Hi, Im British, female and have been living in Rio nearly two years. As long as you act sensibly you shouldn't have any problems - petty theft is quite common but if you don't make it easy for the theives they''ll look for another target. Violent theft is rare as long as, if you should be unfortunate enough to be mugged, you just hand over whatever they ask for. Most people come here and have no problems - be careful but don't be paranoid. You will love it here for sure! If you have any other questions or need advice please feel free to ask- oh, and you can check out my Rio safety blog here! http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=80832952369&h=fg4xu&u=BXFSl Reply to this

when are you going? Im planning to do the same thing, but not staying in hotels! I booked my first night already and it cost and £4 ! so I reckon you could do it on £500 per month, but im taking more to shop! Reply to this

Hey...depends where you want to stay. If you want a hotel in Ipanema/Leblon you're looking at around R$300 a night for a basic room if you want to be close to the beach. Ipanema Inn and Arpoador Inn are probably the best value in the area. Copacabana/Leme are a bit cheaper, and Botafogo/Flamengo/Catete cheaper still. Hostels range from about R$25-R$45. I recommend Hotel Gloria if you want to be closer to the centre. Clubs in Ipanema are also expensive - for dancing, it's better to head to Botafogo for alternative clubs or Lapa for samba. A night out in a club, with drinks and taxis, generally costs around R$100 if you're not doing things on the cheap. Meals in restaurants tend to cost around R$30-60 for a main course, but these often serve two. Per kilo places, where you pay by weight, are good value, particularly in Centro (again, expensive in Ipanema) and rodizio places, where you eat as much as you want for a set price, can be either very expensive or great bargains. Basically Rio can be cheap(ish) or expensive, depending on your lifestyle. Lots of good info on Rio here: http://www.nileguide.com/destination/rio-de-janeiro Reply to this

Hey, public transport in the city is pretty cheap. The Metro is R$2.80 for any single journey, and a little more for an integrated bus to take you to places the Metro doesn't run to (eg Ipanema/Gavea/Barra...). Most buses have a set price of R$2.20 whether you're on for five minutes or an hour. Airconditioned buses are a few centavos more, and the prices are usually displayed in the front of the bus. There are some coach style buses with posh seats etc that cost a heck of a lot more, but can be useful coming to/from the airport as there is more room to get your luggage on. Taxis are reasonable (ish) - you can expect to pay around R$15 for a journey of around 10 minutes. Hope this helps! Reply to this

hey lucy,
can you suggest any hostel in ipanema? any particular cool nightclub i shouldnt miss? i am planning to come in july and i know its going to be winter in rio. will there still be people hanging out on the beach? i am also thinking about doing some hike there in rio? any hiking agent you can recommend? i did some research online but they are all in portugese!!!
thanks millions. Reply to this

Hey Lapin,

There are lots of good hostels in Ipanema - on Barao de Torre there is a strip of five or six little hostels right next to each other - I recommend Lighthouse, Wave or Harmonia...for cool nightclubs (rather than expensive posing palaces!) you should head to Botafogo, Lapa or Laranjeiras. Lapa has lots of good samba clubs like Carioca da Gema, Botafogo has good bars and cool clubs like Bukowski and Cinematheque, and Casa Rosa in Laranjeiras is really cool place too. Winter in Rio is not really 'winter', it tends to be drier and sunnier than the summer (though cooler) so there should be plenty of people on the beach. At the moment it is nearly winter and it has been about 32 degrees and bright sunshine every day for weeks! (quite cool at night though)
You can see loads of my tips on nightlife, day trips, hotels/hostels, restaurants etc here http://www.nileguide.com/destination/rio-de-janeiro

As for hiking, it is quite easy to organise a guided walk in Tijuca forest - your hostel should be able to help you arrange, or try Rio Hiking, who have English speaking guides. Enjoy!! Reply to this

Hi Lapin - are you trying to book a flight or a bus? You can try Gol for flights... Reply to this

Here is a thread which may interest you.

Travelling in Brazil

Mel Reply to this

thanx Mell C 😊 Reply to this