• Introduction
• Things to Do in Rio de Janeiro
• Things to Do in Buenos Aires
• Iguazu Falls
• Rio de Janeiro Hotels
• Buenos Aires Hotels
• Iguazu Falls Hotels and Restaurants
• Rio de Janeiro Restaurants
• Buenos Aires Restaurants
• Rio de Janeiro Nightlife
• Buenos Aires Nightlife
• Getting There
• Visa Requirements
• What Not to Miss

Things to Do in Rio de Janeiro

As a first stop, Rio de Janeiro is guaranteed to overwhelm your senses. The cidade maravillosa (marvelous city) is home to 37 sexy beaches that glitter against the landscape's series of verdant hills. Beyond the shore, the Christ statue-topped Corcovado and the Sugarloaf promontory leave lasting impressions on those who ascend their heights. Throw in striking architecture, a fun-loving beach culture, a vibrant nightlife, and you understand how this city of 6.1 million people has become a life-long favorite for anyone who has visited.

Make no mistake, however. It is Rio's white-sand beaches that are the stuff of legend and that are, for many, the city's very reason for being. With five days on the ground, you'll be able to indulge in the best of the beach scene while allowing yourself a couple of days to explore the city's other equally captivating personalities, from artsy Santa Teresa to its historic and modern downtown, and even the bedraggled favelas (slums) that are perched atop surrounding hillsides.

Rio's most famous stretches of beach – Copacabana and Ipanema – are found edging the Atlantic in the moneyed Zona Sul. Copacabana is the larger of the two, and while it gets most of the attention, it can be crowded and somewhat touristy.

A more genuine Brazilian experience can be had at Ipanema, where you should focus your time. A 25-minute walk from Copacabana, the Ipanema neighborhood is the city's best, where tree-lined streets and colorful cafés brim with wealthy and beautiful cariocas (as Rio's denizens are known). It's also home to Rio's beloved beach, where you'll never tire of watching bronzed bodies idly strolling the sand or playing volleyball wearing little more than their famously itsy-bitsy bikinis and Speedos.

After you've spent a few days soaking up the sun and partaking in impromptu beach soccer or beach volleyball, there are a couple of neighborhoods worth leaving the beach to explore. Our favorite off-the-sand district is bohemian Santa Teresa, a lush hillside neighborhood of rambling 19th-century mansions tucked above downtown. Once the home of the city's well-to-do, it's being reenergized today by artists and musicians, and its cobblestone streets are lined with antique stores and galleries. Even getting to Santa Teresa is a memorable experience. You'll rumble up the slopes on the historic Bonde (Station at Rua Prof. Lélio Gama 65; 011-55-21-2240-5709; $0.65), a wooden tram that traverses the 42 arches of Arcos da Lapa and affords terrific city views along the way.

Visiting Centro (downtown),with its rich medley of colonial and modern architecture that captures Rio's past and present at once, is also a must – but go on a weekday as the streets empty out on the weekends. For an alternative view of Rio, take a guided tour with Marcelo Armstrong through Zona Norte's favelas ($25; www.favelatour.com.br), which unveil Rio's class contradictions but add dimension to the city's unstoppable spirit.