In this article we will bring you a script for you to make the most of 5 days in the wonderful city. The script considers the points closest to each other, saving you time and not having a headache.
Follow our suggestions and you will have a great experience:]
Tip: The Rio de Janeiro City Tour takes you to Christ, Sugar Loaf and more quickly and safely, saving you time. More info here.
If you want personalized tips on what to do in Rio, visit this page here and fill out the form.
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Day 1
CHRIST THE REDEEMER
LG DO ACHADO – FLAMENGO FILLER – FLOOR CYCLOVIA TO BOTAFOGO
BEER IN GLORY OR LAPA – DINNER AT BOTAFOGO BEACH SHOPPING
Day 2
RED BEACH – SUGAR BREAD (OR ONLY MORRO DE URCA) – SUNSET ON THE URCA WALL
DINNER OR NIGHTLIFE IN BOTAFOGO
Day 3
COPACABANA OR IPANEMA BEACH
COPACABANA FORT – SUNSET ON THE ARPOADOR
BARS AND RESTAURANTS IN COPACABANA AND IPANEMA
Day 4
HISTORIC CENTER – OLYMPIC BOULEVARD – FOODTRUCKS
TOMORROW MUSEUM – AQUARIO – CENTER MUSEUMS
OUR STREET – LAPA NIGHTLIFE
Day 5
TIJUCA FOREST – PARROT’S NOZZLE
LUNCH AFTER THE TRACK
POND RODRIGO DE FREITAS – BOTANICAL GARDEN – LEBLON AIM
LUNCH IN SANTA TERESA – STAIRS SELARON – PARK OF THE RUINS
TIP: WHAT TO DO IN RIO DE JANEIRO IN 5 DAYS
DAY 1
CHRIST THE REDEEMER
To get your tour off to a good start, it is important that you go to the city’s most famous sights. After all, you don’t want to leave this for the last minute and risk not knowing them, do you? A great tour in this regard is our Rio de Janeiro City Tour, more info here.
Christ the Redeemer is indispensable, if possible, do this in the morning as early as possible to avoid queues. Check here all the ways to get to the monument.
City Tour Rio de Janeiro – Aerial view of Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background.
City Tour Rio de Janeiro – Aerial view of Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background.
LG DO ACHADO – FLAMENGO FILLER – FLOOR CYCLOVIA TO BOTAFOGO
Right after Christ, you can have lunch at Largo do Machado, which is next to the Corcovado train. There you will find a wide range of restaurants. After that, it is worth a walk to Flamengo Beach, which has a great panoramic view of Guanabara Bay and Sugar Loaf.
By the way, one of the best walks or bikes you can do in the city is to go from Aterro to Botafogo by the waterfront. We have an amazing bike ride that ensures you get there, more info here.
Bike Path from Aterro to Botafogo
BEER IN GLORY OR LAPA – DINNER AT BOTAFOGO BEACH SHOPPING
After the Aterro, it is worth taking a bus or subway and have a beer in Gloria or Lapa (where is the largest concentration of bars and nightlife), or, going to Botafogo, go to the terrace of Botafogo Praia Shopping.
There you will find several restaurants and the best view of Botafogo Cove and Sugar Loaf. A family dinner there when watching the sunset is a good choice. :]
View from Botafogo Praia Shopping
DAY 2
RED BEACH – SUGAR BREAD (OR ONLY MORRO DE URCA) – SUNSET ON THE URCA WALL
At the beginning of the day go enjoy a beautiful beach in Praia Vermelha. This beach, besides being wonderful, is right next to Sugar Loaf, which saves you time. Following, after lunch (there are several restaurants nearby, on the Urca wall), we recommend that you take the Sugar Loaf Mountain by cable car. It is worth going at a time near sunset, one of the most beautiful images of Rio de Janeiro. If you want to save money, go up the Morro da Urca trail (where is the second base of the Sugar Loaf cable car).
The view from there is not as good as that of the greater hill, but it is certainly worth it. An idea is also to get down from Sugar Loaf before sunset and see it from Mureta da Urca. It is one of the best sunsets in Rio. Check out our list of the best spots to see this spectacle of nature.
DINNER OR NIGHTLIFE IN BOTAFOGO
After that, it is worth going for a drink or a restaurant on Rua Voluntários da Pátria in Botafogo, neighboring Urca. There the nightlife is intense, there is plenty to do and a wide variety of restaurants. :]
DAY 3
COPACABANA OR IPANEMA BEACH
On the second day, visit some of the city’s main beaches. Copacabana or Ipanema are certainly the best options. Beautiful beaches. Arrive early and enjoy the sun a lot. By the way, getting to these beaches early is always a good idea when it’s summer. They can get very crowded. If you want to know when is the best time to go to Rio de Janeiro, look here, you will be surprised.
Copacabana Beach – Rio de Janeiro
Leme Beach / Copacabana
Ipanema Beach – Rio de Janeiro
Ipanema and Leblon
COPACABANA FORT – SUNSET ON THE ARPOADOR
In the Copacabana and Ipanema neighborhood you will find a huge variety of lunch options. Right after lunch, a good idea is to visit Copacabana Fort, which is cheap to enter, as it is a military area, and has the best view of the beach. It’s worth the sunset over there.
It’s beautiful! Another option is to watch the sunset at Pedra do Arpoador (end of Ipanema). It is one of the most famous sunsets in the world. In the end the applause is mandatory :]
Sunset at Arpoador
Copacabana Fort
BARS AND RESTAURANTS IN COPACABANA AND IPANEMA
After that, you don’t have to go far to have fun. These two neighborhoods have plenty of bars, restaurants and nightlife. We recommend the patanisca of the Pavão Azul, in Hilário de Gouveia street in Copacabana. It’s like a codfish cake with even more codfish. Always a great option.
Fritters
DAY 4
HISTORIC CENTER – OLYMPIC BOULEVARD – FOODTRUCKS
On the 4th it would be a great idea to visit Rio’s Historic Center. The history of our city is amazing.
We recommend that you start the day by strolling or cycling on Olympic Boulevard. On the Boulevard there are many street arts that portray much of the Brazilian culture, check it out, it is very beautiful. There are often the best quality foodtrucks there. We recommend that after the tour you have lunch there.
Cobra Grafiti Olympic Boulevard Rio de Janeiro
Street Art on the Olympic Boulevard
TOMORROW MUSEUM – AQUARIO – CENTER MUSEUMS
After lunch, a good option is to visit the Museum of Tomorrow at Praça Mauá. It is a great museum, especially for children. Another option is AquaRio, the largest aquarium in Latin America. You can get there by taking the VLT, it’s fast. There are other museums in the Center that you can explore instead. We made a list here.
Mauá Square Downtown Rio de Janeiro
Museum of Tomorrow / Mauá Square
OUR STREET – LAPA NIGHTLIFE
After spending the afternoon at these museums, take the opportunity to go to Rua do Ouvidor where you will find lively bars (close early). Or go straight to Lapa. There will be no shortage of options for bars and nightclubs.
If you are with family, it is worth going back to the south for dinner. Lapa does not have many restaurant options, it is more focused on nightlife. We recommend that you dine early in the Center or go to Botafogo, Copacabana or Ipanema.
Nightlife in Lapa
DAY 5
TIJUCA FOREST – PARROT’S NOZZLE
To close your 5 days with a golden key, get up early and get to know Tijuca Forest. A great option we recommend is to climb the trail of Bico do Papagaio. Although Pico da Tijuca is taller, the Parrot’s Beak has the most beautiful view of the Tijuca Forest.
You will feel in the heart of Rio! S2RIO offers this tour, so you can go more safely and without the risk of getting lost. Information here. The trail takes a long time, it is a practically full day tour.
This is certainly one of the highlights of “What to do in Rio de Janeiro in 5 days”
LUNCH AFTER THE TRACK
In the return you can have lunch in the Center or South Zone, there will always be good options. Just do not arrive too late in the Center because the establishments close, especially on weekends.
POND RODRIGO DE FREITAS – BOTANICAL GARDEN – LEBLON AIM
Another option is to go for a walk in Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas by bike or walking. In Lagoa, especially at the points closest to the beach and in Jardim Botânico street, there is a wide variety of bars and restaurants. Just after lunch, take a stroll on Ipanema or Leblon beach, or enjoy the magnificent Botanical Garden.
The Tijuca Forest and Botanical Garden S2RIO tour includes this park. Information here. Leblon Lookout is also a great option in this area. It has a great view of Ipanema and Leblon.
Lagoa_Rodrigo_de_Freitas_do_Cristo Rio de Janeiro
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon Rio de Janeiro
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
Lagoa-Rodrigo-de-Freitas-Rio-de-Janeiro
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden Rio de Janeiro 1
Botanical Garden
Leblon Lookout
LUNCH IN SANTA TERESA – STAIRS SELARON – PARK OF THE RUINS
If you don’t like hiking, the best option for this last day is to have lunch in the picturesque Santa Teresa neighborhood. There you will find many options of typical Brazilian food combined with a beautiful architecture that leads us to an old river. We have the tour Lapa and Santa Teresa, maybe you are interested, information here.
We strongly recommend that you visit the Selarón Staircase, more information here, and the Ruins Park, where you can see a beautiful sunset.
Selaron Staircase
Saint teresa
Ruins Park
Ruins Park View
Selaron Stairway Teams
Selaron Staircase Countries
High relief tiles on Selaron Staircase
Selaron Stairway Navigation References
The famous pregnant woman depicted in large part of the tiles of the artist Jorge Selarón
WHAT TO DO IN RIO DE JANEIRO IN 5 DAYS
Tip: The Rio de Janeiro City Tour from S2RIO takes you to Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Maracanã, Selarón Staircase, San Sebastian Cathedral, Sambadrome and also for an excellent lunch, all in the same practical and safe day, which streamlines your trip, ensuring you have much more time to explore other things on other days.
More info here.
We hope that “What to do in Rio in Rio de Janeiro in 5 days” can help.
