KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND

 

Links

- At www.rioguiden.com/sv/links.htm you will find EVERYTHING you need to

  know about "Cidade Maravilhosa", Rio de Janeiro.

 

Internet café
- Tudo é fácil (which means everything is easy) is located on Rua Xavier da

  Silveira, 19 one block from Copacabana beach. The staff is friendly and

  helpful. You can also make international and local phone calls. Located within

  5 minutes walking distance.

Laundry, there are two kinds of laundry services
- Drop off laundry, where you drop off your entire laundry and pick it up at a

  later point. The charge is per item. You pay approximately R$6 for each T-shirt

  and R$7 for a long sleeve shirt. You will find the closest service next to the

  apartment on Rua Leopoldo Miguez.
- Do it yourself, is where you do the laundry yourself in a machine. You pay per

  machine used and the cost is approximately R$6/machine and another R$6 to

  tumble dry. You will find the closest service on Rua Aires de Saldanha and

  Rua Xavier da Silveira, Sabão e Cia, within 5 minutes walking distance.

 

ATM machines for VISA, MasterCard, Amex and Diners
- Banco do Brasil accepts VISA. The closest is on Ave N.S. Copacabana and

  Rua Barão de Ipanema.
- HSBC accepts VISA, MasterCard and Amex. The closest is on Ave N.S.

  Copacabana and Rua Constante Ramos.
- Citibank accepts VISA, MasterCard and Diners. The closest is on Ave N.S.

  Copacabana and Figueiredo Magalhães.

Supermarket
- There are several supermarkets in the area. The largest is Zona Sul on Ave

  N.S. Copacabana and Rua Bolivar, within 5 minutes walking distance.
- Next to the apartment is a small supermarket where you will find your basic

  needs to make breakfast.

Cinema
- The theatre Roxy on Ave N.S. Copacabana and Rua Bolivar shows updated

  movies for rainy days.

 Telephone service
- There are pay phones located at the streets here and there, usually in the

  street corners. To use these you have to buy a telephone card from the

  newspaper stands. These cards have different values, 4R$/6R$ depending on

  its amount of marks. The level of standard is unfortunately not very high. The

  noise from the traffic can and usually makes it difficult to have a conversation.
- Phone booths in the various Internet cafés are cheap and highly recommended

  for both local and international calls.
- Cellular phone for rent is also possible at a fairly cheap rate and is a very

  flexible alternative. Check with Tudo é facil Internet café or the Internet café

  of your choice.
- If you bring a cellular phone from a country with GSM network, you may

  purchase a SIM-chip at either TIM or OI network companies. The chip is R$25

  and you also need to buy a telephone card that contains different values

  starting from r$25.


Music
- Modern Sound on Rua Barata Ribeiro and Rua Santa Clara offers a good

  selection of CDs in both Brazilian and international music. They also have a

  café that offers live jazz music, Allegro Bistrô Musical.

 

Gym
- Should you get the need to exercise, there is an excellent large and newly

  opened gym on Ave N.S. Copacabana 801 called Bodytech. You find high tech

  equipment, aerobic classes, massage, manicure and pool.

Getting around
- Local buses are extended and frequent in all different directions. The cost is

  approximately R$1,50. To make them stop, just waive them in. You also have

  the a/c buses going between the beach areas.
- Taxi is cheap and safer, especially at night when you should try to avoid the

  buses for safety reasons.
- Subway, or Metro, is a good and fast alternative going to and from Centro.
- Airport transport, a taxi is highly recommended.

 

 WHAT TO SEE AND WHAT TO DO



Sightseeing
There are many sites to explore of both historical interest and natural beauty. Many of them are easy to visit by yourself, however if you want to get the most out of a sightseeing tour, a guide is highly recommended.

Originating from Sweden and now established here in Rio is Peter Hult who can organise tours, sightseeings and suggestions of basicly all types of information.
Check out his site on www.rioguiden.com.

 

Beaches
- The famous Copacabana beach is not only the most famous beach in the world

  but also the one with most activities in Rio. Here you will find various kinds of

  people doing sports, taking walks, salesmen wanting to sell you sunglasses,

  T-shirts and snacks, or people just having a cold beer at one of the snack

  bars.
- Ipanema beach is more upmarket but still offers a variety of commercialism.

  The pace is more tranquil and the action is less.
- Leblon, which continues with Ipanema, is even more tranquil and more family

  oriented.

- Sao Conrado or Pepino Beach is famous for where all the hang gliders and

  para gliders land, taking off from peaks of the surrounding mountains.
- Botafogo and Flamengo are very nice beaches for sunbathing but more poorly

  for swimming as the water in the respective bay unfortunately now have been

  more polluted.


Niteroi
- is where you will find the modern museum designed by the architect Oscar

  Niermeier. Take the ferry from downtown Praca Quince and from there a bus

  will take you to the doorstep of the museum.


Football/soccer
- You should definitely try to go see a game of what brings all of the Brazilian

  people together, football. It is a real experience even if you are not interested

  in the sport itself.


Samba School rehearsal
- Starting from August until the carnival, the various samba schools arrange

  rehearsals every Saturday. Both Mangueira and Salgueiro are located not too

  far away from Copacabana. Take a taxi, stick within the rehearsal area and

  you will have a great experience and a great party!

 Restaurant & Hideaway hints

Obviously the city is huge and filled with restaurants and “hideaway hints” but

here are some hints you may find in the Copacabana area that may not be mentioned in your average Rio guide.

- Bip Bip, a small botequim located on Rua Almirante Goncalves 50, is one of

  Rio´s most famous botequims because of its outstanding musical program.

  Here, locals gather while you may see some of Brazils best musicians perform.

  No cover.

- Allegro Bistrô Musical is located inside the record store Modern Sound on Rua

  Barata Ribeiro and Rua Santa Clara. Live jazz music is performed by many

  famous Brazilian musicians. Hint, you may infact buy a CD of the performing

  artist in the store and get it signed by the artist. No cover.

- Restaurante Monchique**+ on Ave N.S. Copacabana and Rua Bolivar is a

  churrascaria that has a local atmosphere and good value for money.

- Restaurante Mala e Cuia*** on Rua Barata Ribeiro and Rua Constante Ramos

  serves a bufé from Minais Gerais in a ”homy” enviroment and excellent value

  for money.

- Restaurante Tradicional***+ on Rua Domingos Ferreira and Rua Barão de

  Ipanema has international cuisine in a bambu decorated environment with a

  good price level.

Money exchange

The closest money exchange facility may be found on Rua Xavier da Silveira across the street from Tudo é facil Internet Café, Cambio Convencional. They change cash and travellers cheques.

Apart from this one there is a multiple choice of combined travel agencies and money exchange to be found along Ave N.S. Copacabana.

Close to the fashionable Copacabana Palace Hotel on Avenida Atlantica you can also find American Express office.



Shopping

- All along Ave N.S. Copacabana you find a good selection of various stores.
- In Ipanema you find the shopping all along Rua Visconde Piraja where prices

  and products are more upmarket.
- In the old downtown Centro you can also find good shopping alternatives.
- Rio Sul is one of the malls in Rio offering the most stores situated in Botafogo

  and very adjacent to Copacabana. You can easily take a bus or a taxi.
- Botafogo Praia Shopping is another mall located further into Botafogo area

  offering a good selection of clothing stores.
- São Conrado Fashion Mall is more upmarket and offers products accordingly.

- In Ipanema there is a good market on Sundays, Ipanema Hippie Market, that

  offers paintings and other handicrafts.
- On Avenida Atlantica outside Rio Othon Hotel there is a market practically

  every night offering the same type of handicrafts as Ipanema Hippie Market.



SOS

If you for any reason would need to contact the police there is the Tourist Police on Ave Afanio de Melo Franco 159, telephone: 21-3399 7170.

Emergency rooms can be found in Miguel Couto on Rua Barolemeu Mitre 1108 in Leblon, telephone: 21-2274 6050, and in Rocha Maia on Rua General Severiano 91, telephone:21-2295 2121. For pharmacies you can enter any Drogaria who carries different type of medicines.