A Day of Rio Icons

We started the day with a couple of relaxed hours on the beach, including a swim in the sea. Hiring chairs and an umbrella made it feel properly indulgent, and it was good to slow things down for a while. After changing, we headed to Teva Deli for brunch. The coffee was excellencent, easily among the best of the trip, and the vegan grilled cheese sandwich was one of the best I’ve had in a long time.

From there we took the Metro up to Maracanã Stadium for the tour. Opened in 1950 and once the largest football stadium in the world, Maracanã is steeped in sporting history. It has hosted two World Cup finals and countless iconic moments in Brazilian football. Walking through the stands and pitch-side areas gave a sense of just how important the stadium is to the country, even if the tour itself was fairly short.

On the return journey we got off at Botafogo and took a taxi to the entrance of Sugarloaf Mountain. Before heading up, we spent some time at Praia Vermelha. With Sugarloaf rising dramatically behind the beach, it must be one of the most striking backdrops anywhere in the world. The beach felt calmer and more contained than Copacabana or Ipanema, almost tucked away beneath the mountain.

We stopped for a quick coffee at Terra Brasilis, slightly distracted by an enthusiastic Instagram family determined to capture the perfect shot with Sugarloaf behind them.

There was no queue at all for the Sugarloaf cable car when we arrived, and we were pleasantly surprised to receive 50% off the ticket price as seniors. The cable car, first opened in 1912, was one of the earliest of its kind in the world. The journey up was smooth and impressively quiet, offering ever-expanding views across Guanabara Bay, the beaches, and the city spreading out below. Even without sunset, the panorama was remarkable — one of those views that explains immediately why Sugarloaf is one of Rio’s defining landmarks.

As we came back down the mountain, the sunset unfolded, washing the water and surrounding mountains in warm colour.

We ended the day back at the apartment with a beer and some simple sandwiches, tired but content after a day that neatly combined beach time, sporting history, and some of Rio’s most memorable scenery.

Beach, Breeze and the Bay

The next few days marked a more relaxed stage of the holiday, now that we were properly acclimatised to the heat and sun. We began with a few easy hours on the beach, hiring chairs and an umbrella for R25. It was a beautiful day and the ocean was unusually calm. We swam, watched the steady flow of life along the promenade, and simply enjoyed being there without any need to rush.

Leaving the beach, we headed once again to our new favourite vegan restaurant, Teva Deli. I returned to the best grilled “cheese” sandwich with coffee, a combination that was fast becoming a habit.

In the afternoon we took the Metro to Glória station, where we had booked a small-group sunset sailing cruise across the bay. Arriving a little early gave us time to wander around the marina, spotting turtles gliding through the water and watching Triumph motorcycles being delivered to a nearby showroom.

We were met at the jetty by Katerina, along with eight other, much younger, participants. Once underway, drinks were handed around: caipirinhas, sparkling wine, and Coke for me. The first leg took us towards Sugarloaf, although our view from the back of the boat was occasionally blocked by the younger members of the group, keen to secure the perfect bow shot with fizz in hand and Sugarloaf behind them. We paused to allow everyone a chance to take photos, and Katerina shared stories with us about the surrounding area, pointing out Urca, the military college, and the beach below.

From there we sailed across to Niterói, where some of the group went for a swim. By this point things were becoming a little lively, helped along by multiple refills. We continued along Niterói beach towards the futuristic Museum of Contemporary Art, sitting like a spaceship at the edge of the sea.

Museum of Contemporary Art, — Museum of Contemporary Art

During this stretch we managed to take some wonderfully moody photographs of the mountains and Christ the Redeemer, softened by the changing light.

For the final leg, we turned back towards the marina, sailing directly into the setting sun. It was a magical evening — calm water, warm air, and shifting colours across the sky and city. We returned to the apartment easily by Metro and finished the day with a quiet dinner on the terrace, content and pleasantly tired.

Refection

The day felt like a turning point in the trip, not in terms of where we were, but in how we were experiencing it. With the heat no longer quite so draining, it became easier to slow down and enjoy long stretches of doing very little. The beach, familiar lunches, and an evening on the water all blended into something unhurried and easy. The sailing trip added a different perspective on Rio, showing the city softened by distance and light, and by the time we were eating quietly on the terrace that evening, it felt as though we’d found a comfortable rhythm.

Sun, Sea and Sambadrome

In the morning, we went for a walk along Ipanema beach towards Leblon, having a look around some of the shops along the way. We then walked back along the shoreline towards Arpoador. It was a glorious sunny day and exceptionally clear, with the light making everything feel sharper and brighter.

We climbed up onto the rocks at Arpoador and looked back across Ipanema and the long sweep of the beach, taking in the views and stopping for a few photographs. From that vantage point, the curve of the bay and the city beyond felt particularly striking.

Afterwards, we went to ARP for lunch and a drink, where a musician was playing nearby for tips, providing a relaxed soundtrack to the afternoon and rounding off an easy, unhurried start to the day.

Knowing we were likely to be up most of the night, with the Carnival parades often continuing until 6am, we made a sensible decision to return to the apartment for an afternoon nap. In truth, we were both far more tired than we realised and ended up sleeping for a couple of hours.

Before heading out again, we went back to Teva Deli for an early dinner. By now they were beginning to recognise us as regulars. This time I opted for the vegan burger, which once again was very tasty, and reassuringly filling.

We were excited to see the parades, but also a little apprehensive, unsure what to expect, particularly in the areas around the Sambadrome. In the end, the Metro journey was absolutely fine, although finding Section 11 proved more difficult than expected and involved a fair amount of walking. Once inside, we had a drink and waited. At 8pm it was still surprisingly quiet, and for a while we weren’t entirely sure what was going on. Gradually we realised that people arrived throughout the evening, even while some parades were already underway.

Our seats turned out to be excellent, right at the front, and in a box to ourselves. The rhythm of the evening soon became clear. Music would begin as a samba school started at the far end of the Sambadrome, and it would take around twenty minutes for the head of the parade to reach us.

Each procession began with a dance troupe performing a special routine for the judges, positioned slightly further along from where we were sitting. This was followed by the King and Queen of the school, proudly carrying and presenting the school’s flag. Behind them came the full spectacle, elaborate floats, dancers in extraordinary costumes, and finally the drum squads, accompanied by the school’s musicians and singers. Each parade lasted around forty-five minutes.

The performances were astonishing. Every school was competing for a place in the following year’s finals, where greater funding and sponsorship are available, and the energy on display reflected that. The commitment, stamina and sheer joy of those taking part was remarkable, they looked as though they were giving absolutely everything, and loving every moment of it.

We managed five of the eight scheduled parades, but by around 3am fatigue finally caught up with us. Deciding we’d reached our limit, we headed for the exit. Taxis were waiting outside and within twenty minutes we were safely back at the apartment — albeit after a rather lively ride that included our driver treating several red lights as optional.

Reflection

The day felt like two entirely different experiences stitched together. The calm of the morning — clear skies, long walks, familiar cafés — could not have been further from the intensity of the night that followed. Sitting quietly on the rocks at Arpoador and later watching thousands of performers surge past in colour and rhythm highlighted just how wide Rio’s range really is. The parade itself was overwhelming in the best possible way — not something to analyse or compare, but something to absorb. By the time we finally left in the early hours, tired and slightly dazed, it felt less like we’d simply watched Carnival and more like we’d briefly stepped inside it.

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Rio at Full Volume

A Day of Rio Icons

Beach, Breeze and the Bay

Sun, Sea and Sambadrome

Exploring Beyond the Beaches