Rio de Janeiro
Travel Advice for Seniors: Rio de Janeiro
We loved our first experience in Rio! The very best part of our visit was the hotel, Arene Leme, and its location just across the street from Copacabana beach. After a morning of sightseeing, we would head across the street and rent two low chairs and a sun umbrella (very inexpensive) and hit the beach. Plant yourself in the sand and do some serious people watching between dipping your toes in the water! What a life!
As our main goal in going to Rio in February was to experience Carnaval, we broke our stay at Rio into two parts, trying somewhat successfully to avoid the huge crush of tourists at the main attractions right before Carnaval.
The main attractions were of course Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer statue at Corcovado. We went to the Sugar Loaf Cable car at 9am on the first day and it wasn’t too incredibly crowded, but the Christ the Redeemer the next day was about the same time and was very, very crowded. We had to wait a long time to take the cog wheel train up and it was almost impossible to get a picture. Both sights were very beautiful and not to be missed, not to mention the awesome views of the city. Our tours also took us by the Celadon Steps, a set of stairs that has been artistically tiled by various artists and a drive through most of the different beach areas.
In our limited free time, we took a cab over to the Hippie Fair on Sunday morning, which is a pretty sizable art/craft fair by Ipanema. It was an enjoyable way to spend the morning and early afternoon. We also taxied over to the Jardin Botanico which was a very peaceful oasis in all the chaos.
Not sure how much of the crowd was due to the week before Carnaval, but it is my understanding that the major attractions are usually pretty busy regardless.
Our return trip to Rio was basically beach time followed by a nap to get ready to experience Carnaval!
Where we stayed: Arene Leme, Great hotel, breakfast included. Centrally located and across the street from Copacabana beach.
How we got there: Flight from US to Rio de Janeiro. This was part of an 18-day private tour through Brazil and Argentina.
General Accessibility Information: Brazil is becoming more accessible. Rio and a few other larger cities will have accessibility at major hotels, sights and some transportation. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements. See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
