The wife and I are going to Rio in mid-July with a small group from her MBA program for 4-5 nights. The class is going to Sao Paulo for over a week for their international business trip and I am going to meet them in Rio afterwards for vacation. We won't always be together as a group but I figure most events will involve them.

Any suggestions on what to do or see there other then Christ the Redeemer and where to stay? None of us have been to Brazil and I've only heard of the negative/crime stuff i've seen on news or internet. I figure its like any major city where just stay away from the bad areas and its perfectly fine.

It'll be wintertime so I don't think I can strut around on the beach in my speedo...

I dated a Brazilian girl for several years and went to Brazil a few times. I was on Copacabana Beach and talked to an American expat. I asked him if he was scared of living Rio. He said if you're a young American guy, just pay attention to what you're doing and you'll be fine. There are much easier marks than you. Don't wear any flashy jewelry, don't go into dark alleys. Carry some money in your pocket that you're willing to give away if you're confronted.

As far as things to see, obviously go to the top of Corcovado and see the Christ the Redeemer statue. Be sure to do this as part of a tour, don't try to go on your own. You have to pass through the favelas to get there. Ride the cable car to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. Go visit Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, even if it's too cold to go in the water. Go see Maracana stadium. You can probably do all of this as part of a city tour.

I'll be in Sao Paulo last week of June for a surgery fellowship. It will be fairly intensive so I doubt we have a ton of free time but incase we do I'll follow along this thread as well

Stay near the tourist areas where the beaches are: copacabana, ipanema, leblon. Ipanema and Leblon are a little quieter than copacabana, but they are all safe. The Windsor hotel has several nice hotels up and down Copacabana beach that are cheap (for americans). There are also lots of air bnb options for cheap next to the beach. Other than Christ the Redeemer Statue theres sugarloaf mountain and the soccer stadium.

Churrascaria Palace for a traditional churrascaria experience like Fogo de Chao. Marius Degustare restaurant for bottomless seafood and beef.

Lapa area is where all the bars are.

Uber is safe and cheap.

I've always stayed on Copacabana and just hung out around there during the day before going out in Lapa at night.

lazuras_dc said:

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I'll be in Sao Paulo last week of June for a surgery fellowship. It will be fairly intensive so I doubt we have a ton of free time but incase we do I'll follow along this thread as well

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In my experience, there's not much to see in Sao Paulo but traffic. It's just like any other massive city in the world.

Old School Brother said:

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lazuras_dc said:

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I'll be in Sao Paulo last week of June for a surgery fellowship. It will be fairly intensive so I doubt we have a ton of free time but incase we do I'll follow along this thread as well

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In my experience, there's not much to see in Sao Paulo but traffic. It's just like any other massive city in the world.

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Yea Sao Paulo sucks. Its basically a much larger Houston lol.