Rio De Janeiro In A Day

Brazil has been a dream destination of mine ever since I first watched the movie Rio years ago! I couldn’t believe places like this even existed, it was beyond beautiful. From feeling on top of the world reaching the Christ Redeemer to watching a monkey peel a banana faster than I can even blink, Rio De Janeiro will always will be close to my heart.

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Stop 1: Christ the Redeemer

We started our day with a delicious Brazilian buffet breakfast in our hotel; the quiches hit the spot! Lauren & I were looking so forward for what the day had in store. Our hotel concierge presented us with different day trip options.. we picked the one that was both the least expensive and included the most attractions. We paid $50 USD per person, which included transportation to and from the hotel, lunch and entry tickets. To be honest, a STEAL. Once we picked up everyone that was on our tour, we were on our way to the first stop; Christ the Redeemer, a wonder of the world.

From the moment we started heading up the mountain to laying our eyes on Christ the Redeemer, it took a little under an hour. We lucked out with no lines. Make sure to plan extra time in case you are lucky to enough to wait in the long lines, lol. Our tour guide gave us a little less than an hour to roam around the statue, which wasn’t enough time at all, but was so worth it. All I have to say is, I was speechless. The statue was so much more than I expected, taller than I thought, 125 ft to be exact. It was a surreal feeling to see people from all over the world travel to this one spot to see a statue that was built in 1931. This is when you know you made it. Feeling blessed and overjoyed, we were ready to head to our next destination of the day.

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Stop 2: Cathedral of Rio De Janeiro

Next stop was the Cathedral of Rio De Janeiro AKA Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastiano do Rio de Janeiro! I’ll start off by saying that I have seen Cathedrals all over the world… I will say the design of this exact one was so much different and unique than what I am used to. It was a 246 foot dome. Once we arrived, we were told to be back to the van in 30 minutes, which was more than enough time to walk around both the outside and the inside. In the pictures below, you will notice all the colors in the stained glass, which brings so much color to the inside, especially on a sunny day. We were in Rio just a few weeks before Christmas, so we were able to see the life size nativity scene, so neat!

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Stop 3: Selaron Steps

The last stop before lunch was the Selaron Steps also known as the Escadaria Selarón. By the time the bus pulled up to the steps it was pouring rain, which explains the quality of the pictures, lol. We were running to the steps just to see them and then ran back to take cover in a souvenir shop. I will say we picked a good place to take cover since they were offering free shots of their local liquor! The steps were designed by a Chilean artist who stated, “it was his tribute to the Brazilian people.” In total, there are 215 steps and reaches 410 ft or 125 meters! Seeing and taking a picture sitting on the steps is a must-do when visiting Rio.

Immediately after the Selaron Steps, our bus dropped us off for lunch. We weren’t all that hungry, but definitely were ready for a snack and a small break. We received a meal voucher ticket that was included in our tour, however beverages and alcohol were not. Lunch was buffet style and included plenty of food that I had never seen or heard of before, but it was fun being able to try different things! In Brazil, if you don’t finish your plate they charge you for the food you are “wasting.” I had never heard of such a thing, so I asked the hostess why... she said, “it’s a way for us to not waste food and be able to provide for even more people.” Never would I ever have thought of a system that resulted in you paying for the food you didn’t eat, but I’m not going to lie, its kind of genius.

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Stop 4: Sugarloaf Mountain

Our last and final stop of the tour was going to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain! Seeing the Christ Redeemer my favorite part of the day, but Sugarloaf came in a close second. Even though it was still raining, it was breathtaking. In some of the pictures below you will see exactly what I mean by the beauty. In order to get to the top you will take two different cable cars. The first leg of the cable car trip takes you to Morra de Urca, followed by the leg up to Sugarloaf. It is known for its panoramic views of the city, as well as seeing all of Copacabana Beach (which was where our hotel was located.) The elevation at the top of Sugarloaf is 1,283 ft. The reason Sugarloaf is a historical landmark is because of the installation of the tramway/cable car in 1912, which was made popular all around the world. At the top of the mountain you’ll find bars, restaurants, a wildlife area, a museum and shops that will keep you busy for hours!

PS: It can be extremely windy, so make sure you bring a jacket, raincoat and a hairclip or hat for those that have long hair, haha!

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After a long day driving all around the city of Rio, we were the last ones to be dropped off at our hotel. In my opinion, this was the best way to see all of the famous landmarks around the city. It was well worth the money and gives you the opportunity to meet people all around the world.

As always, thank you for reading.

Tata for now XOXO Tay <3

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