Welcome!

The main goal of this site is to give tourists and visitors an inside scoop about cool places to go and things to see in Rio de Janeiro, aside the mainstream places and ordinary stuff. So don´t expect to see any information about Sugar Loaf, Corcovado and so on…for those typical tourist spots, I´m sure there are hundreds of sites out there about it.

In my view, people between the age of 25 and 45 are gonna enjoy these tips better. Or anyone looking for great party/cultural programs.

As everyone knows, Brazil, and specially Rio, had it's prices gone up the roof for just about everything. So, another objective in this portal is to let you know about great inexpensive options, and tons of local tips.

I´ve organized the suggestions into categories, focused on the king of event you might be looking for:

- Samba Events and Parties

- Unusual Parties

- Nightlife and Nightclubs

- Hangout Street Spots and Points – Free

- Daytime Activities

- Bars and Drinks

- Food

- Late Snacks

I´ve also created a Party/Events this All-Week Schedule to help you decide which places to go at each day of your visit in Rio! Hope this becomes very useful on your decisions.

It should be good for almost any week of the year. Most of them are inexpensive. I tried to organize it according to the best day of each event. Some of the hours I suggest by each event overlap or are too close to one another. In these cases, it´s an “either/or” situation, so you must choose according to what you´re looking for. When this doesn´t happen, it means that you can go to the events one after the other, if you re in good shape!

If I had just a week to spend in Rio, this is how I would do it:

Monday:

- Pedra do Sal – Free Street Samba Party (19h)

- Samba do Trabalhador – Samba Party (18h)

- Stalos – Late Snacks and Food (2h)

Tuesday:

- Saara / Uruguaiana – Popular Shopping (14h)

- Ovelha Negra – Champaign Bar (18h)

- Cervantes – Late Snacks and Drinks (23h)

- Empório – Free Rock Bar (1h)

Wednesday:

- Gargalo – Dinner and Drinks (20h)

- Democráticos – Nightlife – Forró - Dancing (23h)

- Casa da Cachaça – After Party Drinks and Hangout (4h)

Thursday:

- Baixo Gávea – Free Hangout Spot (21h)

- Belmont Leblon – Bar and Free Hangout Spot (23h)

- Empório – Free Rock Bar (0h)

Friday:

- Aprazível – Early Dinner (18h)

- Samba Luzia – Samba Party (21h)

- Circo Voador (23h) – There´s always a cool party goin´ on, but check it out first.

- Zozô - Nightclub (23h)

Saturday:

- Feira do Lavradio – Free Street Antique´s Fair, first Saturday of each month – it´s a must! (14h)

- Cardosão – Feijoada and Food (15h)

- Samba do Ouvidor – Free Street Samba Party (18h) – Check if it´s going to happen at date you´re in town, first.

- Rio Scenarium - Nightclub (22h)

- Unusual Parties (22h) – Check which of them are happening in the dates you´re in town.

- Pizzaria Guanabara – After After Party Drinks (5h)

Sunday

- Bar do Mineiro - Food (14h)

- Mureta da Urca – Free Hangout Spot (16h)

- Pavão Azul – Bar and Free Hangout Spot (16h)

- Casa Rosa – Feijoada and Samba Party (19h)

- Salvação – Bar and Samba Party  (18h)

- Empório - Free Rock Bar (0h or 2h, if you went to Casa Rosa before)

Who ever completes 80% of this schedule, send me a message! I´ll try to complement you personally! And you can consider yourself an expert on Rio´s social, bohemian, party customs. Have fun!


In case you’re looking for some extra literature about Rio, here are a few suggestions:
- Lonely Planet Rio de Janeiro (Travel Guide) (Regis St Louis)

- Lonely Planet Accessible Rio Kindle Edition (Lonely Planet)

- Rio de Janeiro: Extreme City Kindle Edition (Luiz Eduardo Soares)

- The Rio de Janeiro Reader: History, Culture, Politics (Daryle Williams)

- Hard Times in the Marvelous City: From Dictatorship to Democracy in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro (Bryan McCann)

- Rio de Janeiro Travel Guide - 100 Must-Do: Outdoor Adventures, TOP 5 Beaches in Rio (Copacabana), Historical and Cultural Sights, Eat Drink, Cool Cafes, ... tourist places, Unusual Hostels, Souvenirs! (Kevin Hampton)

- Drugs and Democracy in Rio de Janeiro: Trafficking, Social Networks, and Public Security (Enrique Desmond Arias)

- My Rio de Janeiro: A Cookbook Hardcover (Leticia Moreinos Schwartz)

- Favela: Four Decades of Living on the Edge in Rio de Janeiro Reprint Edition (Janice Perlman)

- Living with Insecurity in a Brazilian Favela: Urban Violence and Daily Life Hardcover (R. Ben Penglase )

Pedra do Sal - Street Party – Free - Centro

This is a great way to start off your party night, especially if you're looking for a low budget option. The party happens on the street and it´s for free. So it's not a good option on rainy days. It plays samba de raiz (root samba) live, all the classical songs. You'll get a good sense of popular street parties in Rio. Great heavy drinks and special beer sold by local vendors or you can get beer and other stuff of the street sellers at reasonable prices.

On Mondays, it´s a bit less crowded, but still vey good. Some people even prefer it on a Monday because of that. And with so few party options at the beginning of the week, this is sure on of the best.

Technical Info:
Type: Samba de Raiz (Root Samba) Street Party.
Price: Free.
Frequency: Every Monday and Friday.
Hour: 18h till 00h
Good Time to Arrive: 19h.
Kind of People Expected: Very mixed, about 15% foreign.
Address: Pedra do Sal, Largo João da Baiana – Centro/Gamboa.

How to get there:
- Subway: Stop at the station Uruguaiana (see on map) and take a cab (about R$ 10,00 fair).
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at Sacadura Cabral, close to the number 89, Centro/Gamboa. From there on, you should be able to see here it is.
- Walking: Not advised, unless you are with a bunch of people, including locals.

Map:

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Feira do Lavradio - Street Market - Centro

If you're in luck, you'll have a chance to see a street market, that not all cariocas know about called Feira do Lavradio. It's an antique's street market that happens every first Saturday of the month. What's really cool about it is that not only you'll see lots of antiques, every day people's memory and get an idea of Brazilian pop history, but's also a great daytime, bohemian, gastronomic activity. You can start off your day with tasty food, and lots of nice places for feijoada or "picanha na chapa", another delicious typical Brazilian meat dish (barbecue style). Then, you can enjoy a stroll in the street market, guaranteed fun for men and women (lots of interesting stuff - objects, clothing and accessories). While you´re walking around, you can get your drinks on the street. After 15h, you can look for soft parties already happening at some places. Cheap Admission, because of the live shows, mostly sambas. Places like Gabinete, Bistrô da Lapa, among other places. Most of the time, you'll also get a chance to see some street samba bands, also popular. Latter on (around 18h), you'll find a "street funk" event (funk - not like the traditional term in english - a kind of rithm and style created by cariocas in the favelas/slums, but very popular among all kind of people here). I would advise to be a little more careful in any street party, pickpocket wise.

The street market should go until 19h or so. But don't worry, there's still plenty of options afterwards. You can find a party happening close by, or look for another street party called Samba do Castelo, which normally happens in the same day as the street market. A very good option, and lots of good looking people. A bit different then the street market, that's very mixed. This party can go until 00h or so, and it's not over yet! Since everything is close to Lapa (a crazy bohemian neighborhood), you should head there to choose one of the dozen good options.

This is for sure one of my favorite Rio programs, as you can see tons of stuff and have lots of fun. And you can get a quick, realistic sense of the type of things to do and people to see in this city. But you gotta be fit, cause you'll be out all day and night out.

Technical Info:
Type: Street Party, Daytime Activity, Street Market.
Price: Free.
Frequency: First Saturday of every month.
Hour: 11h till 19h
Good Time to Arrive: 11h for shop or 15h for party.
Kind of People Expected: Middle class, mixed, alternative, locals and 10% foreign.
Address: Rua do Lavradio - Centro.

How to get there:
- Subway: Stop at the station Cinelândia (see map) and then take a walk through Lapa (and have some drinks) till you find Rua do Lavradio. Should be a 10 minutes walk.
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at Rua do Lavradio – Centro, everyone knows.
- Walking: If you´re in Centro, there shouldn´t be any problem going by foot here, through Lapa.

Map:

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Rio Scenarium – Night Club - Centro

One of the most famous places in Rio. Sure there´s  lots of foreigners, but you still get a good feel of Brazilian night clubs. And the best thing is that is huge and lots of different atmospheres for you to choose from. Each one with its own characteristic. One with live band show, always Brazilian Pop Music (MPB) and the other two with DJs. Worth checking it out on a Saturday. The fun is guarantied. But be sure to get in early, like 22h, cause the waiting line is terrible. Unless you got a good contact in Rio, there's no way around it.

Technical Info:
Type: Night Club.
Price: Between R$ 30,00 ($15.00) and R$ 40,00 ($ 20.00).
Frequency: Every Week, Best Days Are Friday and Saturday.
Hour: 21h till 5h
Good Time to Arrive: 22h.
Kind of People Expected: Mixed, middle class, about 15% foreign.
Address: Rua do Lavradio, 20 - Centro.

How to get there:
- Subway: Stop at the station Cinelândia (see map) and then take a walk through Lapa (and have some drinks) till you find Rua do Lavradio. Should be a 10 minutes walk.
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at Rua do Lavradio, 20 – Centro or just say Rio Scenarium, everyone knows.
- Walking: If you´re in Centro, there shouldn´t be any problem going by foot here, through Lapa.

Map:

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Belmonte Leblon – Bar – Hangout Spot

It´s a big bar in Leblon, but it could also be considered as a hangout spot. Lots o people gather here almost every day to have drinks and chat in the streets. You could come for an after beach food and snacks, or to get some drinks before heading to your main party.

Good looking people and located in one of the best neighborhoods in Rio makes this a good option, if you like street hangout places.

Technical Info:
Type: Bars, Hangout Spot.
Price: Free.
Frequency: Every Day, Bests Days From Thursday Till Sunday.
Hour: 11h till 1h
Good Time to Arrive: 17h (after beach), 22h (pre night).
Kind of People Expected: Elite, about 15% foreign.
Address: Rua Dias Ferreira, 521 - Leblon, Rio de Janeiro

How to get there:
- Bus: Almost any conventional bus heading to Leblon would take you there. Just ask the driver before getting in.
- Taxi: Ask the driver Belmonte Leblon. Everyone knows about it
- Walking: If you´re in Ipanema or Leblon, there´s no problem walking to these places.

Map:

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Samba do Trabalhador – Samba de Raiz - Nightlife

The name of this event translates to “Worker´s Samba”. The story behind it is that it was created for the people who worked the full weekend, including Sundays, and had the Monday off.

It´s been around for a long time and it became very a traditional party in Rio´s Samba Scene. For starters, it´s located in a neighborhood known for samba, called Villa Isabel. And musically, people that understand about samba say it´s the best quality music in samba parties around. Plays mostly samba de raiz (root samba), that classical samba style.

Happens every Monday and starts at about 17h. So you can check this out as there´s not so many options on a Monday, and specially at this hour. Very low admission and drink´s/food are very cheap too. You could still plan on doing something later on, as it finishes at around 23h.

Technical Info:
Type: Samba de Raiz (Root Samba) Party, Nightlife.
Price: Below Average.
Frequency: Every Monday.
Hour: 17h till 23h.
Good Time to Arrive: 17h.
Kind of People Expected: Mixed, middle class, about 2% foreign.
Address: Renascença Clube - Rua Barão de São Francisco, 54 - Andaraí.

How to get there:
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at Renascença Clube or give him the address. I wouldn´t advise to go any other way, unless you´re with a local.

Map:

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Samba Luzia - Clube Santa Luzia – Samba Party – Nightlife

Nice samba party in Centro. It happens in a club, located close by the city´s airport. Every Friday and Sunday, basically the same event. They just vary on the starting hours. The Friday event starts at 20h and the Sunday event is more as an afternoon party – around 16h. There´s always a famous samba de raiz (root samba) band in Rio´s samba scene playing all the classics.

Mixed people, easy hook ups, reasonable prices on drinks and snacks, and a low admission fee (around R$ 30,00 / $ 15.00) makes this a good option if you´re curious to get to know a good samba party. It´s it´s raining, forget about is, as it´s mostly an outdoors event.

Technical Info:
Type: Samba de Raiz (Root Samba) Party, Nighlife.
Price: Average.
Frequency: Every Friday and Sunday.
Hour: 8h till 3h (Fridays) , 17h till 23h (Sundays)
Good Time to Arrive: 21h (Fridays), 18h (Sundays).
Kind of People Expected: Mixed, middle class, about 5% foreign.
Address: Avenida Almirante Silvio de Noronha, 300 - Centro.

How to get there:
- Subway: Stop at the station Cinelândia and then walk toward it (about 10 minutos walking).
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at Clube Santa Luzia by the airport - Centro.
- Walking: If you´re in Centro, there shouldn´t be any problem going by foot here.

Map:
 
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Semente – Samba – Nightlife

Great way to end up your Sunday! Be ready for it, as the party here goes to late at night. It´s located in Lapa, a small place, but packed most of the time and plays samba de raiz (root samba).

Drinks are sold at reasonable price and the admission fee (for the show) is low too. Lots of locals and a few tourists, but it´s still an authentic samba party in Rio´s samba scene. Even if you don´t feel like going in the place, you can hang outside and listen to the samba, while having some drinks on the street. Although, on Sundays, Lapa is not as full as it usually is on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. And be careful with personal belongings, as always, when going to Lapa.

Technical Info:
Type: Samba Party, Nightlife.
Price: Below Average.
Frequency: Every Sunday.
Hour: 22h till 4h
Good Time to Arrive: 23h / 00h.
Kind of People Expected: Middle class, locals, mixed, about 15% foreign.
Address: Rua Joaquim Silva, 138 - Lapa.

How to get there:
- Subway: Stop at the Cinelândia Station (see map) and walk towards Lapa.
- Bus: Lots of buses come here. Ask locals which ones to take from where you´re staying at. Some of the lines are: 158, 161, 162, 178, 180, 238, 247, 351 and 362 (see map).
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at Arcos da Lapa. Everyone knows about it.
- Walking: If you´re in Glória, Centro or Santa Teresa, you could go by foot too.

Map:

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Praça São Salvador – Laranjeiras – Hangout Spot

Another “hidden” place that locals hangout in Rio. The atmosphere is great as you drink in the main square. Lots of bars around it, if you want to sit in a place or restaurant and have some drinks too. Good option to start off your afternoon, deciding where to go at night. At the same time that´s a good program for singles, it´s also a nice place for couples to relax.

Sometimes there´s gonna be a samba group in the middle of the square, providing the music, while you drink and chat. Street sellers also put their stands for you to get a taste of typical weekend afternoon hangouts, done by the cariocas.

Technical Info:
Type: Hangout Spots, Daytime Activity, Drinks.
Price: Free.
Frequency: Saturdays and Sundays.
Hour: 12h till 1h
Good Time to Arrive: 14h (lunch), 16h (pré-night), 20h (pré-night).
Kind of People Expected: Middle class, locals, about 1% foreign.
Address: Praça São Salvador, Laranjeiras.

How to get there:
- Subway: Stop at the Largo do Machado Station (see map) and walk to the address.
- Bus: Lots of buses come here. Ask locals which ones to take from where you´re staying at. Some of them are: 133, 180, 184, 422, 507, 569, 580 and 583.
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at the address or at Praça São Salvador, everyone knows about it.
- Walking: If you´re in Laranjeiras, Flamendo or Largo do Machado, you could go by foot too without any problems.

Map:

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Cardosão – Laranjeiras – Feijoada – Daytime Activity

There´s a typical Brazilian dish called Feijoada. It´s originated in the slave period together with African customs. Consists of black beans with some kinds of pork and red meat. It also has some special Brazilian sausages mixed in (calabresa and paio), which I find them the best, and would advise you only to eat these sausages if you have any restrictions on trying exotic food.

Anyway, this became such a typical dish for the Brazilians culture that many party events offers this dish. And where there is feijoada, there´s samba! It´s common for Brazilian to go out to eat feijoada and make a special event for it.

This is one of the coolest feijoada experiences in Rio, in my point of view. The name of the “restaurant” is Cardosão a simple depot/grocery store (don´t know exactly how to translate the right denomination), but very nice and exclusive. It´s located in a hidden part of Laranjeiras, a traditional neighborhood in Rio. And not so many Cariocas know about it. Great way to start your day. Very good feijoada (and other stuff too), cold beer, drinks and all at very reasonable price. It happens on every Saturday and if your lucky, there´ll be a small samba group playing at the place. Even if you´re not into food programs and wanna drink during the day, this is a good choice. Nice looking people and inside a residential part of the neighborhood. Just don´t expect excellent service, as on Saturdays the place is packed and they don´t have as many waiters for the demand. Be patient and if you want to eat calmly, get here early – about 12h.

If you´re interested in feijoada, there´s another blog called Best Feijoadas in Rio de Janeiro, where some of the best feijoadas are listed in type of ranking order:

http://melhoresfeijoadasdoriodejaneiro.blogspot.com.br/

Technical Info:
Type: Food, Drinks, Daytime Activity.
Price: Below Average / Reasonable.
Frequency: Every week, on Saturdays.
Hour: 11h till 19h.
Good Time to Arrive: 12h (if you want to eat) or at any time for drinks and snacks.
Kind of People Expected: Middle class, and locals and about 1% foreign.
Address: Rua Cardoso Júnior, 312 – Laranjeiras.

How to get there:
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at the address.
- Walking: If you´re in Laranjeiras, Flamendo or Largo do Machado, you could go by foot too without any problems, but there will be a hill, about 15 minutes upwards.

Map:

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Bukowski – Botafogo – Rock Party

Here's an alternative place to go. Rock music and a room with vinyl DJ! At reasonable admission fee - about R$ 35,00 ($18.00), it's a great choice if you wanna get away from the mainstream expensive stuff. It does't feel like a nightclub. As you go in, you'll get the impression that you're in a house party. And it really used to be a house. It's located in Botafogo, a traditional neighborhood with lots of bars and alternative people, mostly connected to creative area and journalism.

 

Be sure to get in early (about 22h), because of the huge waiting line or get in late in the hour, like an after party works too - about 2h. The drinks are also sold at reasonable prices.

Technical Info:
Type: Party, Nightclubs, Nightlife.
Price: Average.
Frequency: Every week from Thursdays to Saturdays – Best days are Fridays and Saturdays.
Hour: 22h till 6h
Good Time to Arrive: 23h or 2h.
Kind of People Expected: Middle class, alternative, about 5% foreign.
Address: Rua Álvaro Ramos, 270 - Botafogo.

How to get there:
- Subway: Stop at Botafogo Station (see map) and walk to the street on the address – about 10 minutes walk.
- Bus: Lots of buses come here. Ask locals which ones to take from where you´re staying at. Some of them are: 119, 126, 162, 190, 426, 432, 444, 445, 472 and 464.
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at the address, everyone knows about it.
- Walking: If you´re in Botafogo or Humaitá, you could go by foot too without any problems.

Map:

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Photos:

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