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 )

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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Photos:

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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Photos: 

Video:

Buxixo – Nightlife – Hangout Spot - Tijuca

This is also a place where you could call a hangout spot. It’s located in Tijuca, a traditional neighborhood in Rio, but closer to the suburbs. There are many bars next to one another, on this square where it´s located, which is called Praça Varnhagen.

It’s packed almost every day, and you can hangout in the square for free and get some drinks in the bars. But my tip is to go on a Sunday and get into the main place, which is called Buxixo (there´s the bar and there´s the nightclub – I mean the nightclub). There´s a low admission fee, but there will be a live show of a popular Brazilian rhythm that goes by “pagode”.

Be sure to get hammered and you’ll have lots of fun with all kinds of people, till 4h in the morning. Afterwards, you can get some street food close by this place (see map) before heading home.

Technical Info:
Type: Nightlife, Hagout Spot.
Price: Below Average.
Frequency: Almost Every Day, Best day on Sundays.
Hour: 18h till 4h.
Good Time to Arrive: 19h (for hangout), 22h (for party, nightlife).
Kind of People Expected: Mixed, middle class, about 1% foreign.
Address: Praça Varnhagen - Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.

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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Photos:

Video: