Rio de Janeiro, famous for its marvelous landscape, tranquil beach culture and annual carnival, is the second largest city in Brazil on the South Atlantic coast. Its Harbor with magnificent geographic features including Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovado Peak, and the hills of Tijuca, is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue, the beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema and the stadium of Maracanã are other images to pop up first in your mind when thinking of Rio.

The South Zone is where world-famous beaches and landmarks are located. Most hotels in Rio de Janeiro and hostels are situated in this part of the city, compressed between the sea and the Tijuca Range including Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, Sugar Loaf and Corcovado Mountains and districts along Flamengo Beach. The Centro, including Lapa and Santa Teresa, is the city's financial and business center with many historic buildings like The National Museum of Fine Arts, The Tiradentes Palace, The Municipal Theatre, The National Library, The Metropolitan Cathedral and The Pedro Ernesto Palace. The North Zone is home to The Maracanã stadium, The Quinta da Boa Vista Park with the National Museum and the city's Zoo, The National Observatory and more. The rapidly growing West Zone area including the popular beaches of Jacarepaguá and Barra da Tijuca will be the venue of the Olympics in 2016.

The quaint beach culture that Rio is famous for includes Abricó, the only official nudist beach in the city, Paquetá, Praia da Moreninha and Cariocas. Waves in Rio vary from low to high in the Guanabara Bay beaches and surf-ideal waves in Recreio. In Copacabana, Leme, Ipanema, Leblon and Arpoador, a popular way of "riding" the waves is called pegar jacaré (literally, "to grab an alligator"). The ‘surfer’ waits for a big wave to come and then swims on top of it until it ebbs next to the sand.

The Carnaval is still the greatest reason for visiting Rio de Janeiro. You can be comfortable just watching the parade from a window of a good hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil or join the merrymaking for a couple of weeks long. The escolas de samba or samba schools on a Sambódromo and blocos de rua like the "Carmelitas", "Suvaco de Cristo", "Escravos da Mauá" or "Simpatia É Quase Amor" parade in Centro and the South Zone during the Carnaval. The Sambodrome pulsates with thousands of revelers spending all-night-long dancing, singing and celebrating their favorite samba school. Perhaps the most significant description one could make of Rio de Janeiro includes three of Brazil’s most important musical genres-the samba, chore and bossa nova. If you want to experience the traditional samba groove, check out the music clubs in downtown Lapa to see and hear some of the best musicians in Rio.

The best way for you to enjoy a well-deserved holiday in Rio de Janeiro is to plan ahead. It is always good practice to list down your itinerary way ahead of schedule to give you ample time to prepare for a memorable holiday treat. Start your travel plans by choosing a safe place to stay like finding comfortable accommodations in a good hotel in Rio de Janeiro.

Excel Booking will take you there!
There are many places to visit and things to do in Rio de Janeiro and Brasil, therefore the best way for you to enjoy your well-deserved holiday is to plan ahead. List down your itinerary way ahead of planed departure date, this will give you time to prepare for a memorable holiday treat or business trip. One idée is to start your planning by visiting ExcelBooking.com and select a nice and comfortable hotel. There selection of hotels in Rio de Janeiro and Brasil, is impressive.