Travel Info

Rio de Janeiro Information

Some information provided by Virtual Tourist

Visas

Yes, you need a passport (someone actually asked that question on one of the boards); and you also need a visa to enter Brasil from the US. If you’re not a US citizen, you may or may not need a visa … check with the Brasilian embassy in your country. The visa must be acquired before coming to Brasil. After acquiring the visa you must enter Brasil within 90 days for the visa to be validated, and the visa, typically, is good for multiple entries for five years. Make sure you request a 5 ­year tourist visa, as some guys have ended up with shorter ones (90 days) and paid the same fee. It seems that this has especially been a problem at the Houston and Miami consulates.

Since mid-2002 the fee increased from $45 to $65 and then to $100 (in 2003) if getting it in person at one of the consulates. Why the increases, and why is it so high in the first place? The fee is set to mirror what the US charges Brasilians for a visa. When we jack up our fees, they jack up theirs. The fees are somewhat higher if you do the transaction by mail ($10), and each consulate seems to have slightly different rules regarding how long it takes, whether they will accept (or will only accept) mail applications, and so forth. Check with the Brasilian Embassy website and look under “consular services” for more information (contact information for all of the consular offices appears in an appendix here). Follow the instructions carefully, as personnel at many of the consulates are rather rigid. Generally, you’ll need a passport that won’t expire in the near future, a round-trip plane ticket, a completed application form (with photos), and the $$. Check with your consular office on acceptable forms of payment. The NY consulate, for example, only accepts US Postal Service money orders. And DO NOT do as a friend of mine did and show up at the airport without the visa. He was stranded in Chicago for two days trying to get the visa and straighten out his flight and hotel reservations.

Once you have your passport and visa, make a photocopy of the ID page of your passport and the page with the Brasilian visa stamp, and carry this with you at all times while in Brasil. You are required by law to carry ID with you at all times, and Brasilian police will give you a difficult time if you don’t have proper ID, and they may not accept anything other than a copy of your passport and visa as proper ID.

Language

No, they don’t speak Spanish in Brasil. Brasil was settled by Portugal, and Portuguese is the “lingua franca.” If you speak Spanish you’ll find that many Brasilians will understand it reasonably well, but you may have problems understanding Portuguese. There are many sounds in Portuguese that do not occur in Spanish, but not vice versa. English is not widely spoken in Brasil. Take some time to learn the basics of Portuguese and you will have a much better time. I prefer the Pimsleur Brasilian Portuguese CD sets (three sets, I, II & III); they are not cheap, but they are effective. If you want a quicker introduction to the basic conversational necessities, try Pimsleur’s Instant Conversation Course (cassette or CD). Discount dealers can be found (try http://bigredgarage.com). You can also occasionally find used sets through places like Ebay, and you may be able to download mp3 files of these materials from the usual sources.

There is a wonderful little volume titled “Hot! International: Love and Sex in Seven Languages” by David Appell that includes Portuguese and covers anything you might want to ask of your special friends in Rio. I know of no other dictionary or guidebook that offers translations for “sit on my cock” or “I want to fuck your ass.” Unfortunately, it is out of print, and the publisher is no longer in business. Every so often a copy will appear on Ebay. Keep an eye out for it. The girls love it. Lately, however, used copies have been selling for as much as $225!.

Time Zone

The time difference between Rio and where you’re coming from will vary across the year. Technically, it’s –3 GMT, but changes to –2GMT during daylight savings time (NB: DST in Brasil doesn’t coincide with DST in the US). Here’s a web site that will give you the current time in Rio and many other major cities:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock

You can also construct your own “Personal World Clock” using this site, featuring the time in the cities you frequent.

When to Visit

When is the best time to come to Rio? Today! Failing that, tomorrow. That old saying about the beach—“the worst day at the beach beats the best day at work”—is true of Rio. In terms of Rio’s weather, see the section below.

Peak tourist season falls during Brasil’s summer, especially from mid-December until mid-February. You can expect hotels, apartments, and possibly flights to be significantly more expensive during this period, but it’s still a great time for a visit. I actually prefer the spring and fall months (especially October-November and April-May), as the crowds thin a bit, prices are more reasonable, yet the weather is still great and there are more than enough women to go around.

The absolute peak times for many visitors, however, are New Year’s Eve and Carnaval. Rio hosts the world’s largest New Year’s Eve party, Réveillon, on the beach in Copacabana. This is an event every traveler should try to experience at least once. Throngs of white-clad celebrants enjoy an amazing fireworks display, and many among the crowd place offerings on the sands to Iemanjá, the African Goddess of the Waters. Last year’s Réveillon had an estimated 2 million partygoers celebrating on the beach in Copacabana.

Carnaval is an institution that needs no introduction. Like Réveillon, prices in Rio skyrocket around the time of Carnaval, and many hotels and apartments require a one-week minimum stay at exorbitant prices. Carnaval is something that must be experienced, at least once. There’s a saying, “there’s no such thing as sin below the equator,” and that certainly appears to be true during Carnaval. The city turns into a massive party, beginning about a week before the official start of the holiday as the neighborhood “bandas” and “blocos” take to the streets. Old timers decry the recent commercialization of Carnaval, especially since the parade of “samba schools” was moved from the streets of Centro to the more sterile and decidedly more expensive Sambódromo, but it is still great fun and a feast for the senses. The crowds in town can become a bit overwhelming, and restaurants and bars are always overcrowded, but there’s samba and sex in the air everywhere! Carnaval in Rio officially begins the Saturday before Ash Wednesday and runs for four days. Carnaval 2006 runs from February 25-28. To find the dates of Carnaval in future years, see http://www.worldsamba.org/Carnaval/body_carnaval.html

Weather

Rio’s summer runs from late November through early March, and this is both the hottest and wettest (rainfall) time of year. Winter runs from June through August and is the driest period. Temperatures can get quite warm in summer, but rarely terribly cool in winter. There are often very nice beach days in winter, but you can hit a cold spell as well. July, despite being in the middle of winter, can be nice because the universities are out of session for most of the month, so many college girls come to Rio to play. A good historical data on monthly average temperatures, rainfall, and such can be found at Weatherbase: (http://www.weatherbase.com/). Check out today’s weather (and see what your missing) at http://www.weather.com/

Accomodations

While hotels are a plenty in Rio de Janeiro, you probably won’t be spending alot of time in your hotel room. Safado.com recommends apartments. It is cheaper than a normal hotel stay, usually has a maid service, and apartments are close to the beach area. When you rent an apartment, you also do not have to pay a surcharge for overnight guests. Most hotels require registration, proof of identification and a fee for entrance for someone who is not registered in a hotel room. We recommend Rio Apartment Rentals. David has been in Rio for the past four years and knows what tourists need. Contact him with your requests.

If an apartment is not your thing . . . these are some of the top rated hotels in Rio de Janeiro:

  1. Sheraton Rio Hotel And Towers (11 Reviews - 33 Photos)
  2. Le Meridien Copacabana (8 Reviews - 5 Photos)
  3. Copacabana Palace (8 Reviews - 6 Photos)
  4. Marina Palace (6 Reviews - 10 Photos)
  5. JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro (6 Reviews - 4 Photos)
  6. Sheraton Barra Hotel and Suites (5 Reviews - 1 Photos)
  7. Rio Othon Palace Hotel (4 Reviews - 7 Photos)
  8. Luxor Regente (4 Reviews - 7 Photos)
  9. Ibiza Copacabana Hotel (4 Reviews - 4 Photos)
  10. Miramar Palace Hotel (3 Reviews - 3 Photos)


Electricity

Yes, they have it … intermittently! Just kidding, sort of. A couple of years ago Brasil was experiencing serious power grid problems, with rationing and occasional brownouts and blackouts, but everything seems to be fine now. The Rio standard is 110 volts (some hotels will have 220v outlets as well), and while the standard outlet is two round pins, most hotels have outlets that accommodate both the round and flat blade (US) plugs. Still, it’s not a bad idea to pick up plug adapter, especially if you’re staying in an older hotel or an apartment.

Dining

Dining in Rio is not for a vegetarian. The diet is mostly based on meat and very little else. A Churrascaria is the best place to visit when you are there. They range from the most fancy restaurants to something simple. Most are “all you can eat” so bring your appetite. Below we have listed some of the top choices from VirtualTourist.com:

  1. Porcão (30 Reviews - 21 Photos)
  2. Marius (22 Reviews - 12 Photos)
  3. Confeitaria Colombo (13 Reviews - 11 Photos)
  4. La Mole’s (6 Reviews - 6 Photos)
  5. Manoel & Joaquim (4 Reviews - 3 Photos)


Bars and Nightlife

There are many discotecas and other places to hang out and see gorgeous women (why else are you there). Most of the women are available for the evening and probably will proposition you. Below is listed some of the hightlights in Rio:

  1. Discoteca Help (40 Reviews - 12 Photos)
  2. Plataforma (16 Reviews - 19 Photos)
  3. Nuth in Barra da Tijuca (8 Reviews - 6 Photos)
  4. Casa da Matriz (7 Reviews - 7 Photos)
  5. Baronetti (6 Reviews - 2 Photos)

Finding your way

A good map is a necessity. I like the one put out by Berndtson and Berndtson in their “B&B City Streets” series. It’s a laminated map so you can write on it with an erasable marker, and it includes the Metro system. You may be able to find (or order) it at larger bookstores (I grabbed a copy at Barnes and Noble in NYC), or you can track it down at http://www.mapmyway.com. You might also find a guidebook of some use. Nothing very elaborate is needed, and I like Frommer’s Portable Rio de Janeiro. But seriously, the guide you are reading now is all you really need!

General Tips


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