It is a beautiful house restored by the owner, a local artist, in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. Nice pool, excellent music and a superb view of Guanabara Bay.

The house is located on the Santa Teresa neighborhood, a place of poets, writers, musicians and painters which all are attracted by the rural landscape that is surrounded by the nice traditional architecture and the lovely climate.

It is a unique quarter in Rio de Janeiro that preserves the "bondinho" (the tram).

-Price from 90 BRL /day
-Total of 3 bedrooms
www.bedandbreakfastrio.com.br
+55(21)25073084

Address: 172 Rua Hermenegildo de Barros, Santa Teresa Rio de Janeiro 202401-040, Brazil

Nearest Metro / Subway: Gloria - 300m
Nearest Bus / Tramway: Gloria - 300m
Nearest Airport: Galeao - 14km

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Me and some friends went to Rio last week and we had such a great time there. We really liked the people down there, very warm and kind. The beaches were simply amazing, it was just awesome to get up and walk a few blocks… and bam! You’re in the middle of a beautiful beach! We had the guts to also try the very popular samba, In a place called Casa Rosa Cultural. It’s a hidden place, I guess, but one of the greatest spots there. Plenty of samba lessons, and also some ‘circles’ of it, many great people to know. This trip was the best ever!

Rua Alice, 550
Laranjeiras

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Rio de Janeiro is quite an amazing place. Imagine a huge, antique house that used to be a brothel (a fancy one) in one of the cutest neighborhoods of the city. Many decades after its closure, the house now keeps the same name, Casa Rosa, from the old times, but has nothing to do with prostitution anymore.

Nowadays, its a place that offers so many attractions you wouldn't believe. During the day, it operates as a cultural centrr with awesome classes for tourists. There you can learn, as a total beginner, with few classes, the samba dance and the capoeira.

If you think you will never get the way to manage such beautiful movements, you are mistaken!

At nights the place also works as a nightclub, with Brazilian sounds mainly. At Sundays, they offer samba with feijoada, the national and lovely dish included. A must!

Rua Alice 550, laranjeiras
www.casarosa.com.br

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A cultural centre in the majestic building of the Bank of Brazil (built 1880), on Av. Presidente Vargas in the centre. Excellent offerings in theatre, music and the visual arts.

CCBB Rio: Rua Primeiro de Março, 66, Centro, Rio de Janeiro - walking distance from the Uruguaiana stop on the Metro;
tel: (21) 3808 2020
Open: Tues-Sun, 10am-9pm;
www.bb.com.br/cultura

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I am travelling around the world for a year and my first stop was Rio. I excitedly got chatting to some of my fellow travellers who challenged my misconceptions concerning the favela tour. A favela is like a shanty town on a mountain side, where the poorest people live, and I thought a tour meant staring at the streets from a tour bus, showcasing the locals in a horrible, vicarious way. My new friends informed me that it was actually a walking tour given by a local, and that the money we paid was used for improving the school and day centre.

The favela, Rocinha, had the welcoming atmosphere of real and honest people; innocent lives plagued with the volatility of the drug world. It was hard to believe that we were walking through streets that only four days earlier saw the killing of the top drug lord by police. In the three days to follow a further five people were killed as they fought over the prestigious position and the power it provided. The tours stopped during this time and this emphasised the danger and uncertainty with which these people lived.

Our guide, Luis, took us to the day centre where our money was to be used. Before Luis set up the organisation (www.bealocal.com), children went unfed for days and were forced to beg, three years later they are off the streets, given three meals a day and are taught various arts and crafts; they then sell their wares instead of begging.

Looking round Rocinha, I now feel I understand the people of Rio on a much deeper level; with a strong, unyielding community spirit, they share the difficult times and, slowly but surely, set out to improve their situation. The tour manages to obtain the perfect balance, between educating and spreading awareness and providing genuine benefit where it is needed most.

A definite must-do when visiting Rio, it will enlighten your life and provide a unique insight into a fascinating place.

Visit www.bealocal.com and book online, they will pick you up from your hostel/hotel and drop you off afterwards.

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Whatever your religious beliefs or non-beliefs may be, check out Rio's cathedral, the Nova Catedral Metropolitana. Shaped like an enormous, majestic teepee, the cathedral is a mix of gritty urban concrete with 60- metre-high coloured stained glass panels. It is almost entirely devoid of the often garish imagery and relics on display in many Baroque and Rococo churches in Brazil.

A symbol of space, colour and tranquility. Contrasting beautifully with the urban landscape, the cathedral and surrounding area are well worth a visit. Make it a day-trip and catch the bonde (tram) up to Santa Teresa afterwards.

Avenida República do Chile, 245, Centro

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Whatever your religious beliefs or non-beliefs may be, check out Rio's cathedral, the Nova Catedral Metropolitana. Shaped like an enormous, majestic teepee, the cathedral is a mix of gritty urban concrete with 60- metre-high coloured stained glass panels. It is almost entirely devoid of the often garish imagery and relics on display in many Baroque and Rococo churches in Brazil.

A symbol of space, colour and tranquility. Contrasting beautifully with the urban landscape, the cathedral and surrounding area are well worth a visit. Make it a day-trip and catch the bonde (tram) up to Santa Teresa afterwards.

Avenida República do Chile, 245, Centro

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During the last weekend of July every year, a large number of the hundreds of painters, sculptors and craftsmen who live in Santa Teresa open the doors of their homes and ateliers to the public in order to show off their work. You can pick up some real bargains.

The organisers of tha Arte de Portas Abertas (roughly translated as Art Open House) provide a map of all the places you can visit and, like so many other occasions in Rio, it's an excuse for a weekend-long party for the residents of the borough and the 40,000-odd visitors.

Information in Portuguese can be found at www.chavemestra.com.br

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This is a neo-gothic castle that was built in the bay to monitor the boats coming in and out, although it is most famous for being the venue of the last Imperial Ball before Brazil became a republic in 1889. It now holds exhibitions about its history.

Avenida Alfredo Agache, Praça Quinze; Tel: 2104 6721

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