How to spend a week in Rio de Janeiro, the gateway to South America
Powdery beaches, contemporary art and cutting-edge cuisine – Brazil’s most playful and dynamic city has all this and more…
02/05/2025
Sun-soaked getaways don’t get sexier or more cinematic than Rio de Janeiro, immortalised on the big screen in movies such as City of God and in hip-swaying music videos including ‘Beautiful’ by Snoop Dogg and Pharrell. Brazil’s former capital more than earns its nickname of ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ (the ‘Marvellous City’). Those reasons to marvel include stunning beaches, iconic landmarks (oh, hello, Christ the Redeemer!) and warm-hearted locals. Take advantage of daily flights with British Airways and spend a week here, ticking off samba vibes, history, culture, epic nature, unforgettable food and cocktails, the Carioca lifestyle and a late night or two.
Surf’s up (Ricardo De Mattos). Opening image: Sugarloaf Mountain
Discover the city’s supermodel good looks
Mother Nature was feeling generous when she shaped Rio de Janeiro, whose emerald-and-azure landscapes include Sugarloaf Mountain and a bounty of Gisele-worthy beaches, from Copacabana to Ipanema, Leblon and Barra. Lesser-known lures include the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, encircled by a 7.2km walking and cycling path, and the perfumed Botanical Garden, where native orchids, 100m-tall royal palms and Amazon rainforest plants bloom beside global beauties. When it comes to rainforests, Rio has two of the world’s largest – the Pedra Branca State Park and the Tijuca National Park.
Soak up culture and history
Rio de Janeiro’s unique blend of Portuguese, African and Indigenous influences has brought it Unesco World Heritage Site status. In cultured downtown, admire historic architecture, starting at the main square of Praça XV de Novembro or Largo do Paço. Illuminating museums include the Rio Art Museum (MAR), the National Museum of Indigenous Peoples and the Museum of Modern Art (MAM). Potter around the hilltop Santa Teresa district, discovering its eclectic galleries, vibrant cafés and atmospheric Ruins Park. To experience Rio’s wild side, coincide your visit with the world-famous Carnival, a multi-day-and-night extravaganza of samba music, hypnotic dances, opulent parade floats, jaw-dropping costumes and astonishing performers. It’s known as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ for a reason.
Christ the Redeemer
Swap scrolling for natural highs
Whether your idea of wellbeing involves relaxing in a pampering spa, watching surfers ride white-tipped waves, scoring goals against the locals on a white-sand beach, defying gravity with capoeira moves or enjoying paddleboarding expeditions and fresh-air mountain hikes, you’ll find it all here. A frequent host of global sporting events, Rio de Janeiro has been named ‘South America’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination’ nine times at the World Travel Awards. Talking of sport, football is a national passion, so catch a game at Maracanã Stadium, which seats more than 150,000 spectators.
Sample delicious food and drink
From tiny, now-ubiquitous super-berries – we’re looking at you, açaí – to deep-fried street snacks, carnivorous assados (barbecues) and moreish chocolate truffles, Brazilian cuisine has something for all tastes. Unmissable dishes to try include feijoada (black bean stew), coxinha (teardrop-shaped croquettes, filled with shredded chicken), churrasco (skewered meat) and pão de queijo (baked cheese balls). Between bites, hydrate with coconut water, sugarcane juice, Brahma beer, caipirinha cocktails, a tot of Cachaça or a sweet cafezinho Brazilian coffee.
Botanic Gardens (Fabio Xisto Duarte)
Stay up late with the locals
Take an adventurous approach to bedtime in Rio de Janeiro, which shines by day but dazzles by night. Discover the city’s nocturnal soul, with much of the action – from street parties to samba clubs – taking place in the late-night Lapa neighbourhood. For a more chilled vibe, take your pick of beach bars in Copacabana and Ipanema, soak up local culture in the botecos (neighbourhood bars) or admire the city from above at a rooftop restaurant, cocktail bar or nightclub.
Continue the South American adventures
Don’t stop at Rio – use the city as your launchpad for further-afield adventures. Welcoming daily flights from British Airways, RIOgaleão International Airport connects to 26 other destinations within Brazil and to more than seven cities in South America. Discover cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, one of South America's biggest cities. Dreaming of gaucho-style adventures, snow-cloaked Andean scenery and Patagonia’s gargantuan glaciers? Tango your way towards Buenos Aires in Argentina with British Airways via Rio.
