With 240 Brazilian Real, you can do Rio de Janeiro in under $100.
For breakfast, ask your hotel about the day’s “feira livre,” one of Rio’s many produce markets that take place somewhere every morning. Fresh vegetables, herbs and tropical fruit are available for purchase, making for a cheap and healthy way to start your day.
No trip to Rio is complete without spending some time at the beach, though it can be tempting to relax the whole day there. Copacabana is a free, public beach famous around the world, regularly hosting performances from Brazilian folk dancing to rock concerts. The nearby Riotur office has free maps and brochures to help plan your day around the city. There are plenty of beach bars dotting the coast, but be sure to try coconut juice, straight from a freshly chopped coconut.
If you’re feeling up for it, a trip up Corcovado Mountain gives you a great view of Rio and Tijuca Forest, as well as some great Instagram shots of Christ the Redeemer, the iconic statue of Jesus. A ride on the cogwheel train will cost you $18, and the recently installed elevators and escalators will get you to the top without breaking a sweat.
On your way back down consider a trek through Tujica Forest National Park, a hand-planted rainforest that claims to be the largest urban forest in the world. A variety of native birds, animals and plant life live in the park, and there are also impressive murals by Brazilian artist Candido Portinari. A jeep tour costs $36, but visitors can hike its trails for free.
As you make your way through the city, a good stop would be La Escadaria Selarón, the world-famous tiled steps between the Lapa and Santa Teresa neighborhoods. Chilean artist Jorge Selarón decorated the steps, and what began as a side-project soon became an obsession. Selarón was a constant fixture on the stairs, decorating the 250 steps with more than 2,000 tiles for more than two decades before his tragic death in 2013. Today, the steps have been featured in everything from National Geographic to Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful” video.
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