11 Things to Do in Rio de Janeiro That Locals Actually Rate
Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf are non-negotiable. You'll do them, you'll love them, and you'll have the photos to prove it. But here's the thing — those two cost you the better part of a day and a chunk of your budget, and they're the least surprising part of Rio.
This is the other list. The stuff cariocas (that's what Rio locals call themselves) actually do on a Saturday. Some of it's free. Some of it involves a sweaty hike. All of it beats standing in a 90-minute queue for a cable car.
1. Clap for the sunset at Arpoador
Every evening, a crowd gathers on Arpoador Rock, the chunk of stone wedged between Ipanema and Copacabana, and when the sun drops behind the Dois Irmãos peaks, everyone applauds. Genuinely. Hundreds of strangers clapping at the sky.
It's free, it happens daily, and it's the single most carioca thing you can do. Get there 30 minutes early in summer because the rock fills up fast. Grab a beer from a vendor (around R$8, roughly $1.50) and sit on the warm stone.
2. Ride the yellow tram up to Santa Teresa
The bondinho de Santa Teresa is a clattering yellow tram that rattles across the Arcos da Lapa aqueduct and up the hill into Rio's old bohemian quarter. Tickets are R$20 (about $3.60), and you buy them at the Carioca metro station end.
Santa Teresa itself is cobblestones, crumbling mansions, and art studios. Wander. Get a little lost. The streets are steep, so wear actual shoes — not flip-flops.
3. Do the Selarón Steps before 9AM
The Escadaria Selarón — 215 steps covered in tiles from over 60 countries — is the life's work of Chilean artist Jorge Selarón, who tiled them obsessively until his death in 2013. It's free and it's spectacular.
It's also mobbed by 10AM. Go at sunrise or just after, and you'll have the reds-and-yellows mostly to yourself for the photo. By mid-morning you're sharing every step with a tour group and three influencers doing the exact same pose.
4. Hike Pedra do Telégrafo for that cliff photo
You've seen the picture — someone dangling off a cliff edge over a vertigo drop. That's Pedra do Telégrafo, way out west in Barra de Guaratiba. The twist? The drop is an optical illusion. There's solid rock about two meters below you. You're never actually in danger.
The hike takes 40-60 minutes each way and gets brutal in the midday heat. Go early, bring water, and expect a queue at the rock itself for the money shot. Getting there without a car is a faff — easiest via Uber or a tour, since public transport out this way crawls.
5. Eat at Feira de São Cristóvão
Forget the beachfront restaurants charging tourist prices. Feira de São Cristóvão (officially the Centro Luiz Gonzaga) is a covered market dedicated to northeastern Brazilian food and culture. Carne de sol, tapioca, ice-cold beer, and live forró most nights.
A plate of food runs R$25-40 ($4.50-7). It's busiest Friday and Saturday nights when the bands play till dawn. This is where you eat like a local for the price of a sandwich back home.
6. Walk the Cláudio Coutinho trail (the free Sugarloaf hack)
Here's a contrarian move. Skip the R$160 (about $29) cable car up Sugarloaf — or at least split it. The Pista Cláudio Coutinho at Praia Vermelha is a flat, paved coastal trail that's completely free and hugs the base of the mountain.
Better still, partway along there's a path up Morro da Urca, the first peak. Scramble up — it's a real hike, 30-40 minutes — and you can take the cable car for just the second leg, saving cash and earning the view. The trail gate closes around 6PM, so don't dawdle.
7. Watch Flamengo play at the Maracanã
A football match at the Maracanã is loud, chaotic, and unforgettable. Flamengo has the biggest, rowdiest following in the country — when they score, the whole stadium shakes, and the only South American rivalry that matches it for sheer noise is the Boca–River derby down in Buenos Aires. Tickets start around R$60-80 ($11-15) for the cheap seats and climb fast for the big games.
Buy through the official club app, not from a tout outside. If there's no game on, the stadium tour runs daily for about R$90 ($16) and walks you through the tunnel and pitch-side.
8. Take it slow at Parque Lage
At the foot of Corcovado sits Parque Lage, a former estate with a mansion, a courtyard café, and trails running into the Tijuca forest. Entry is free. The café does a decent breakfast, though it's not cheap and the weekend queue is long.
The real draw is the view: stand in the mansion courtyard and Christ the Redeemer looms directly above you. Best free Cristo backdrop in the city, and the monkeys turn up in the trees if you're patient.
9. Drink at an actual boteco
Skip the polished beach bars. A boteco is a no-frills neighborhood spot with plastic chairs, cold draft beer (chopp), and bar snacks. Two worth your time:
Bip Bip in Copacabana — a tiny room where musicians gather for impromptu samba and bossa nova sessions. The owner will famously shush you if you talk over the music. Bring cash.
Bar do Mineiro in Santa Teresa — order the feijoada on a Saturday. The real, heavy, all-afternoon version.
A chopp runs R$8-12 ($1.50-2). You'll spend hours here and regret nothing.
10. Ferry across to Niterói
For about R$7 ($1.30), the public ferry from Praça XV crosses Guanabara Bay to Niterói in 20 minutes. The ride alone hands you the best skyline view in Rio — the whole granite-and-beach panorama from the water, the same mountain-meets-sea drama you'd otherwise have to fly to Cape Town to match.
On the other side, the MAC Niterói is a flying-saucer-shaped art museum by Oscar Niemeyer. Even if modern art leaves you cold, the building and the lookout terrace earn the R$24 ($4.40) entry.
11. Spend Sunday at the Feira Hippie de Ipanema
Every Sunday, Praça General Osório in Ipanema fills with the Feira Hippie — a craft and art market running since 1968. Hammocks, leather goods, paintings, and stalls grilling queijo coalho cheese on a stick.
Pair it with a beach afternoon at Posto 9, the stretch of Ipanema where the young and the beautiful sprawl out. Rent a chair and umbrella for around R$20-30 ($3.60-5.50) and order caipirinhas from the beach vendors as they pass.
Pro Tip
Don't try to cram this into two days. Rio runs slow — transport is unpredictable, the heat saps you, and half the joy is sitting on a beach doing nothing in particular. Pick three or four of these, leave room for the icons, and accept that you'll miss things. That's your excuse to come back — or to fold Rio into a longer South American run that takes in Cartagena up on the Caribbean coast.
One real warning: be sensible with valuables. Leave the flashy watch at the hotel, carry a cheap phone or just enough cash for the day, and don't wave a big camera around on a quiet street. Cariocas do this instinctively. So should you.
