The BEST CITY in the WORLD! Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Travel 2025

Welcome to Rio! Known as the marvelous city with stunning beaches, mountainous landscapes, amazing culture, incredible food, the best sunsets we've ever seen, one of the seven wonders of the world, and so much vibrant energy. We spent five days exploring Rio and we're gonna show you all the best things to do and exactly how much to budget for this trip. Stay tuned. What's up Explorers? Welcome back to our channel. We're the Chews here from Chews2Explore where we teach you guys how to see the world and save a dollar. So we are here in beautiful Brazil. Yes. None other than Rio de Janeiro and we're super excited because this is a place that we've always wanted to visit for such a very long time but it's so far away and the flights are super expensive but we got lucky and we found an Avianca flight sale for $431 per person so we jumped on that deal and now we're here. New York to Rio de Janeiro. So we came here during March 2024 so there were no visa requirements but starting next month there will be visa requirements for Americans and we have all that included in our Brazil guide linked in the description below. So one of the best things about Rio is that Uber is widely available and it is very affordable. So right from the airport we took an Uber from the airport to our accommodation and it was about 98 reals which is more or less $20 and it was like an hour-long drive which is a great price because in New York you drive for five minutes and it's $20. So unfortunately we got here so early that we couldn't check into our Airbnb yet but our host was really nice and she let us leave our bags so we're ready to get out and explore Rio de Janeiro. So from our Airbnb we walked about 20 minutes down by the water and passed by Leblon Beach. It's a beautiful beach there. Lots of people. It's beautiful temperature right now as well. I hope it doesn't get much hotter than this but I really love the streets. They have mosaic tiles and it's beautiful just to see and after that we ended up at Zona Azul. Zona Azul is actually a supermarket but they have a lot of self-service options and a lot of food so we went here and Liv got a mushroom pizza and I got a salami panini and it was good. Lots of flavor. We also got a coconut water because we're getting into some adventures today so we got to stay hydrated. All together was about 42 reais. So we just took an Uber. It was about 30 minutes and we are here at the National Park of Tijuca and it's a beautiful green space. It's actually west of Rio de Janeiro but it's beautiful over here and we're gonna do a little hike right? A baby hike. So stay tuned and come along with us. We made it here at Cascatina Torneio. I think that's how you say it. It's a beautiful waterfall and what's really cool about it is the cascades all the way down some rocks and to get and to see the beautiful view you have this tunnel that you can go right through and it's just amazing here. Not too many people, fresh water so definitely come check this one out right here in Tijuca National Park, Tijuca National Park. So we climbed up some crazy mountains through garbage cans and people or motorbikes but we made it here at Cafe Imar but unfortunately it looks like between the hours of 1 and 2 they have like a lunch break where they don't serve food but Liv was tired so she wanted to get a coffee so we came to get a coffee but we're really here for the views. It has spectacular views looking out into the different rock formations, the different beaches and it's just a really cool vibe and aesthetic so I highly recommend coming here. It took about a 30-minute Uber from our place to get us to Praia Vermelha. So from the time that we got there to the time that we made it up top was only 15 minutes which is what really accelerated that process is we bought our tickets online beforehand and that allowed us to bypass a lot of people and just go right up to the mountain. So getting up in the cable car there were so many people packed up in that little box but it definitely felt safe and it was a cool ride. It was quick too. I would say less than like three minutes but now we're up here and I saw a monkey. I think it's a monkey that I've never seen before. I've never seen an animal like that. It was calm. It didn't attack anybody so that's good. But don't feed the monkeys. There's signs about that. Alright so we thought we were all the way up at Sugarloaf Mountain but we weren't. There's actually another cable ride that you got to take up here and it's perfect because it gives me more time on the cable ride. It's a beautiful another quick ride and up here is even higher, even better views. The sun is setting over the mountains behind and I just can't take in all the beauty here in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. So nice. Alright so right after seeing Sugarloaf Mountain on the cable car we were hungry so we headed over to Yaya's restaurant and it was really close by and it was so good. So it's a black woman owned restaurant right here in Brazil and it has a lot of black Brazilian cuisine and flavors and these are some complex flavors. We started off with drinks and I got a coconut lemonade and it was great. Yes and my drink was actually pineapple with some chamomile and it was really good. So for starters we had the acarajé platter and it was really good. It had shrimp, it had critters and it was so flavorful. And we decided to share another shrimp dish. You know they don't eat shrimp and rice. And it was good because they had so much flavor. So it had rice and she says it's her favorite rice. It was like really large grained rice and it was so good just on its own. But then adding the shrimp was really good and then it was like a shrimp stew and then also there was cassava powder. Yeah. Crust, right? Cassava flour. Yeah. And just I highly recommend it. A lot of really good food here. Yes, good flavors, good texture, good place to go. Good morning, good morning. Another beautiful day here in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As you can see it is quite early. The sun is not even risen because we are getting up to see one of the best places for sunrise in all of Rio. So stay tuned. You don't want to miss this one guys. Let's go. 4.30. Alright so we're here. Literally the only light that's here are these flashlights. It's still 5.30 in the morning. The sun has not risen yet but we are heading up to go see the beautiful view. So stay with us guys. Let's hope that we capture these amazing views. Alright so we made it here. As you can see the sun is rising and there are so many beautiful views but there are a lot of people, a lot of photographers here trying to direct people but I don't care. I'm gonna get the picture I want and I don't care who tells me because honestly I don't speak Portuguese so I don't know what they're saying anyway. But spectacular views here. So we walked over to the other side of the parking lot to the helicopter pad section. There's a lot less people here and it's a really great spot to just get some drone footage and you can also even see Christ the Redeemer from here. Literally one of the most beautiful sunrises that I've ever seen with the mountains, the lakes, the sun peeking through. Rio is beautiful. If you like more details on Morante Dona Marta I have an entire blog post on so check it out. Let me tell you how amazing the people here in Brazil are. So we were at Mirante and we were trying to get down to the Christ the Redeemer cable car area but the Ubers were so far away. They were like 15 minutes away and we were trying to get here for 7 o'clock to be one of the first people at Christ the Redeemer but we couldn't get a ride. But amazing people here. In the parking lot we talked to these people in our broken Portuguese translator and they took us here and we tried to give them money but they didn't even want it. But now we made it here at Paneira de Corcovado and it's a little bit before 7 o'clock. There is a line here but let's see if we can be one of the only people, the first people at Christ the Redeemer. So it is currently 7 31 and we are in the 7 o'clock boarding group and they are just now letting us enter. So let's see what time we actually get up there. Alright so we made it here to one of the seven wonders of the world. We're on the second bus to get here to Christ the Redeemer and it has incredible views. So many amazing views. The sun is up now but there's also so many people even though we were there on the second bus. So this is also the perfect place for any special moment or activity you have. For example this guy just proposed to his fiancee now at the Christ the Redeemer and it was great to see it right behind Rio and Christ the Redeemer. So one thing that really is cool is in the place of Christ the Redeemer was supposed to be the lady who abolished slavery in Brazil but she said no I'm not the Redeemer of men. Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of men and that is why Christ the Redeemer is on top of this hill for the most beautiful panoramic views in the city. Alright so just 15 minutes away from Christ the Redeemer is Plage Cafe and so we got here right at 9 when they open up and everyone was waiting in line to take a great picture. So we did the same and after we got our photos in we came to sit and eat and have breakfast. So let's see how it is. Honestly if you guys can see my head right now it is hot in Rio. We've been up since 4 30 in the morning and it wasn't so hot but now I am baking filet mignon right now. Alright so I just finished eating at Plage Cafe. I ended up getting the vegetarian lasagna and it was pretty good. I don't know why I thought there's gonna be noodles in it. It was just eggplant but it was really good, really good cheese and I enjoyed it. But once you leave the cafe and you start walking they have this beautiful garden and they have these amazing trees. I originally thought that they were palm trees but when I look up I see a bunch of monkeys up top coming to eat the food but not just that. They have the otahite. I forget the name of the fruit but in Jamaica we just call them apples. But they have these beautiful fruit and I wish I could get them but the monkeys are hogging all of them. Alright so it's midday now about like 12 o'clock and we walked down right from our Airbnb and we're at Praia de Leblon which is Leblon beach. What's good y'all? And let's just say it is active out here. There are so many people and they all have their own beach umbrellas. They are enjoying and having a good time so we got to get in it too. Alright so we're in Brazil so you know we have to get really good acai. So we went to ASA which is Amazon Sustainable Action Acai and Liv got the what? I got half acai half cupuaçu. I think it's called but listen it is so good. It's an Amazonian super fruit and I highly recommend it guys. Cupuaçu I think. Get that one. Alright so we're walking back to our Airbnb and what I will say Brazilians are beautiful fit people. Listen I thought I'd look good with my shirt off but I just seen a couple women with a six-pack on a upper back and a lower back so I can't compare with that. Everybody works out here. An 18-pack versus my six-pack, ain't it? Alright so we were just walking back home and right there on the beach we saw this charismatic guy making drinks so you know we had to get one. We got a national drink of Brazil which is the caipirinha and it's so good. It's lime, it's rum, sugar, so much good flavor and I don't drink but I got the coconut, lots of flavor and hers was only 20 reals and mine was only 9 reals. Yes, right by Leblon Beach. So we went to this place called Bar de Ardoa. I think that's what it's called but it was really good. I got a Brazilian dish which is escondido. I think it's called, it was really good. It had like pulled meat, it had mashed potatoes, parmesan, it was lots of flavor in there. I highly recommend it. It was a shepherd's pie that he got and I got, it's something that reminded me of a pastechi from Aruba. Oh yeah. It was actually something called of the gods and it had, it was filled with two kinds of cheeses. No like four. It was like parmesan, brie, gorgonzola and something else but it was all really good. All right and we made it to Ipanema right before the sunset. If you can see that over there, it sunsets right over the mountains and it's a beautiful view. Ipanema is definitely another beach right next to Leblon but this beach honestly is a lot prettier. It looks prettier. There's a lot more tourists that are here and there's a lot more vendors so this is definitely. A lot of things catching my eye. I might need to buy. I gotta get away. We walked all the way on the boardwalk and we made it here to these rocks where it has an amazing view of the sunset right over the rocks in Rio de Janeiro. I absolutely love this. This is definitely the best place that I've seen for a sunset. So a really good thing about this beach is that you don't even have to go anywhere. All the people come to you with their drinks, with their food. They'll come and serve it right to you. For dinner here we ended up at Bracero because I really wanted to get good Brazilian steak and we walked all the way up Copacabana Beach and it's another beautiful beach here and we made it here. So I got the steak with fries, eggs, rice and it was great. It was a picanha steak and lots of flavor here. Liv got a banana fritter. She says it kind of reminded her of a Auntie Anne's pretzel. If you know, you know. But all together it was about a hundred real. So about $20 for the two of us for dinner. So pretty good price. Now we're gonna head back home. Good morning. Good morning. Another beautiful day here in Rio de Janeiro. So we got woken up to these beautiful sound of the waves. Bom dia! And we are heading to get the day started. The people here are so friendly and yeah it's like 5.55, about to be 6 o'clock. But you know we got to be early. We got to start the days early because you know, choose to explore, we always choose to explore. We got things to do. We made it here. It's around 6.30 in the morning and it's just us and one other group here to take pictures. So it's good. It's beautiful and you can live out your dream of being a video vixen in the beautiful video art. I'm not a vixen. Alright so these steps were designed by Sailor Ron who was fixing his stairs in front of his house. There's over 200 stairs and there's over 2,000 tiles now and people from all over the world started contributing to the tiles and the ceramics and it's really cool to see. So many bright beautiful colors, beautiful tiles from all over the world. Alright if you want more information on the Sailor Ron steps, check out ChooseToExplore.com. I have an entire blog post on it. Alright so right after we left the steps, we went right across the street to this restaurant and we had some delicious, delicious acai. Nice and refreshing. But while we're sitting here and we're watching all the people coming in and out, come early because there are so many people here and it's only 8 o'clock right now. The vendors are coming out. It's good to support the local economy so definitely come and support. So from Escaderia Sailor Ron, we walked up the hill. Liv may say it was a mountain. It was a mountain. In order to get us up. Straight vertical mountain. In order for us to get here to Parque de las Ruinas, which is a super cool ruined mansion with a really nice art gallery. But even though it was a long walk, on Google Maps it says it's going to take 12 minutes but with stops it probably took us like 30 minutes right? Take an Uber okay? Don't walk, just take an Uber. Well we're here, it's beautiful and this has one of the most beautiful views of Sugarloaf Mountain where we were on our first day. So definitely would recommend it. It also has a little like a concert hall, different women shops and markets. So highly recommend coming here. Lots of souvenirs you can buy and I'm just going to relax for now. So we just took an Uber from the Ruins Park and we pulled up to the Botequim Os Jimens. I apologize, Portuguese is very hard for me to pronounce but I really love this spot. It's very affordable. They have promotions that are Monday through Sunday so I ended up getting this fried fish and it was phenomenal with broccoli rice and mashed potatoes. And I am so full right now and it's a great breakfast choice. Yeah, I actually got broccoli rice as well and some beans with cassava flour and like a pico de gallo offal. So it was really good and also some juice. Highly recommend it guys. Alright, so next up we went to Sterner Cafe and I got a really good latte with oat milk. And then afterwards we walked towards Museum Joe Amango which is like the museum of tomorrow. And it's really cool here. They have a lot of shops lined up. It's right by the ocean so there's tons of beautiful water, boats here. So I really like it. This area kind of reminds me of like a European area. It looks a lot different than the other parts in Rio that we've been to which is cool. But I had to get my $2 acai right from the street carts. Very good and listen, everybody here takes card, even the street carts. So now we're here at the Museum Joe Amango and let's enter. So I'm out here in Brazil. Oh yes. And my guy, listen, this New York connection right here. It's funny how things happen. Listen, my first day I actually, my controller broke and my man is out here. So I had to link up with him. I had to get the controller. You're a fool if you don't ask people when you have connections. You're a fool. So he showed me love. He brought the controller and we got to chop it up. Listen, the first time we ever linked is in Rio, Brazil. It's not even in New York. It's in Brazil. First time. First time. Appreciate you, my brother. Anytime. So here on Copacabana Beach on Sundays they actually block off this whole road. So only pedestrians can go this way. So definitely a cool place to be to watch people and just enjoy over here, right? So Copacabana is a beautiful beach. It's a beach that I've heard about since I was a kid. So I'm so happy to finally be here. But the sand is super soft, white sand. There's a lot of people with umbrellas and beach chairs. And it's just a great place to be. At the beach Liv got her 75th cup of acai, right? Yeah, it's really good. But definitely come to the beach to get it because it's the cheapest yet at the beach. This one was not even $2 for this cup. Then it had oats and all of that as well. So on the beach we keep seeing these different corn stands and a lot of people eating them and getting them. And I was like, who wants hot corn when it's 96 degrees outside? But I decided to stop and get it. I think it's called Milo Verde. And this is very good. They get the corn on the cob. They cut it off. And then they give you different toppings with garlic, salt, butter. Really good. I highly recommend it. And it's only $10 which is like $2. It's a really big place to be to. Good morning, good morning. Another beautiful day here in Rio. And it's a lot brighter than it usually is when we say good morning because I let the queen sleep in. You know, we slept in until like 8 o'clock. You know, that's sleeping in for us. But we're ready to get this day started. We're going to get some breakfast and still got a lot more to do. So for breakfast we walked to Bibi Lanches which is right here in the Leblon area. Liv had to get her favorite Cucuazu, her 16th one. I got the pineapple with the mint in it. I love this one as well. We also got the Brazilian cheese bread called Pão de Queijo. I highly recommend getting that. And also some different breakfast pastries. I really enjoyed it. And it's inexpensive. Altogether this was like 30 reais which is like $6. For breakfast we stopped at Nusa Cafe which is right by Leblon Beach. And it's a really cute little cafe. It's somewhere to somewhere in Bali. I ordered a really great dish. I got the sourdough toast with avocado and tomatoes and mushrooms. And it was so good. I also got a cappuccino with almond milk. And then what did you get? I got the papaya fruit bowl. And it was actually papaya with granolas, kiwis, blueberries, strawberries. And it was really good. Altogether this was about 85 reais which is really good. So then we took an hour long ride from Rio all the way to Pedra de Telegrafo which is a far ride. It was only about 80 reais again which is a good price for how far away it is. From there you could take a motorbike up about 20 minutes. It saves you a lot of time when you're walking. But we decided to walk up. The walk was pretty easy. We just followed Google Maps and went around to the trailhead. And now we have about 30 more minutes up to the rock and the viewpoint. It's not a choose-to-explore destination without hiking. So you ready my love? We got the energy from breakfast. She says also to bring bug spray. Oh and water. You're not going to make it without water. So it took us about an hour from the bottom all the way to the top. But we made it here. And it's a beautiful viewpoint here. Now the reason why everybody comes here is because of the effect. It looks like you're hanging off the edge of a cliff. But really there's a rock underneath you. So it's definitely safe. You will get a little scared when you get there because just from how high it is. But we waited in line to take the photos. It took us about a 30 minute wait because everybody comes and they take like 10 minutes each photo which is crazy. I mean you deserve it. You did this long hike and you made it to this viewpoint. So get your pics in. There is a guy up here that will take your photos for you for 5 Reals which is like $1 per photo. So you guys can do that if you want really good pictures as well. Alright so while we were in line waiting to take our picture at Cafe Plage. The lady in front of us was really nice. And she was showing us all these really beautiful pictures of like really nice water. And telling us exactly where to go to find it. And she actually typed it into our phone and everything. So we saved it on our map. It was Ilha do Gigio. So we just went there. And I don't think it was the same place that she meant to take us to. So we really just took a short boat ride like 1 minute across the water. And we ate at a restaurant called Akbar. At Akbar's restaurant. And it was okay. And then afterwards. My food was phenomenal. I got the mixed skewers. The chicken with the bacon. I got the carnet. Listen, mine was really good. Mine was okay. I had the shrimp bobo. But the shrimp bobo that I had at Yaya's was like phenomenal. So it didn't really compare to that one. And then afterwards we had some gelato right up the street. And that was pretty good. It was self-serve gelato. And now we walked a little bit further up the street from where the boat let us off. And now we're at Praia de Barra da Tijuca. I'm sorry. It's on the screen. So this is a really nice beach. The water looks nicer than the water that we saw at the other beaches so far. In Rio. So this is a really nice relaxing time that we're having. And not just that. It's a lot less people here as well. Yeah. Alright, so we're here at Pedra do Sal on a Monday night. And if you know anything about this area, it's where they have the block party every single Monday after 8 o'clock. So right here, it's so many people. It's so lively here. They're playing samba music. They're dancing. They have a bunch of drinks. A bunch of food. And what really surprised me is everybody still takes cards. Even though there's different stalls. It's really cool. It's a real good vibe. You can dance. You can drink. You can just have a good time. So every Monday, come to the samba parties at Pedra do Sal. Good morning, good morning. It's our last and final day here in Rio. And we got up early. Took Uber to the airport. And it only took about 25 minutes, which is fantastic. And Uber only costs around $14, which is also fantastic. And we made it here at the Rio de Janeiro airport. So we had an amazing time in Rio. And you can't wait to get back here. There's so much more to explore in the gigantic country of Brazil. And we haven't even scratched the surface. Yeah, so if you need any more details to plan your Brazil trip, check out TuesdaysWear.com. We have a bunch of blogs on Brazil. And also our Explore Brazil travel guide. So check it all out. So thank you guys so much for checking out our channel. Please be sure to like, comment, and subscribe. And we'll see you guys on the next one.