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Rio de Janeiro

Brazil · South America · southern hemisphere

SwimmingLakes & CoastlineHikingCity & CultureFestivals & Events

Rio de Janeiro is at its best for swimming in December to March. Good but not prime in April and November.

JFMAMJJASOND
Swimming
96
95
96
76
26
15
9
3
17
42
58
84
Lakes & Coastline
56
57
85
95
78
13
16
14
42
72
92
85
Hiking
11
11
11
19
72
88
92
90
70
62
42
10
City & Culture
15
15
39
45
88
92
94
92
86
68
66
14
Festivals & Events
42
90
10
8
17
18
21
18
15
15
15
67

No reliable monthly crowd data for this destination — the proxy used elsewhere did not pass its checks here, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.

Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.

primegoodpossibleoff-seasoncrowds, on this place’s own scale

The short version

The best hiking weather is the cool, dry June–August winter — the exact opposite of beach season, which is hot, wet and packed

What the walking is like

Five- or six-hour climbs straight out of the city, in serious heat. A guide is usual for the favela-adjacent trails.

When not to come

Assuming summer is the good season. December–March is hot, wet, and the most expensive — the hiking is far better in the cool winter.

Busiest

Carnival week, then the whole December–February summer

With children

A beach city with plenty for children, but summer heat is punishing and the famous hikes are steep scrambles rather than walks.

Where to stay

Copacabana and Ipanema carry the beachfront markup. Botafogo and Santa Teresa are cheaper, better for food, and still on the metro.

Dates that matter

  • Carnival — February or early March, moving with Easter; around two million people, book months ahead and check the year’s dates
  • Réveillon, New Year’s Eve on Copacabana — the other mass event
  • Quieter value windows: March, May, September and November

Walks

  • Pedra da Gávea — the hardest and the best, with a scramble near the top
  • Pico da Tijuca — the high point of the forest, reachable on a half day
  • Morro Dois Irmãos — short, steep, and the classic view over Ipanema

Tijuca is among the largest urban forests in the world, with dozens of marked trails inside the city limits. Pedra da Gávea is not one of them: the Carrasqueira pitch is a graded rock climb where falls are fatal.

See everything else at its best in Jan

Elsewhere in South America

Torres del PaineMendozaBarilocheCusco & the Sacred ValleyGalápagos IslandsPortilloPantanalValle Nevado & the Chilean Andes