Stories from Rio de Janeiro
Long-form writing on the city and its edges — beach culture, samba nights, favela tourism and the practicalities of travel in Brazil.
More stories
The best neighbourhood to stay in Rio, by traveller type
Brazil power plugs and voltage — what actually fries your stuff
Cariocas and the beach body myth
Carnival without the Sambadrome — the blocos are often the better Carnival
Day trip or overnight — the honest verdict on the Costa Verde
Getting a SIM card in Brazil — the honest version
How much does Rio de Janeiro actually cost?
How to order in a boteco
Is Rio de Janeiro safe for tourists? An honest answer
Is the metro safe in Rio? The honest, specific answer
New Year's in Rio — what to actually expect
Portuguese phrases for Rio
Rio airport transfer options — real prices, from GIG to Zona Sul
Rio in the rain — what actually happens, and what to do about it
Rio's off-season — the quiet, cheap, clear-skied secret
Rio tourist traps to avoid
Rio with a baby — the practical reality
Sunday on the Avenida Atlântica
The posto system explained
The truth about favela tours
Tipping in Brazil — what actually happens
What cariocas actually do on Sunday
What to pack for Rio — sun, sudden rain, and the street kit
Why Rio beaches have no towels
Good to know about the Rio de Janeiro blog
The blog is where Rio de Janeiro Trip steps back from strict planning logistics and covers the questions that shape how a trip actually feels, written with the same plain, no-fluff approach as the rest of the site. " Carnival gets serious, non-kitsch treatment: a piece on what a samba school rehearsal is actually like months before the main event, and an honest account of what the Sambadrome experience involves, sector by sector, rather than a single glossy description. Favela tourism gets its own dedicated, careful piece — what a community-based visit actually looks like, what it costs the neighbourhood when it's done badly, and why a drive-by photo stop is worth skipping entirely.
Food and boteco culture make up a real share of the blog: a piece on what to actually order in a boteco beyond the obvious chopp and petiscos, a deep dive into feijoada's Saturday ritual, and a Confeitaria Colombo piece for readers who want the belle-époque room without treating it as just another café stop.
Safety and honesty run through several pieces without turning into a single scare-focused article: a solo female travel guide that treats Rio like a real city with real precautions rather than either downplaying or overselling the risk, and a piece on the practical difference between Zona Sul's tourist beaches and the neighbourhoods a first-time visitor has no reason to wander into unplanned. A best-time-to-visit piece pulls the seasonal picture together in one place — Carnival's energy and expense, the drier winter's comfort for hiking, and the humid build-up from December — without inventing specific numbers.
None of the blog content replaces the destination or guide pages; it's meant to be read for context and honesty before or during a trip, answering the softer questions a strict logistics guide doesn't cover.
Frequently asked questions about the Rio de Janeiro blog
Is Rio de Janeiro safe for solo female travellers?
Zona Sul's main beach and tourist areas are generally manageable with the same precautions any big city calls for — rideshares after dark, valuables out of sight, and avoiding empty streets late at night. The blog's solo female travel piece covers this in more practical detail than a single yes-or-no answer can.
What is favela tourism, and is it okay to do?
Done through a community-based operator that employs local guides and reinvests in the neighbourhood, it's a legitimate and often genuinely worthwhile visit. Done as a drive-by photo stop with an outside company, it isn't — the blog's piece on this is deliberately direct about the difference.
What's the real difference between Copacabana and Ipanema beaches?
Copacabana is louder, busier and slightly more budget, with a long uninterrupted curve of sand; Ipanema is quieter, more upscale, and organised around numbered postos that each have their own crowd, with Posto 9 the best-known.
When is Rio at its best, according to the blog?
The drier, cooler winter months from June to August are the most comfortable for walking and hiking. Carnival, in February or March, has the most energy but also the highest prices and crowds — worth planning around rather than avoiding.