Rio Cruises

Rio de Janeiro is situated on the Rio Grande River in southern Brazil about eight miles from the mouth of the river. The State's oldest city and one of the most important ports in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro is a treasure chest of places to explore. One of the world's most famous attractions is here; the impressive towering statue, ‘Christ the Redeemer'. A statue of Jesus Christ, it's considered the second largest Art Deco statue in the world. For the most impressive views, take a cable car ride up ‘Sugar Loaf' mountain. From here, you'll see ‘Corcovado Mountain', the Rio beaches and the city below. Be sure to take your camera though, the photo opportunities are endless. There's also the famous ‘Ipanema' and ‘Copacabana'beaches. Football fanatics should try and catch a football match in ‘Estadio Maracana' – it's one of the world's largest stadiums.

There are several markets, 'Feira Hippie de Ipanema' and the 'Babilônia Hype Fair' - they're the perfect places to buy handicrafts, leather goods and unique fabrics. As Brazil is the world's largest producer of gemstones, gemstone jewellery is another popular purchase in Rio.

The local currency is the the real (BRL), plural reais. Rio de Janeiro is 2 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT -2).

Suggested read: How to spend 6 hours in Rio de Janeiro