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How to enjoy Rio carnival

19/01/2017/0 Comments/in Things to do

[Updated for 2019] Rio carnival (carnaval in Portuguse) is the biggest of it’s kind in the world – it draws two million people onto the streets daily. But what is it? And how can you get the most out of the experience?

Dating back to 1723, this city-wide, five day party has become synonymous with carefree fun and exuberance – one of the things to do at least once in your lifetime. But like most other things related to this city (and Brazil in general), Rio carnival is not something that can be easily explained in a sentence or two – there are many aspects and intricacies not immediately obvious to the casual observer.

I’m not going to be able to tell you everything about Rio carnival here, but what follows will hopefully help you understand what’s on offer and how you can best enjoy the experience.

Feira das Yabás

28/03/2014/4 Comments/in Food and drink, Things to do

The home of Portela samba school is here in Madureira, Zona Norte.

Carnival in Rio means different things to different people. Some look forward to the blocos which make up the Carnaval de Rua (street carnival), while others just want to get the hell out of town until it’s all over. Then there is another group for whom carnival is all about the Sambódromo and the competition between the samba schools. The people in this latter group often support a particular samba school in a way more commonly associated with football fans.

Personally I can’t pretend that it bothers me much who wins, but in the same way that I’ve picked a football team to nominally support (Botafogo), I’ve also picked a samba school – Portela. And the main reason I picked Portela was that it shares a home with Feira das Yabás.

Rio Carnaval 2014 – Off to Paquetá!

25/02/2014/10 Comments/in Things to do

Arriving on Paquetá, we were struck by the tranquil atmosphere due to the lack of cars and motorbikes.

Well, I’m officially in a full-on carnival state of mind! Last Saturday, some friends and I went to a bloco called Pérola de Guanabara (Pearl of Guanabara) which was held on the island of Paquetá. Paquetá is a small island in Guanabara Bay that you can visit by taking a 1:15hr ferry ride from Praça 15. It was my first visit to the island so I was already pretty excited, but to combine it with my first bloco of 2014 was an extra bonus. Little did I know that the highlight of this special day would be the ferry ride home!

Praia do Perigoso

23/01/2014/2 Comments/in Things to do

Hello everyone! Remember me? Afraid my whirlwind trip to England didn’t leave any time for blogging – just eating, drinking and catching up with old friends. For those of you suffering the heat in Rio right now, I won’t torture you with detailed descriptions of the English winter weather – let’s just say that the mornings were deliciously frosty.

Back in 40 degree Rio, we are all looking for ways to cool off. The beaches of Zona Sul are packed, especially on the weekends, and although I enjoy the social nature of Rio’s beaches, I think we all dream from time to time of having the whole beach to ourselves.

Well I have the answer! But you’re going to need a car, an appetite for exercise and plenty of water.

My favourite neighbourhood in Rio

27/12/2013/8 Comments/in Musings, Things to do

Well people – 2013 is finally drawing to a close and things at Eat Rio have been slowing down a bit too. Running food tours, cooking for Christmas, catching up with friends and family and holding down a full time job – these things take time!

Still, I found a moment in my lunch hour to write a little something. Earlier today I posted a photo of what I think is a lovely little building in Lapa.

This building is on Rua Riacheulo, just a short walk from the Arcos da Lapa.

Looking at this photo got me thinking about how much I like Lapa. As a neighbourhood it is strongly associated with nightlife and although it certainly does get very lively on the weekends, there are also some great things to see and do during the day. Last weekend we went wandering through the market on Rua do Lavradio, doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

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