When it Rains in Rio de Janeiro – What to Do?
When it rains or is cloudy in Rio it seems like everything stops. The people here are like sun flowers that open up with good weather. There is even a saying that the Carioca is made of sugar, she melts in rain. But you’re here on a vacation and don’t want to waste your time moaning about the weather right? I have put together some options here that will help you on the way.
Museums & Cinema
Click here and you’ll get to my section with recommended museums in Rio. There are many interesting in Rio de Janeiro, this mainly because it used to be the capital of Brazil. Well worth the effort if that’s your cup of tea. Is there a better pastime when it rains than to go to the cinema? Click here and you will get all the info you need.
Bowling
You will find this in some of the shopping malls it’s more for the wealthier Cariocas since it is quite pricey. The place listed is in Barra de Tijuca and accessible by bus from Zona Sul.
Boliche Social Club, in Barra Shopping, Av. das Américas 4666, Barra de Tijuca map, phone 2431-9566. 20 lanes. Open from latest 12h until midnight. Site: Boliche SocialClub
Go Kart
Like bowling it is only available in a few shopping malls; here is the most accessible.
Top Kart Indoor, Av. das Américas 1510, Barra de Tijuca map (located in “Supermercado Extra 24h”), phone 2178-4545/2484-4545, everyday 15h/00h. Indoor track, fairly cheap. Site: Top Kart Indoor
When it Rains – Go Shopping
The obvious choice for many people when it rains in Rio. What else is better than to buy stuff when you don´t know what to do? Click here and you’ll get to my comprehensive section for Shopping in Rio, it is loaded with tips.
Centro and Santa Teresa
Centro To get a good guide to the center of Rio, just click HERE and you´ll get to my page about that.
Santa Teresa, the bohemian neighbourhood on the hill is for sure one of the highlights in Rio. Getting there these days is slightly tricky since the bondinho (little train) stopped running, some options: Metro to Largo do Machado station and then a van; Metro to Catete station and then taxi; Metro to Carioca station and then bus from Rua da Carioca. Read more about the Metrô on my Subway in Rio. Well in Santa Teresa a good place to start off is Largo dos Guimarães which is kind of the centre. Here you also have a tourist information where you can get good information about galleries, museums, sights and restaurants. You also have many small shops with arts and handicraft around here. I personally recommend Parque das Ruinas (open everyday 10h/17h) on R. Murtinho Nobre 169 map, a 10 minute walk from Largo dos Guimarães.
Warning! The tranquility of this neighbourhood is deceiving, walking around Largo dos Guimarães is fine but since the winding maze of streets make it real easy to get lost and Santa Teresa is surrounded by many favelas (shantytowns). You better make sure you know where you are going and that it’s safe, verify in the tourist information. If it’s late at night I recommend you to take a cab back home. Walking from Santa Teresa to Lapa at night is not to recommend; there are lot’s of gringos getting robbed doing just that.
Jardim Botánico and Parque Lage
Jardim Botânico Highly recommended. I actually find it more pleasant to go here when it rains because it’s not so hot. Close to the lake (Lagoa) is Jardim Botânico (the Botanical Gardens), one of the Rio de Janeiro attractions that is perfect for a rainy day. There is also a nice café here. The address is R. Jardim Botânico 920, Jardim Botânico map, tel 3874-1808/3874-1214. It is open everyday 8h/17h and entrance is cheap. You can get there either by bus 125 that passes through all of Zona Sul including Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon or bus 409 that passes Botafogo but then cuts across straight to the lake. You can also easily walk from Ipanema and Leblon by using a map, it’s not far.
Parque Lage is located close to Jardim Botânico on R. Jardim Botânico 414 map. It is free to the public and in a beautiful old building, that actually resembles an old Roman villa, you have an art school and a really nice little café that is open during the day. Well worth a visit, not only when it rains.