GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH RIO DE JANEIRO.
In order to become more familiarized with the town, here are some of the facts about the city.
Rio de Janeiro is the name for the city, as well as for the state. Therefore, we are in the city of Rio which is in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The city is divided into 4 zones: North Zone, West Zone, Central and South Zone.
SOUTH ZONE
If there is a question about where to stay, the answer is, undoubtedly, South Zone. In it are the main sights of the city. The beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon. The Corcovado, Sugar Loaf Mountain, the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, the Botanical Garden. There, too, are concentrated hotels, guest houses, shopping malls, bars and restaurants.
South Zone you connect easily to other city zones.
WEST ZONE
In the West Zone, which includes Barra da Tijuca, where The Olympic Park is being built and where most of the sport events will take place, in the 2016 Olympics. There are also good hotels in the area. Barra da Tijuca is a planned neighborhood with large spaces between buildings and, therefore, navigating through the area will require transportation (walking would be challenging). Barra da Tijuca is the preferred beach by most locals.
CENTER
The Center is the economic heart of the city. It is there that is the Port of Rio. In the past, it was an ugly place and seldom visited. Today, modern and revitalized, it became the region of the city that has undergone the biggest changes, in order to receive the Olympic fans. In the Central region are museums, historic buildings, Lapa with its famous arches, and the tram leading to the Santa Teresa neighborhood. Lapa is also famous for its numerous bars and restaurants that are local favorites.
The Santos Dumont Airport is also located in the Central region. Its landing strip is surrounded by the Guanabara Bay. The airport has a shopping center and a hotel.
The bus and Metro systems, in this area, facilitate moving around town. The center is very busy during the week, but on weekends is practically deserted.
NORTH ZONE
In the north, very close to the center, is the Sambadrome, where the famous, yearly, event of Carnaval, with the parade of all the samba schools, takes place. Not far from it is the Maracanã Stadium, the Quinta da Boa Vista Park and, further away, the International Airport.
Take a look at the maps below and feel at home.
