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SIGHTSEEING Copacabana
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Christ The Redeemer
The Train
Inaugurated on October 9, 1884, by Emperor D. Pedro II, the railroad Estrada de Ferro do Corcovado was Brazil's first railroad for tourism purposes.
Steam trains were used until 1910 when they were replaced by electric trains with capacity for 66 passengers, becoming the country's first electric railway.
The trains that take the passengers to the top Alto do Morro do Corcovado today are of Swiss origin and have capacity for 120 passengers.
It takes 20 minutes to cover the 3.824-meter railway on 15 km per hour. Between 8:30 AM and 6 PM they part at every 30 or 20 minutes from the Stations.
The Monument
At an altitude of 710 meters, the monument of Christ the Redeemer embraces the Marvelous City. The statue's chest faces the Guanabara Bay and Sugar Loaf. To its right, the entire seashore of the South Zone comes into view. Its left hand points to the North Zone and its back is turned to the National Park of Tijuca, a setting of exuberant nature.
Made of cement and coated by small soapstone triangles, all its pieces where transported during a period of five years by the train.
The statues' hands and head were idealized by the French-Polish architect Paul Landowski. President Getúlio Vargas and the Cardinal Sebastião Leme inaugurated it in October 12, 1931.
The Sugar Loaf
The Sugar Loaf together with the Christ of Corcovado, is one of Rio de Janeiro´s most magnificent sights. More than a million tourists come here every year to enjoy breathtaking views of the entire region. It is located on a small peninsula at the entrance of the Guanabara bay, forming two steep hills: Urca with 220 meters and the Sugar Loaf with 396 meters. A cable car joins both hills with the base station. Access is located across the General Tibúrcio Square and tickets for both legs are sold at the ground station. The station holds a basic infrastructure, souvenir stores, toilets, an information office, schedule boards and photographs of the cable car history. The service runs every 30 minutes from 8:00 am to 10:00 PM.
The first leg of the ride ends at Urca. The excitement of the travelers is felt from the very beginning due to a totally glazed cabin that allows passengers to get a fantastic aerial view of the region. In Urca there is a wide platform with trails in the middle of deep vegetation and natural observation posts located at different heights. From there, you can see the Copacabana beach, the port, the Christ of Corcovado, the Guanabara bay and Niterói. It is on this platform that you can find restaurants, fast-food bars, souvenir stores and toilets.
If you want to enhance your Rio experience, there is a helicopter ride leaving from Urca. The shortest ride lasts 7 minutes, flying over Corcovado, the Sugar Loaf and the beaches. Climbing lessons are also offered on the hillside facing Botafogo, It is not too high but very steep.
The second leg goes to the top of the Sugar Loaf. It is also a marvelous ride with even more breathtaking 360-degree views from the region. There is a trail with native forest around the top of the hill and, as in Urca, fast-food shops, souvenir stores and toilets can be found on this platform. Prices are moderate, so you can sit down and enjoy the view while eating or drinking.
After getting back to the ground station, we recommend to stop and have a drink at the Vermelha beach and take a half-hour walk along the Claudio Coutinho trail, which starts at the northern side of the beach and is open from 6:00 am to 7:00 PM. This trail surrounds the Sugar Loaf, offering splendid views of the open ocean.
Another good advice for visiting the Sugar Loaf is to get there in the afternoon to watch the sunset and the splendor of Rio at night.
If you are planning to stay in Rio, for a day or do not have much spare time, we suggest visiting either the Corcovado or the Sugar Loaf. Which one is better? They are both excellent options, but the Sugar Loaf offers more observation decks and open spaces, allowing tourists to spend a peaceful and enjoyable day. The Corcovado receives crowds of tourists all year round, making it hard to find a quiet place to rest or take pictures. In both cases, it is better to get there in the early morning to avoid the crowds, the intense heat and the air pollution which covers the view later during the day.
A bit of history
The Sugar Loaf is considered not only of tourist interest but also of great historical significance. At the foot of the hill is where Rio de Janeiro was originally founded in 1565. The first incursions to the top date back to 1817. The Sugar Loaf Aerial Track Company was founded in 1910 in order to make the first cable car of Brazil, inaugurating in 1912 the leg to the hill of Urca. The exhibition at the cable car station shows photographs of the first wooden trams with curtains on their windows carrying only 23 passengers. When looking at these photographs we can only imagine how complicated it must have been during those early days to build the whole infrastructure. In 1972 renovations were finished allowing cars to hold 115 passengers per ride.
Tijuca Forest
Tijuca Forest is the world's largest urban forest, covering some 3200 hectares. It is home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife, many threatened by extinction and found only in the Atlantic rain forest. Its historical attractions, including a giant statue of Christ, are well worth a leisurely visit. The forest is just a short drive from the downtown financial center, the North Zone and Rio's smart beach districts. Its attractions include the Cascatinha Waterfall, the Mayrink Chapel, the Excelsior Lookout Point, the Paul and Virginia Grotto, Fairy Lake and the Solitude Dam, all favorite destinations for weekend family outings.
The 141 hectares of Rio's Botanical Gardens are home to a wide range of plant species from Brazil and all over the world - 5000 species in total. The Imperial Palms, planted in 1809 by Prince Regent John VI, are among its most spectacular attractions. Huge trees decked with orchids contrast with giant Victoria regia lilies, bromeliads, royal poincianas and tropical foliage. The Botanical Garden is a favorite hideaway for nature lovers, sweethearts and all those seeking peace and tranquility.
A glance through the pages of the Copacabana Palace's Golden Book is enough to confirm the hotel's
status among the world's great hotels. It reveals a guest list of royalty, of stars of screen, stage, music and sport as well as the politicians and business leaders who have helped shape the world over the last seven decades. Opened in 1923, this impressive stucco-fashioned edifice is Rio's most traditional and luxurious hotel. This landmark was designed by the French architect Joseph Gire who was inspired by two hotels, the Negresco in Nice and the Carlton in Cannes. Since opening it has only two owners, the Guinle family of Rio de Janeiro and from 1989, Orient-Express Hotels. The Copacabana Palace Hotel has undergone an extensive discreet refurbishment program, which was designed to retain and enhance the hotel's position as South America's premiere hotel. A new method of illuminating the facade was introduced in 1990 and allows the hotel to shine as brightly by night as it does by the day. By the end of 1991, the hotel's pool area which houses one of the city's largest and most attractive swimming pools was fully renovated. Copacabana Palace has two restaurants, The Pergola situated by the pool area where guests may enjoy breakfast, buffet lunch, dinner or refreshments, and the Cipriani restaurant, already rated among the city's best, offers a selection of Northern Italian cuisine. The restaurant and its bar are located on the ground floor of the Annex, overlooking the hotel's pool. The hotel's convention center is comprised of 10 different function rooms fully equipped for banquets, seminars and meetings.Municipal Theater
The Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, built between the years 1904 and 1909, is a miniature of the Paris Opera, capable of holding 2400 people. It possesses eclectic nuances, as did other constructions from the same period, with great columns comprising the colonnade of the three facades that surround the small towers. The building uses marble, bronze, golden metals and Paris plaster, besides specially designed wall tiles and glazed tiles. The architecture composition of the bronze roof includes domes, mansards, skylights and other art work, such as the mortar sculptures of Rodolfo Bernardelli and the eagle above the main dome, made in a French foundry. It was established as historical patrimony by Iphan (Historic and Artistic National Patrimony Institute) in 1973. 
Decked out in Beaux-Arts splendor, the sumptuous Municipal Theater is Brazil's most important venue for classical music, ballet and opera; housing one of the largest stages in Latin America. The theater, opened in 1909, is a scaled-down replica of the magnificent Paris opera house. Taking their cultural queues from Paris, Rio officials chose July 14 for the opening ceremony in honor of the national day of France. The lavish attention to interior space that marked the turn-of-the-century--French stained glass, decorative details in onyx and bronze. An astounding 1,500 tons of mostly imported marble graces the theater: notice the contrast between the delicate rose-hued Italian and striking green Algerian marble. The theater's chandelier boasts 1,000 pounds of crystal beads. The ceiling surrounding it is painted in a lovely, pastel, arts & crafts style depicting the dance of the hours. The theater's schedule includes 10 months of performances from March to December, ending with the Nutcracker. Note: For a musical performance, the best seats in the house are in the upper sections; however, for ballet or opera you'll want to sit lower and closer to the stage so that your view won't be obstructed