Centro Histórico, Lapa Arches & Colonial Rio de Janeiro
The Centro Histórico (historical centre) of Rio de Janeiro — the oldest part of the city, founded 1565, containing the principal architectural heritage of the colonial, imperial, and early republican periods of Brazilian history: the Praça XV de Novembro (the main square of colonial Rio, where the Portuguese royal family disembarked in 1808 and where Emperor Pedro I declared Brazilian independence in 1822), the Confeitaria Colombo (the famous 1894 Art Nouveau café), and the Lapa Arches (the colonial-era aqueduct of 1723) are the most visited sites in the historic centre.
- 1
Lapa Arches — The Aqueduct That Became a Viaduct
The Carioca Aqueduct (Arcos da Lapa, 1750, the 64-arch Roman-style aqueduct that supplied the colonial city with fresh water from the Santa Teresa hills) was converted in 1896 to carry the Santa Teresa tram — the trams (Bondes de Santa Teresa, the last traditional tram system in Brazil) cross the arches 30m above the Lapa neighbourhood streets; the arches frame the bohemian samba bars and circuses of Lapa (the nightlife centre of central Rio, active Thursday–Sunday from 10pm–4am, free or R$10 entry).
- 2
Biblioteca Nacional — The Largest Library in Latin America
The Biblioteca Nacional (Avenida Rio Branco 219, Centro, 1910, Francisco Marcelino de Sousa Aguiar architect, 9 million items including 30,000 rare manuscripts) is the largest library in Latin America — the collection includes the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (the most expensive book in the world by auction value), handwritten letters by Napoleon, and the most complete archive of colonial Brazilian music; the building (neoclassical, with a dome visible from Avenida Rio Branco) is open to researchers and for guided tours (free, Monday–Friday 9:30am–5pm).
- 3
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura — Gothic Revival Reading Room
The Real Gabinete Português de Leitura (Rua Luis de Camões 30, Centro, 1887, Rafael da Silva e Castro architect, UNESCO Memory of the World Collection) has the most beautiful interior in Rio de Janeiro — the 4-storey neo-Manueline (Portuguese Gothic Revival) reading room contains 350,000 volumes, including the most complete collection of 16th and 17th century Portuguese literature outside Lisbon; the skylight flooding the reading room in natural light and the iron balcony railings are the principal visual elements; open daily 9am–6pm, free.
- 4
Cinelândia — Rio's Belle Époque Cultural Quarter
Cinelândia (Praça Floriano, Centro) is Rio's belle-époque cultural district — the Teatro Municipal (1909, the Palais Garnier model, home of the Rio de Janeiro Philharmonic and the Ballet do Theatro Municipal), the Museu de Belas Artes (1908, the largest collection of Brazilian academic painting, free on Sunday), the Biblioteca Nacional, and the Cinemateca Brasileira cluster around the square; the cafes around Praça Floriano (particularly the Bar Luiz, 1887, the oldest German-style bar in Brazil, at Rua da Carioca 39) are Rio's most historically significant social spaces.
- 5
Lapa Nightlife — Samba, Chorinho, and the Rio Bohemia
Lapa (the neighborhood below the Aqueduct, Rio's bohemian nightlife district) operates Thursday–Sunday with the highest concentration of live samba, choro (chorinho, the sophisticated urban Brazilian instrumental music genre from which samba descended), and pagode (party samba) in Rio — the Carioca da Gema (Avenida Mem de Sá 79, the most famous small samba club in Rio), Rio Scenarium (Rua do Lavradio 20, a 3-floor antique shop converted to live music venue), and the outdoor samba circles (rodas de samba) on the street form the Lapa circuit; R$20–60 cover on weekends.
- 6
Museu do Amanhã — Santiago Calatrava's Science Museum
Museu do Amanhã (Praça Mauá, Pier Mauá, Porto Maravilha waterfront, 2015, Santiago Calatrava architect, R$30 entry) is the signature building of Rio's 2016 Olympic waterfront regeneration — the cantilevered white steel structure (suspended over the Guanabara Bay, 15,000m² floor area) houses an interactive science museum about the Anthropocene and humanity's future; the rooftop solar panels (generating 10% of the building's energy) and the water cooling system (using Guanabara Bay water to regulate temperature) are the sustainable design elements; the museum's outdoor plaza (free) is the best bay viewpoint in the Porto Maravilha area.