🧭 Trip Invite city guidesPlan trips together with friends

City guide · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · 2026

Rio de Janeiro in 3 days: itinerary and top spots

Updated · 30 spots · open in 2025–26

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From 30 spots whose locations we've checked, we picked a full 3-day route (not counting arrival and departure days) and the top 8 in each category. The areas you'll keep coming back to: Centro · Ipanema · Lapa.

Plan your Rio de Janeiro trip with friends →

Invite friends, suggest the places you want to go and vote. The winners become your day-by-day plan. No sign-up.

🗺️ A 3-day route

Each day: two sights, one meal, one hot spot and one evening stop, grouped by neighbourhood so you can walk from one to the next.

Day 1 about 5h 45m at the stops, plus travel

  1. Morning
    Christ the RedeemerCorcovado🏛️ Sight

    Giant statue atop 710 m Corcovado; book the cog train and go early before clouds

  2. Lunch
    Fogo de Chão BotafogoBotafogo🍜 Food

    All-you-can-eat churrasco with Sugarloaf views over Botafogo Bay

  3. Afternoon
    Mirante Dona MartaBotafogo✨ Hot spot

    Viewpoint framing both Christ and Sugarloaf; go by taxi

  4. Late afternoon
    Parque LageJardim Botânico🏛️ Sight

    Mansion park below Corcovado; the courtyard pool café is the photo spot

  5. Evening
    Academia da CachaçaLeblon🌙 Night

    Bar with a long cachaça list; order a caipirinha and petiscos

Day 2 about 6h 30m at the stops, plus travel

  1. Morning
    Copacabana BeachCopacabana🏛️ Sight

    4 km beach with the wave-pattern promenade; leave valuables at the hotel

  2. Lunch
    Garota de IpanemaIpanema🍜 Food

    Bar where 'The Girl from Ipanema' was born; draft beer and picanha

  3. Afternoon
    Ipanema Hippie Fair (Feira Hippie)Ipanema✨ Hot spot

    Sunday crafts market on Praça General Osório: leather, art and souvenirs

  4. Late afternoon
    Ipanema BeachIpanema🏛️ Sight

    Beach of the bossa nova song; the Posto 9 stretch is the liveliest

  5. Evening
    Rio ScenariumLapa🌙 Night

    Three floors of antiques and live samba bands near Lapa

Day 3 about 5h 30m at the stops, plus travel

  1. Morning
    Selarón Steps (Escadaria Selarón)Lapa🏛️ Sight

    Stairway covered in tiles from around the world; go early for clear photos

  2. Lunch
    Bar do MineiroSanta Teresa🍜 Food

    Santa Teresa bar famous for feijoada and pastéis; weekend waits

  3. Afternoon
    Santa TeresaSanta Teresa✨ Hot spot

    Hilltop artists' quarter with the yellow bondinho tram and studios

  4. Late afternoon
    Lapa Arches (Arcos da Lapa)Lapa🏛️ Sight

    18th-century white aqueduct; the Santa Teresa tram rolls across the top

  5. Evening
    Pedra do SalSaúde🌙 Night

    Afro-Brazilian heritage site famous for its Monday-night street samba

🍜 Where to eat in Rio de Janeiro: top 8

Specific restaurants, markets and food halls. Where there are queues, go right after opening.

  1. Confeitaria ColomboCentro

    Belle Époque tearoom since 1894; coffee and pastries in the mirrored hall

  2. Bar do MineiroSanta TeresaIn the route

    Santa Teresa bar famous for feijoada and pastéis; weekend waits

  3. Garota de IpanemaIpanemaIn the route

    Bar where 'The Girl from Ipanema' was born; draft beer and picanha

  4. Bar UrcaUrca

    Beer and snacks on the sea wall facing the bay; prime at sunset

  5. Fogo de Chão BotafogoBotafogoIn the route

    All-you-can-eat churrasco with Sugarloaf views over Botafogo Bay

  6. Marius DegustareLeme

    Seafood and meat rodízio in quirky nautical décor; on the pricey side

  7. Bibi Sucos (Leblon)Leblon

    Fresh juices and açaí bowls; an easy snack after the beach

✨ Rio de Janeiro hot spots: top 8

Trendy neighbourhoods, cafés, photo spots and complexes for the daytime.

  1. Santa TeresaSanta TeresaIn the route

    Hilltop artists' quarter with the yellow bondinho tram and studios

  2. Arpoador Rock (Pedra do Arpoador)Arpoador

    Rock at the end of Ipanema where crowds applaud the sunset

  3. Mirante Dona MartaBotafogoIn the route

    Viewpoint framing both Christ and Sugarloaf; go by taxi

  4. Ipanema Hippie Fair (Feira Hippie)IpanemaIn the route

    Sunday crafts market on Praça General Osório: leather, art and souvenirs

  5. Boulevard Olímpico (Etnias Mural)Porto Maravilha

    Eduardo Kobra's giant Etnias mural along the revamped port promenade

  6. Rodrigo de Freitas LagoonLagoa

    7.5 km lakeside cycle loop; lakeside kiosks come alive at dusk

🌙 Rio de Janeiro at night: top 8

Bars, izakaya and night views — one to end the evening.

  1. Rio ScenariumLapaIn the route

    Three floors of antiques and live samba bands near Lapa

  2. Pedra do SalSaúdeIn the route

    Afro-Brazilian heritage site famous for its Monday-night street samba

  3. Academia da CachaçaLeblonIn the route

    Bar with a long cachaça list; order a caipirinha and petiscos

🏛️ Top sights in Rio de Janeiro

The places most first-timers don’t want to miss. Add a day in the app for the ones not in the route.

  1. Christ the RedeemerCorcovadoIn the route

    Giant statue atop 710 m Corcovado; book the cog train and go early before clouds

  2. Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar)Urca

    Two cable cars up the granite peak; best at sunset and after dark

  3. Copacabana BeachCopacabanaIn the route

    4 km beach with the wave-pattern promenade; leave valuables at the hotel

  4. Ipanema BeachIpanemaIn the route

    Beach of the bossa nova song; the Posto 9 stretch is the liveliest

  5. Selarón Steps (Escadaria Selarón)LapaIn the route

    Stairway covered in tiles from around the world; go early for clear photos

  6. Lapa Arches (Arcos da Lapa)LapaIn the route

    18th-century white aqueduct; the Santa Teresa tram rolls across the top

  7. Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã)Centro (Praça Mauá)

    Calatrava-designed science museum on Praça Mauá; closed Mondays

  8. Metropolitan Cathedral of RioCentro

    Cone-shaped modern cathedral with four floor-to-roof stained-glass windows

Plan Rio de Janeiro together

Find these spots in the app, suggest them to friends and vote. The places you agree on are sorted by day, with travel times between them.

Start a Rio de Janeiro trip →

🧾 Rio de Janeiro hotels and flights

Plan the days first, then check prices once your dates are set. Links open Trip.com.

🏨 Hotels in Rio de Janeiro✈️ Flights

If you book through these links, Trip Invite may earn a commission. It costs you nothing extra.

All 197 city guides

Plan your Rio de Janeiro trip with friends →