Highly recommend catching the train from Centro to Santa Teresa if you're in RJ. On my last full…read moreday in Rio de Janeiro, my tour guide took me to the station, I bought a ticket for I think it was R$20? They do take reais or card. The line to wait your turn to hop onto a train was long the date and time I was there (around early to mid afternoon), but it moved along quick - so quick that there was a spot open for 1 more person to hop onto the current train that was waiting to take off and I me being a solo traveler, I was able to take that spot! I had a nice seat on the end where I was able to get pretty good views from the side I was sitting on. I felt like I was on a ride at Disneyland, haha. You'll pass by some really great sceneries, well-known buildings, get really close to plants, cars, motorists, and buildings sometimes. Be mindful of staying inside the car and be aware of your phone if you decide to film or take photos. The driver stopped a few times near scenic spots for everyone to enjoy and take fotos from the car before moving on. I went all the way up and then the train switches the driver side (basically the train can be controlled from either end - the conductor changes sides and so does the seating arrangement... the seat benches can switch from the guests sitting forward to forward again so we aren't sitting backwards going back downhill if that makes sense). I feel like I explained that poorly, haha. The ticket takes you for the entire way, but you are able to hop off at any stop. You won't regret riding on one of the most iconic trains in Santa Teresa. Similar to the ones you'd see in Portugal as a lot of the buildings and architecture have Portuguese influence.

Big place!!! Very easy to get lost cause a lot of it looks the same. Monkeys are seen throughout…read more Look at all the colorful birds as well. Its 80 reais (about $16 USD). Worth every dollar as i would be okay with getting charged more. If you get lost just open your phones map and you can find your way to the exit.

I loved this huge botanical garden, which was like a beautiful tropical paradise. It was my first…read morestop after checking my luggage at the hotel. The cost was around $15 for US residents (less for locals) and only cash is accepted. Upon entering, I noticed black monkeys walking around the rainforest-esque environment, as well as climbing trees. There were palm trees, bright and colorful flowers, bodies of water, lovely little bridges, gorgeous fountain, yellow and green state house, greenhouses with rare and award winning orchids, a wonderful cafe serving fancy coffee & beverages, playground, and more. There were plenty of breathtaking views of the many natural wonders. I really enjoyed my time exploring the vast expanse of the garden. The place was sprawling and easy to get lost in. It tops the list as one of my favorite botanical gardens that I have visited.

This is a commuter ferry that links Rio de Janeiro to the nearby city of Niteroi which lies across…read morethe water to the east. It is a basic commuter ferry that is not meant for tourists and is nothing fancy. I took this ferry once just for the experience of it. You get good views of the cities from the water. Other than that, it is fairly uneventful. The two cities are actually linked by a bridge anyway for cars. Therefore, the ferry is meant for those who do not own cars or for convenience's sake.

The terminal and gate that we were at were aged looking, but the seats did have a/c plugs and USBs…read morecharging ports. The restrooms were clean and food is priced much more reasonable than IAH Houston.

Upon our arrival it was not bad, we got our luggage within a reasonable time after landing. Getting…read morean uber was easy u head outside to the designated area. On our way out it was easy as well, security was nice & quick we had a nice amount of time & were able to go to the Plaza premium lounge, nice looking lounge. If u don't have lounge access no problem there are a lot of places available for food, drinks & shopping enough to keep u occupied. My only complain for this airport would be if it were a bit more organized, there was a lot of people & seemed like it was not as clear to view flight info on the monitors. For such a big airport overall it was as easy as u can expect, no crazy delays & plenty of options to help u pass the time.

The cable lift of Complexo do Alemão was inaugurated in July 2011 and is part of the public…read moretransport in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. You can hop on at the train station in the neighborhood Bonsucesso. Inhabitants of the Favelas that are connected to the cable lift have the right to one round trip a day, owners of the Rio Card pay one real for a single trip and the regular price for a single ticket is 5 reais. To arrive at the train station of Bonsucesso, you can take any train from the Central Station that departs from platform 12 (Direction Saracuruna or Gramacho). A taxi, however, isn't that expensive either (around 30 reais from Central) and just tell the cab driver you want to go to the train station of Bonsucesso (estação do Bonsucesso). When you are inside the train station, you can buy two tickets. One to go to Palmeiras and another one to return to the train station. Although the Teleférico was also bound to be a touristic attraction (because of its amazing view over the biggest complex of Favelas in Rio) not much tourists take the effort to go here. Understandable, because there are relatively a small amount off guides going there and it is pretty difficult to get there on your own if you don't know the city. But with the directions I gave you above, you should manage. The Teleférico has six stations and the last station is Palmeiras, where you have to step out of the cable lift. There you can enjoy a great view of the complex of Favelas. It is not recommended that you explore the Favela on your own, just enjoy the view close to the station. If you are done watching, you can even buy a souvenir at one of the kiosks stationed at the station Palmeiras.