Rio de Janeiro
Some cities reveal themselves slowly, and then there is Rio de Janeiro, which lays itself out before you all at once from two unforgettable heights. Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf are the twin lookouts that frame any first visit, and together they tell you everything about this city of green peaks, blue water and beaches that curve like ribbons along the Atlantic. We love sending travelers up both, on a clear morning when the air is sharp and the whole bay seems close enough to touch.
High atop Corcovado mountain, the Art Deco statue of Christ the Redeemer stands with arms outstretched over the city, calm and watchful in the light. A cog train or a winding road carries you up through the forest to the foot of the figure, where the view opens in every direction: the beaches far below, the harbor and its islands, and the soft folds of the Tijuca rainforest running down to the sea. It is one of those rare sights that feels even bigger in person than in the pictures you have known your whole life.
Across the city, a two-stage cable car swings up the granite dome of Sugarloaf for the other great panorama, the one that takes in Copacabana and Ipanema, the entrance to Guanabara Bay and the green peaks rising straight from the water. Time it for late afternoon and you can watch the light turn gold and the city begin to glitter as evening comes on. Between the two summits lie the beaches and the easy, musical rhythm of Rio, and we build the days so each lookout has its own perfect window of weather and light.
