The best free things to do
- Beaches: Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon cost nothing
- Arpoador sunset: the crowd applauds the sun, a free Rio ritual
- Selaron Steps: the famous tiled staircase in Lapa
- Hikes: Pedra Bonita and Morro Dois Irmaos for huge views
- Sunday Ipanema fair: the Hippie Fair for crafts and street food
Eat well for less
Skip tourist restaurants and eat where cariocas do. Por kilo buffets let you pay by weight for a full plate. Botecos serve cheap, cold beer and snacks. On the beach, agua de coco and a grilled queijo coalho cost a few reais. A pastel and sugarcane juice at a market is a classic budget lunch.
Get around cheaply
The metro is clean, safe and links the main beach neighborhoods to the center. Pair it with the BRT and city buses for longer trips. For the airport, the comfortable premium bus into Copacabana is far cheaper than a taxi. See our transport tips for more.
Where to spend your money
Two experiences are worth paying for: Christ the Redeemer and the Sugarloaf cable car. To save on the rest, join a small group tour that splits transport and a guide across the group, which usually beats paying for taxis and tickets separately.
See the icons without overspending
A small group tour shares the cost of transport and a guide.
Frequently asked questions
Rio can be affordable. The beaches, viewpoints and street life are free, public transport is cheap, and por kilo buffets and botecos serve good meals for little. The main paid highlights are Christ the Redeemer and the Sugarloaf cable car.
Plenty: relax on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, watch the Arpoador sunset, walk the Selaron Steps, hike Pedra Bonita or Morro Dois Irmaos for huge views, and explore Lapa and Santa Teresa. Many free, tip based walking tours run daily.
Use the metro, which links Copacabana, Ipanema, Botafogo and the center, plus the BRT and city buses. Single fares are inexpensive. Rideshare apps are cheap for short hops, especially when split between a few people.
