www.ipanema.com WELCOME RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

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Rio for Beginners is your introduction to the Marvelous City. Here you will find insider's tips and practical information to help you learn exactly what you're getting into.

Meet our people, the Cariocas. Travel through time with a brief history of the city, since it was discovered over 500 years ago! Be surprised to find the language here is Portuguese, not Spanish.Going on to more practical stuff, find out how and where to get a traveler's visa (and if you need one at all). Weather our tropical climate season by season, check the weather forecast, and learn how to pack right! Money matters helps make the right decisions on how to bring your spending money, and how much.

Now that you have all this information, let us help you put it together the fun way. Our travel planner has suggestions for each day of the week, (including rainy days). There are activities for nature lovers, adventure seekers, travelers with children, the sports-oriented , senior citizens, culture buffs, and other groups with special interests!

Virtual City Tours and Clickable Maps is a good second step for you to take. The All About Series has in-depth insider's reviews of favorite parts of Rio like Ipanema, Copacabana, and Downtown, with historical highlights, attractions, photos, and clickable maps.

Special Interest Tours take you to historical churches, museums, beaches, parks, and sights. Find your way around with clickable city and street maps of each area, including detailed maps of the historical center, and South Side neighborhoods.

Award-winning guide to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Sections include Samba Parade, Sambodrome, Street Carnival, Banda de Ipanema, Carnival Balls, Funny but True Stories, Carnival Party Planner and Rio Carnival History, plus Carnival dates until the year of 2015.

Pictours of Carnival features hundreds of original photos featuring the Samba Parade, Backstage Concentration, and the hilarious Drags from Ipanema. Travel services include hotel packages, and tickets to th Samba Parade.

SAMBA PARADE I
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

SAMBA PARADE 2006 - SATURDAY
SAMBA PARADE 2006 - TUESDAY
SAMBA PARADE 2006 - MONDAY
SAMBA PARADE 2006 - SUNDAY

PORTA BANDEIRA & MESTRE SALA
ABRE-ALAS - THE FIRST WING
WINGS OF COLORS I, II, III
SPOTLIGHT ON FLOATS I, II
OUTSTANDING FLOATEES I, II
FLOCK OF FLOATEES I, II, III, IV
EVERYBODY COUNTS I, II, III, IV
BANDS, QUEENS & VOCALISTS I, II
SPINNING BAIANAS I, II

SAMBA PARADE II
BACKSTAGE FUN - GETING READY TO PARTY!

READY, GET SET, GO!
DOING THE FLOATS
THE CONCENTRATION
GIRLS ON PARADE
BAIANA ON PARADE
MEN ON PARADE
COUPLES ON PARADE

Pictorial Tours around Rio de Janeiro features hundreds of original photos, together with tips, insights, and local gossip. You may explore in detail areas like Ipanema, Copacabana, Downtown, Arpoador, special places including the beaches, parks and traditional markets. Stop and watch the children play, the dogs parade, favorite sports like surfing, capoeira, and foot-volleyball.

Events like New Year's Eve and Carnival have dozens of pages featuring special themes such as spinning baianas or the fireworks festival in Copacabana. Go on to Off-Rio destinations like Búzios, Paraty and Penedo.

Before you check in, check out All About Hotels. Clickable maps of hotels and flats, photos and insider's reviews. Choose the area and property that best suits your needs. Ipanema and Leblon, Copacabana and Leme , Flamengo, Glória, Downtown, Barra and São Conrado... we left no stone unturned.

You may explore hotels by price range and choose from economy to budget to business and luxury properties in the best parts of town or check our selection of personal favorites. From all pages you have quick access to our free booking service...

Everything you wanted to know about cafes, restaurants and eateries in Rio. Information about tipping, behavior, and restaurant etiquette. You may choose venues by cuisine, area, or price range. Categories include Budget, Vegetarian, Brazilian, International, French, Italian, European, Seafood, Steakhouses, Snacks and Dessert, Insider's Favorites and others.

Admit it: shopping is one of life's big pleasures. We're not talking shopping for groceries at your supermarket, but taking some time off for yourself. Window-shopping at your own pace. Entering a shop that you've never heard of before, just because you saw in the window a shirt that is simply you. Or a bracelet that would make your sister the happiest girl in the world...

Our guide to entertainment and nightlife. Topics include movies, theater and musicals, bars and cafés, dance clubs and circuit parties, shows and live music, samba and ballroom dance, even TV and cable.

Rio Single's Guide has tips about erotic shows, and Rio Gay Guide features options for alternative lifestyles.

Rio de Janeiro, the Marvelous City, is a destination that has always excited the imagination of the gay and lesbian traveler. Falling in love with the city and the people is very easy. The beach is the perfect setting to make new friends, and find out what is going on. Go to Farme Gay in Ipanema, a little to the east of cross-street Farme de Amoedo. If you're not exactly a day person, night life is teeming with possibilities. Have dinner around 8 or 9 at world-class restaurants, and go for a round-up of gay bars and lounges in Ipanema or Copacabana. Around midnight move on to the dance clubs.

Take advantage of a host of travel services offered online. Prepayable Carnival and New Year's lodging packages, car rental, and guided city tours, including adventure, exotic and Off-Rio options.

Discounted air and land tours from Rio to the most popular destinations in Brazil are also available, with prices previously available to the domestic market only. Your requests are handled by experienced travel professionals, you get answered within 24 hours on weekdays.

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