This trip was not as photogenic as I had hoped, but the weather was far better than Michigan and the food was cheap. The beach was easy for me to get to, and I did go swimming a few times - but the waves tended to be a bit too big for my comfort and I've never really been much for sunbathing.
There was some nice architecture, from the quite modern Cathedral to a variety of large colonial era edifices, a extremely modern fortress at the south end of Copacabana Beach, and a UFO.
The views of, and from, the Christ the Redeemer statue were amazing. You could see the statue from almost the entire city, though it was often covered by clouds.
The Maracana Stadium was unfortunately far more impressive from a distance than in person.
The other "traditional tourist trip" attraction was the Escadaria Selarón, a tile staircase that was a popular spot for photographers. Honestly kind of skippable, but the higher parts past the crowds were interesting.
I will recommend visiting the Botanical Gardens if you're in the area - it was a nice walk, though the maintenance wasn't as good as it could have been.
A small excursion, that honestly wasn't worth the hours spent in a bus. We stopped in a few places for photos, but only really toured the Cathedral and Imperial Museum. Two or so hours of "content" did not make up for the 3+ hours spent driving each way.
I would stop by the Imperial Museum if I was in the area, but getting there was far more trouble than it was worth.
A much calmer beach than Copacabana. If you wanted a beach vacation, this is where I'd recommend going - certainly not Copacabana. (If you need to be in the Rio area at all of course)
