Rio de Janeiro

Four days between Cosme Velho, Centro and the Arpoador

Day one. Start early at the Cosme Velho station of the rack railway and ride up through the Tijuca Forest to Christ the Redeemer before the tour groups arrive. Back down, spend the afternoon at the Jardim Botânico with its avenue of imperial palms, then walk to the Lagoa for a drink at one of the lakeside kiosks.

Day two. Give the morning to Centro: Praça XV and the Paço Imperial, the Theatro Municipal and a coffee at Confeitaria Colombo. Take the VLT to Praça Mauá for the Museu do Amanhã and the Museu de Arte do Rio. As it cools, climb the Escadaria Selarón and stay in Lapa for live samba under the arches.

Day three. Beach day. Copacabana in the morning, then walk around the point to Arpoador and onto Ipanema, ending with the sunset from the rock. Dinner in Leblon.

Day four. Take the cable car from Urca to Sugarloaf in the late afternoon, timed for sunset. In the morning, either catch the barca from Praça XV to Niterói for Niemeyer's flying-saucer museum and the view back across the bay, or ride the heritage bonde up to Santa Teresa.

Feijoada Saturdays, botecos and the São Cristóvão fair

The dish to plan around is feijoada, black beans slow-cooked with pork and sausage, served with rice, farofa, sautéed greens, crackling and orange slices. Cariocas eat it on Saturday afternoons, often to live samba, and many restaurants only serve it that day.

For everyday eating, look for comida a quilo buffets where you pay by the weight of your plate, a quick and good-value lunch across Centro and Botafogo. Meat lovers head to a churrascaria for rodízio, where waiters keep carving cuts such as picanha at your table until you flip your card to red.

The boteco is the city's social engine: a plain corner bar with cold chope and snacks such as pastel, coxinha and bolinho de bacalhau. Bracarense in Leblon is one of the classics, and Botafogo's streets near the metro are lined with newer ones.

On the beach, vendors walk the sand selling iced mate and Biscoito Globo crackers, and juice bars on every corner blend açaí. For northeastern Brazilian food and forró music, go to the Feira de São Cristóvão in the North Zone on a weekend night.

Sambódromo nights, Réveillon sand and the dry winter

Rio's calendar turns on two parties. Carnival, in February or early March, brings three nights of samba-school parades at the Sambódromo and hundreds of street blocos, and on 31 December Réveillon fills Copacabana with millions in white watching fireworks from barges. Both fall in the hottest, wettest months, with highs of 30 to 32°C.

Rio's year turns on two parties. The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro fills February or early March, with the top samba schools parading through the Sambódromo over three nights and hundreds of street blocos, from Simpatia É Quase Amor in Ipanema to Carmelitas in Santa Teresa, drawing crowds into the streets for days beforehand. A few weeks before that, on 31 December,Réveillon in Copacabana brings millions to the beach in white clothes for midnight fireworks fired from barges offshore.

Both fall in the hottest, wettest stretch. December to March averages 30 to 32C highs, lows of about 24C and roughly 130 to 137 mm of rain a month, mostly in short, heavy afternoon storms. Sea temperatures are at their best, and so are the crowds and room rates.

The quieter case is winter. From June to September highs settle at 26 to 27C, lows near 19C, and rainfall drops to around 42 to 54 mm. Mornings are clear more often, which is what you want for Corcovado, Sugarloaf and the Tijuca trails, and the beaches still work on most afternoons. May and October are good compromises. The Festa Junina season in June adds bonfires, quadrilha dancing and corn-based sweets at church and neighbourhood fairs.