Your Guide to Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro

Stephanie Kempker | November 4, 2015

Where to Stay

Some of the biggest and most frequent blocos are in Ipanema, Copacabana, and Botafogo. Staying anywhere in the Zona Sul neighborhood ensures you will be near a bloco anytime you want to join in, but also near a beach anytime you don’t.

The oldest and most traditional blocos are around the Central neighborhood, but this area is less convenient for foreigners and has more crime. If you want to take part in a bloco in the city center, either take the metro from Zona Sul or a taxi.

Stephanie Kempker / Own Work

How to Stay Safe

In general, Rio de Janeiro is very safe for tourists, but thefts do occur. Do your best to prevent them by not wearing expensive jewelry, not carrying fancy handbags, and not pulling out a big DSLR camera in a crowd.

Stay out of dangerous, sketchy, or isolated areas at night. Popular tourist sites like Cinelandia and the Selaron Stairs should be avoided after dark.

Be vigilant about your belongings on the beach, or better yet, don’t bring anything valuable. Group robberies on the beach are a common occurrence, when a bunch of teenagers run in and grab anything and everything of value before running away (an example here).

Always remember, if someone tries to steal from you, just hand over the desired items and run. Increasing numbers of tourists are trying to fight back, but there have been fatal stabbings.

A.RICARDO / Shutterstock.com

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