Museums, galleries and theatres are surrounded by an exceptionally dramatic landscape where nature meets urban metropolis and the striking ingenuity of favelas. The array of hostels and apartments make visits as comfortable and fun, while a variety of transportation options allow visitors many easy ways of discovering and experiencing the city.

From atop Rio's mountains one can take in magnificent views of the surrounding cityscape and capture its textural interplay - between mountains and sea, forest and city, high-rise glamour and sprawling favelas - in a way that it is hard to visualize from the ground.