the parque da cidade in niterói easily competes with the most beautiful of the city parks of rio. nicknamed the 'city of smiles', niterói is not part of the city of rio de janeiro - it is a separate city facing rio on the other side of guanabara bay. despite niterói not being a neighborhood of rio, we included it in this part of the guide due to the city's importance from a touristic and cultural perspective.

furthermore, from zona sul niterói is faster and easier to access than many actual neighborhoods of rio de janeiro, such as campo grande or guaratiba. niterói is well connected by the rio - niterói bridge and by bus and ferry services.