Rio de Janeiro, The Beautiful City That Never Sleeps

It’s your boy Toren on Tour back with my first, but long-overdue piece of travel content in 2025!

This year marked my first-ever trip to the continent of South America! It couldn’t have been anywhere else but the ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’, the capital city of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. From all of my years growing up, I always associated Brazil with Football, Sun and it’s coastline beaches, with my first experience probably being Snoop Dogg and Pharell’s Beautiful Music Video and interestingly Faith and Christianity, which is likely a direct result of one of their prestigious landmarks ‘Christ The Redeemer’ being a globally known landmark. More recent memories of Brazil include the hosting of the 2014 World Cup, in which the home nation went out in the Semi Final’s after being destroyed by Germany 7-1, which didn’t go down well at the time. However, as 2025 loomed, my close group of friends and I decided that we would be heading to Rio for Carnival to celebrate a birthday and ultimately immerse ourselves in everything that the city had to offer - a trip of a lifetime! I’m going to walk you through why Rio De Janeiro is a must-visit city at least once in your life and some tips I would recommend for first-time travellers.


Beautiful City and Beautiful People

Rio de Janeiro is a city that is rich in culture and history. It has so much to offer, especially for those who are willing to immerse themselves in it. We arrived during the tail end of the carnival period, but festivities were still very much in full swing upon arrival. When we had touched down and got a taxi to arrive at the hotel, my group and I dropped off our bags, quickly freshened up, and changed clothes, with the mission of heading straight out to Copacabana Beach, one of Rio’s popular beaches, for what was a massive street party! This is when we were first introduced to the go-to beverage of the trip! A Caipirinha! When I tell you, the Caipirinhas in Brazil are nothing like what you may get at Las Iguanas or a Turtle Bay in the U.K. The Caipirinhas in Brazil are around 80% alcohol, 10% lime juice, and 10% sugar, costing around £1-2/ $2-3. The cups we were given the drinks in were large, and we were not complaining! A Caprinha, the Rio Sun and unmatched Carnival vibes were a recipe for pure enjoyment. Every day that we were in Rio felt extremely welcoming and hospitable. 

[A photo taken by myself at phone of the blocos/street parties during Rio Carnival]

I made a lot of friends out there with locals who were all very genuine and had interesting stories to tell. That same night, we went to a party in the Rochina Favelas, accompanied by a local who we had made the connection with through a close friend of mine who had been to Rio frequently over the last couple of years. I won’t go into too much detail of what I saw, but I have never seen anything like it. It was a reflection of community in its pure form and coming from where I come from, it felt safe and familiar as well as a raw experience of life in the favelas and how they are governed. Partying in the favelas may not be an experience for everyone, but it was something I loved and definitely would do again. Rio boasts jaw-dropping architecture and cultural sites from the Escadaria Selaron to Lapa and the Sugar Loaf Mountain. There is so much to explore for everyone that will leave you feeling enriched and in awe of the country.

The City That Doesn’t Sleep

This was a feature I loved most about Rio, as for someone that is a born and bred Londoner who truly does love the city that I come from - one department that London does lack in is the fact that it is not a 24 hour city like other mega cities, this being more so from the perspective of night life. In London, there exists a heavy restriction in the amount of nightlife that extends past the 2-3am curfews, often limited to house music raves etc. It may have been the fact that it was carnival season and everyone was OUTSIDE! But having spoken to some of the locals and friends who have visited in previous years, I can confirm that all year round, Rio is a city that doesn’t sleep! The nightlife has a lot to offer, and if you are a fan of Brazilian Funk or willing to give it a go, then you’ll be in for a treat! My personal favourite before, during and even still after the trip was ‘Penelope Charmosa 2’ by Boladin 211 & Dejinha. From Street Parties, to clubs like Casa Black and Pedra De Sol on a Monday night - the place they say Samba was born! Rio is Sunrise, Vibes, Party, Sunset, and Repeat - this is what life should be about!

[My friends and I at Casa Black Nightclub]

Beauty Standards & Sexual Liberation

A less important but, for me, a really interesting point that I noticed whilst in Rio is how beauty standards were high, but simultaenously this came in hand with a great level of sexual liberation that was evident and amazing to see in a range of social spaces. Of the group that I travelled with, the majority were women, but not once did any of my friends experience any kind of cat-calling, unwanted gazes, or discomfort that may be experienced in other countries. There existed an energy and environment of what I could only describe as a lack of, or arguably the non-existence of over-sexualisation of both women and men. With it being an extremely hot country, this meant that often local men would walk around in shorts and sandals and were often topless, whilst women would sport a similar look, potentially with a bikini top or tank top in some instances. However, everyone seemed free to express themselves how they wanted and where they wanted to, which I believe is the first time I had experienced this authentically.

Language Barriers & Learning Portuguese

Now, a major tip for those who do not speak Portuguese! I suggest you download Duolingo and learn the language at least at a surface level, as it is very rare for you to find someone who can speak English. Naturally, I feel it is both respectful and ideal to learn the cultural norms of a country before you visit, language included. Just knowing some of the basics can get you further than not knowing anything at all. I would say that my friend Maxine and I were, funnily enough, the communicators of the trip. We both understood and spoke a decent level of Spanish, which, although it is not the same as Portuguese, some of the wording and phrases translate well and are similar to Portuguese. However, it was of massive help that I began to learn the language via Duolingo a few months before flying!

Brazilian Food & Restaurant Choices

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being I absolutely did not enjoy my trip and 10 being I would be ready to relocate and move to Rio permanently if it came to it, I would rate the trip at a solid 8, mainly due to all of what has already been mentioned above, plus more. However, one feature of the trip that would have taken things from an 8 to a 9 is the quality of food. The lack of quality food did come as a shock to me, as culturally Brazilian’s do share many cultural similarities with African’s as a direct result of the trans atlantic slave trade, with it being widely known that Brazil, as a country, contains the largest population of Black People outside of the continent of Africa. However, food was not a highlight of Rio. I found a lot of the local food quite bland and underwhelming. Steak and meat in general are popular foods in Brazil, with Feijoada being the country's national dish - a meal consisting of stew made with black beans and a mix of pork and/or beef. Unfortunately, I felt as though the times I did enjoy the meals out in Rio were when they were cuisines that weren’t Brazilian. There was a Chinese Restaurant that we visited in Copacabana that had some of the best Chinese food I had ever eaten (Canton Restaurant), on one of the days we left Rio to go on a boat tour from Agros Dos Reis to Ilha Grande, which was roughly 2 2-hour drive away from where we were staying. The local food was better than what I had experienced in Rio, and the beach club located on Sugar Loaf Mountain also had great food and variety. Ultimately, when it comes to food, what I would recommend is definitely doing research and checking reviews before determining where you go to eat, to avoid being underwhelmed. There are a lot of gems and great food spots in the city, but you just have to do a bit of digging to find the best ones!

[A photo of my friends and I at a Steak Restaurant in Rio]

A conclusion

Rio de Janeiro was a once-in-a-lifetime trip and a destination I would thoroughly recommend. Whilst out there, no two days were the same, and I think we got to experience almost everything that the city had to offer from a tourism perspective.  One thing that I did not mention, which should be mentioned, is the value for money you get out in Brazil. Uber rides were extremely cheap, with some trips costing roughly £2-4 for 20-minute drives. Fine dining was relatively cheap, in comparison to what you would get for your money in the U.K. AND the US.
The one slight regret I have about the trip is that I personally didn’t get to experience a football game whilst in Rio (as some of my friends did). Brazil boasts some of the most hardcore football fans and undiscovered young talent in the world, a feature we saw recently with the success of the Brazilian teams in the Club World Cup, causing plenty of upsets! Perhaps that’s one for me to make sure I do next time! I am going to finish off with a mini-itinerary and list of things to do in Rio that I recommend to those considering the city as a future holiday destination. It is the holiday of a lifetime and one that everyone truly needs to experience! Rio de Janeiro, until next time!

Rio Itinerary/Things To Do


  1. Sunrise Hike across one of the popular beaches, e.g, Copacabana or Ipanema Beach
  2. Sunset Sailing Tour
  3. Paragliding
  4. Lapa for nightlife and food markets
  5. Pedra De Sol - (on Mondays to experience the street party)
  6. Casablack Nightclub
  7. Clan BBQ (Restaurant)
  8. Rasta Beach (Some of the best food I tried in Rio)
  9. Canton Restaurant
  10. Agros Dos Reis & Ilha Grande Tour
  11. Sugar Loaf Mountain
  12. Shopping at Barra Shopping Centre
  13. Maria O E Boi Restaurant
  14. Visit Christ the Redeemer
  15. Visit Escadarian Selaron

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