12 Cultural Experiences To Have In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is full of worthwhile activities for travelers. For those who want to delve deeper into the culture, try adding the following experiences to your itinerary.

Visit A Cultural Museum 

While there are an endless amount of cultural institutions and museums in Rio, one good place to start is the National Library Of Brazil, where you can learn about the country’s history and heritage.

Inaugurated in 1910, visitors can view about 9 million rare artifacts, the country’s first printed newspaper, historical documents, and letters written by Princess Isabel, who passed away in 1921.

There’s also the Baukurs Cultural Center, which promotes numerous aspects of Brazilian culture, some of which include samba, religion, calligraphy, film, performance, debates, and art.

Additionally, the Centro Cultural da Justica Federal was the headquarters of the Supreme Court from 1909 to 1960 and features exhibitions on Brazilian art and photography.

Eat Acai 

While acai is served all over the world, you haven’t really had it until you’ve eaten it in the country.

Acai is cultivated in the north of the country in a place called Para, where you’ll see boats arriving from the Amazon Forest with the fruit in its purest form.

Although Brazilians from all over the country love acai, where you’re from will influence how you eat it.

In Para, the area is full of laborers who eat acai at room temperature as a side dish to fish, making use of its iron, protein, and energy.

However, in Rio you’ll find locals, especially athletes, love to eat the food as a frozen pulp with guarana, strawberry, banana, honey, and other toppings for a snack or healthy dessert.

Drink A Caiprahina

I’ll admit, I did this daily while traveling solo in Brazil! The Caipirinha is Brazil’s national drink, made with a local sugar cane rum called cachaça, sugar, and lime.

Even if you didn’t know the drink was the nation’s cocktail of choice it would become apparent as soon as you stepped into any bar, restaurant, or party in Rio.

Many establishments even put interesting twists on the drink by adding fruit, nuts, coffee, and other ingredients. Just be careful, these drinks are strong and can hit you hard.

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