Rio de Janeiro: the best options to enjoy it in winter

Rio de Janeiro lives not only on beaches. The Carioca winter has its charms: the cooler climate allows you to tour the city and enjoy its culture, its sports legends and its gastronomic heritage. The range of museums, parks, gastronomic and cultural experiences is very broad. The repertoire of surprises that the once Brazilian capital holds is intense, colorful and vibrant.

The Maracaná and its sports glories
The paradigmatic Estadio Periodista Mario Filho, better known as Maracaná, is a landmark of Brazilian football. The historical moments, such as the night of the Maracanazo in 1950 or the thousandth goal of Pele, in 1969, are honored in a gallery open to the public that recovers the cries, laughter and cries of the fans.
The "Maraca" was restored on the occasion of the final of the World Cup in 2014. The renovations gave more luster to the exhibition of its historical moments, where visitors can see the changing rooms, galleries, and the court.
Tourists can buy tickets through the stadium's website or at their own ticket offices, for group guided tours. There are also discounts for students, children between 6 and 10 years old, and people with special abilities. For those who do not handle well with the local language, there are visits with bilingual guides at predetermined times that must be consulted in advance.

Museums with sea view
As part of the revitalization of the Port Area prior to the 2016 Olympics, the city added two first-class spaces: the Museum of Tomorrow and the Museum of Art of Rio, better known as MAR.
Both are located in Plaza Mauá. The Museum of Tomorrow is a futuristic space that every visitor to Rio should know. There, the questions "where do we come from" take shape? and "where are we going?", in a building that resembles a submarine and ends up being a space for debate and study about the impact of our actions and how we can stop the deterioration of our planet's resources.
With advice from institutions such as MIT, NASA or companies such as Google, the Rio de Janeiro museum is challenging for those who are encouraged. It is suggested to buy the tickets in advance because the long rows are usually a constant.
The MAR proposes the conjunction of different historical layers of the architecture of Rio. It is a complex composed of three buildings. On the one hand, the Palacete Don Joao VI, where the samples of artistic works are found. Then, next to it, a modernist building is planted, which once housed the old hospital of the Civil Police. Finally, the space of the extinct bus terminal in Rio, which contains the technical area of ​​the museum and the box office.
The collection of this museum includes photography, plastic and modern and contemporary conceptual art. Ideal to go with children and adolescents for its multiple activities that combine entertainment and didactic.

In Lapa the night is bohemian
The bohemian side of this traditional Rio neighborhood attracts those who seek the vibrant combination of fun, music and dance. Its artistic imprint is highlighted by its imposing arches, above which passes the tram (bondinho) that reminds at times those of Lisbon. Connected to the bucolic neighborhood of Santa Teresa, Lapa has become one of the most required postcards of Rio and one of the most photographed and published on social networks.
The cobblestones of its streets, and street art are part of its charm. In its main roads there are different live music venues such as Rio Scenarium -in Rua do Lavradio 20-, Carioca da Gema -in Mem de Sá Avenue, 79- and Fundição Progresso -in Rua dos Arcos, 24 - where samba, chorinho and funk are heard, respectively.
To get to the Lapa arches in the bondinho you can leave the terminal, located in the center and pay for an excursion that leaves every half hour. The walk includes walks through the Largo dos Guimaraes, the Parque das Ruinas and the Chácara do Céu Museum, which is located in the hill of Santa Teresa. Some discounts apply to students and over 65s that must be verified at the ticket office itself.

Acuario Marino de Río (AquaRio)
Es el mayor acuario de América del Sur y uno de los lugares con entretenimiento para todas las edades: los más chicos estarán sorprendidos y los adolescentes insistirán en fotografiar todo a su paso. La impresionante estructura posibilita el contacto visual con las más variadas especies de río y de mar dela fauna brasileña.
Sus 26 mil metros 2 contienen aproximadamente unos 4.5 millones de litros de agua, ocho mil animales de 350 especies diferentes. El tanque principal surte al denominado Recinto Oceánico, un espectacular conjunto que simula las profundidades oceánicas con miles de animales que interactúan como si se tratara de la naturaleza, respetando ciclos de vida, reproducción y supervivencia.
El Acuario se complementa con un Museo de Ciencias Marítimas, docenas de exposiciones temáticas permanentes y mucha información visual y especial para personas con discapacidad. Las entradas pueden comprarse directamente en las boleterías. Al igual que en otros museos hay una tienda de souvenires que incluyen publicaciones para niños y material conservacionista.

Para un buen gusto, un buen boteco
Los botecos (bodegones) de Río de Janeiro son el punto de encuentro de los cariocas. No es casual que muchos de ellos se hayan convertido en patrimonio de la ciudad y son espacios de confraternización que reflejan un rasgo característico los habitantes de Río: el aprecio por la informalidad.
La importancia de este tipo de restaurantes para los cariocas es tanta que existen rankings especializados en los mejores botecos, por categorías, desde sus petiscos (entradas), pasando por su ambiente, su gastronomía (¡no hay gastronomía más auténtica, tradicional e innovadora que la de los buenos bodegones cariocas!), hasta la calidad de su cervezas y cócteles. En suma, además de establecimientos de consumo gastronómico, también son polos de consumo cultural; grandes compositores, escritores, músicos, deportistas y artistas plásticos han dejado su huella en muchos de ellos.