Rio de Janeiro

Few cities sit in a landscape like Rio's. Forested granite mountains drop straight into the Atlantic and the wide mouth of Guanabara Bay, and the city fills the gaps between them: the old port and colonial centre on the bay, the beach neighbourhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon facing the ocean, and Tijuca Forest rising behind them all. UNESCO listed that meeting of mountain and sea as a World Heritage site in 2012.

Cariocas, as locals are called, live outdoors: on the sand, on the promenade, at plastic tables outside corner bars. Three days covers the big sights, and five lets you slow down to the city's pace. Rio also demands more street sense than most beach cities, which is why we start with our Rio de Janeiro travel guide.

International flights land at Galeão (GIG), north of the centre, around 45 minutes from the beaches without traffic. Santos Dumont (SDU), in the centre, mostly handles domestic flights. Our getting there guide covers airport transfers, the metro and Uber.

Most first-timers stay in Ipanema or Copacabana, close to the sand and a metro station. Leblon is quieter, Botafogo is cheaper, and Santa Teresa suits travellers after character over convenience. Our where to stay guide compares them.

Start with the two viewpoints in our Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf guide, then pick a stretch of sand from our beaches guide. Santa Teresa, the old centre and the rest are in our things to do list.

Rio eats simply and outdoors. Feijoada, the black bean and pork stew, is a Saturday lunch tradition. Beach vendors sell cold mate tea and Biscoito Globo, a light, airy snack. Corner botecos serve ice-cold draught beer called chope with fried snacks, and açaí bowls and fresh juice bars are everywhere. Per-kilo buffets make lunch quick and cheap.

The Portuguese founded Rio in 1565. In 1808 the royal court fled Napoleon and ruled its empire from here, and the city stayed Brazil's capital until Brasília replaced it in 1960. Samba grew up in the city's Afro-Brazilian communities in the early 20th century, and bossa nova was born in the apartments of Ipanema and Copacabana in the late 1950s.