Rio de Janeiro

Rio's two great viewpoints are unmissable. Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor), the 38-metre Art Deco statue of Christ with arms outstretched, stands atop the 700-metre Corcovado mountain, gazing over the whole city — one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and Rio's defining symbol. The classic ascent is the cog railway (Trem do Corcovado) climbing through the Tijuca rainforest to the summit, where the statue and a 360-degree panorama of mountains, beaches and bay await (go early on a clear day to beat cloud and crowds). The other icon is Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), the bald granite peak guarding the entrance to Guanabara Bay, ascended in two stages by glass cable car — first to Morro da Urca, then to the 396-metre summit — for one of the world's great city views, magical at sunset as the lights come on across Rio. Together, these two summits reveal the extraordinary geography that makes the city so spectacular.

The beaches are the soul of Rio, and Carioca life revolves around them. Copacabana sweeps in a four-kilometre crescent backed by its famous black-and-white Portuguese-mosaic promenade and a wall of buildings; it's busy, democratic and iconic, with beach football, fitness, kiosks and the great New Year's Eve fireworks. Around the headland, Ipanema is the chic, beautiful-people beach, divided into “postos” that gather different crowds, with the Dois Irmãos peaks framing a sunset that draws applause, the song “The Girl from Ipanema” written in a bar nearby, and the stylish shops and bars of its leafy streets behind. Neighbouring Leblon is the smart, family end; Arpoador, the rocky point between Ipanema and Copacabana, is the favourite sunset-watching spot. Beach culture here is a whole way of life — futevôlei (foot-volleyball), beach tennis, vendors selling everything from grilled cheese to bikinis, caipirinhas and the simple Carioca art of relaxing in the sun. To experience Rio, you must spend time on its sands.

Rio's cultural heart beats in the hills and the old centre. The bohemian neighbourhood of Santa Teresa drapes a hilltop in cobbled lanes, faded mansions, artists' studios, galleries and atmospheric restaurants, reached by the restored yellow bonde tram clattering over the Lapa arches — one of the city's most charming quarters. Below it, Lapa is the nightlife capital, set beneath the great white Arcos da Lapa aqueduct: a district of samba clubs, bars and street parties where Rio dances late into the night, the spiritual home of the music. Between them climbs the Escadaria Selarón (Selarón Steps), a long stairway covered in thousands of colourful tiles from around the world by the artist Jorge Selarón, one of the city's most photographed sights. The historic Centro nearby holds colonial churches, the Theatro Municipal, the cutting-edge Museum of Tomorrow and the regenerated port-zone murals. Samba — born in Rio's hills and clubs — is everywhere, from the rodas (informal circles) to the clubs of Lapa, and experiencing it live is essential.

Rio is the home of the world's greatest Carnival, and even outside it the city's exuberance shines. Each February or March, Carnival transforms Rio: the spectacular samba-school parades blaze through the purpose-built Sambadrome in a competition of music, costume and floats, while hundreds of blocos (street bands and parties) fill the neighbourhoods with millions of revellers — an overwhelming, joyous spectacle and the ultimate Rio experience (book far ahead). Year-round, the city's natural and cultural riches reward exploration: the Tijuca National Park, the largest urban rainforest in the world, offers hiking, waterfalls and the Vista Chinesa lookout right in the city; the Botanical Garden (Jardim Botânico) shelters imperial palms and orchids; the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon is ringed by a cycling-and-jogging path; and the legendary Maracanã stadium, temple of Brazilian football, offers tours and the electric atmosphere of a match. From hang-gliding off Pedra Bonita to feijoada lunches and beach-kiosk evenings, Rio is a city to be lived with all the senses.