The Top Things To See And Do In São Cristóvão, Rio De Janeiro

The São Cristóvão Palace was repurposed into a national museum when the emperors left at the end of the 19th century. The National Museum is within the Quinta da Boa Vista grounds, and nowadays houses a research institute as well as the museum. It holds one of the largest exhibitions in the Americas, consisting of animals, insects, utensils from aboriginal tribes, meteorites, fossils, and even Egyptian mummies.

See some exotic animals at the Zoological Gardens

One of the most popular attractions within the grounds of Quinta da Boa Vista, the Zoological Gardens opened in 1945 and is the oldest zoo in Brazil. It houses more than 2,000 different species of animals and birds, and the resident monkey and bird population is particularly significant. It’s a great way of seeing some of Brazil’s native wildlife up-close and learn about the conservation programs that protect the more endangered and threatened species.

Fundação Jardim Zoológico da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, Parque da Quinta da Boa Vista, S/N, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, +55 21 3878 4200

Toucan | © Glen Bowman/WikiCommons

Learn all about samba at the Museu do Samba

If Rio de Janeiro had a theme tune, it would most certainly be a samba jingle. The history of samba is rich and of deep culturally significance, and there is few better ways to learn about its history than a visit to the Museum of Samba. Take a walk around and see the various exhibitions that gradually unfold samba’s history, or even participate in a samba-related workshop. Don’t miss the opportunity to feel like a carnival queen and try on some of the samba costumes laid out on display.

Museu do Samba, Rua Visconde de Niterói, 1296, Mangueira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, +55 21 3234 5777

The largest football stadium in Brazil is just around the corner from São Cristóvão and well worth a visit. Try visiting on a match day to go inside and appreciate its sheer size and the passion of Brazilian football fans. The main teams in Rio are Botafogo, Fluminense, Flamengo and Vasco da Gama. The atmosphere between the fans when there are local matches is dynamic and competitive, especially between Fluminense and Flamengo (these games are known as Fla-Flu) yet are generally peaceful. The stadium has a capacity of over 80,000 and is an icon in Rio.

One of the most popular attractions in São Cristóvão is the Feira Nordestina São Cristóvão, a fair that happens every day from Tuesday to Sunday; at the weekend it opens on Friday morning and only closes on Sunday night. The fair houses around 600 stalls that sell various products from the northeast of Brazil such as preserved chilies, cachaça, ornaments, clothes and food. Look out for the bottles of liquid butter; these are common in the north of the country and are poured on top of food, especially roasted aipim. Wander around to get a taste of the exotic northeast of the country while listening to traditional Bahian music and sampling customary northeastern food.