Rio de Janeiro: Theatre and Parks
Relaxing Days Out in Rio: Theatro Municipal and Botanic Gardens
Dec 26, 2007
The magnificent theatre or the botanic gardens in Rio de Janeiro certainly make a change to the more gritty tourist attractions such as the favela tours of the surrounding slums or the Santa Teresa tram. You'll see a completely different side to the city.
Theatro Municipal, Rio
Rio de Janeiro’s impressive municipal theatre, the Theatro Municipal on Avenida Rio Branco, is a definitely must for all culture vultures.
The magnificent building was inspired by the Paris Opéra of Garnier, and built in 1905 by the architect Francisco Pereira Pasos. The statues on the top, of two women representing Poetry and Music, are by Rodolfo Bernadelli, and the interior is rich with lavish furnishings and fine paintings.
Largest Theatre in Brazil
The theatre itself is the biggest in the country, holding 2365 people, and puts on concerts, ballets and operas by companies from all over the world as well as the well-known Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira and the home-grown Ballet e Orquestra Sinfônica do Theatro Municipal.
Details of upcoming performances can be obtained from the box office at the back of the theatre (Rua Manoel de Carvalho, 2262 3501). Ticket prices range from R$480 (US$270) for a box to R$5 (US$2.80) up in the gods. On Sundays at 11am performances and workshops are put on for only R$1 (US$0.55), but you can’t buy in advance – the only option is to turn up and queue. They are enormously popular with locals, and you are unlikely to get a good seat unless you turn up at 9am and prepare to wait.
Guided Tour of Rio's Theatre
If you can’t make a performance, you can take a guided tour, which also allows you to see back stage, the decorations, and the stage machinery. Tours are R$3 (US$1.70) and are given 1-4pm Monday to Friday in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese. Tickets must be bought in advance from the ticket office, opposite the box office behind the theatre on Rua Manoel de Carvalho. For tour information and bookings call 2299 1667 or email the booking office.
Jardim Botânico (Botanical Garden), Rio
Open 8am-5pm daily. Admission R$4 (US$2.50) concessions free.
The Botanical Garden in Leblon is a must for any visitor to Rio, if only to give your skin a break from the beach.
If you’re a twitcher or amateur botanist, you’ll happily spend all day here admiring the 140 or so species of birds and the 7,000 varieties of plants the 137-ha garden has to offer.
Even if you’re not, here is a place where you can swap the roar of traffic noise for the singing of birds, the sky-high office blocks for avenues of towering palm trees, and the rolling waves for a peaceful lake and a small waterfall. It’s best to come early, when it is quiet and cool and when most of the birds and animals are out.
Finding Your Way Around the Botanical Garden
You can pick up a helpful map at the visitor centre as you enter. Signs are large, clear and informative, in both Portuguese and English, and there are various education centres and special exhibitions. One of the most interesting is the exhibition of medicinal plants.
There is an attractive café to the left of the main entrance, a snack bar in the centre of the garden with a large children’s play area and picnic facilities, and drinking water fountains in various places.
Wheelchair Access to Rio's Botanic Gardens
Almost all main paths are accessible for wheelchair users, and there are small disabled toilets near the lake and the snack bar. There are benches at regular intervals. Near the entrance is the Jardim Sensorial, a small collection of plants for touching and feeling, along with Braille signs.
Whatever you enjoy, you will never stuck for ideas of what to do in Rio de Janeiro.
