Two things that decide a short trip and no guide can answer for you: how much daylight there is on the dates you are looking at, and how much free time your inbound and outbound flights really leave you.
The longest day is in December — 13 h 32 min of daylight — and the shortest in June, with 10 h 44 min. That is a 2 h 48 min swing between them.
Tell us when you arrive and when you leave. We will tell you how many hours you really get to enjoy the city, day by day, once the transfers and your own breaks are set aside.
These are free hours, not a list of sights. We do not know your flight, the queues, opening times or how long it takes to get from one place to another.
Sunrise and sunset in Rio de Janeiro, on its own clock and with the seasonal time change already applied. It is what decides how much fits into a day, and it swings far more than people expect.
4–5 days in April / May / June / July / August / September / October come to roughly 42 h 56 min to 63 h of daylight, depending on the month you pick and how long you stay.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 05:20 | 18:43 | 13 h 23 min |
| February | 05:41 | 18:32 | 12 h 51 min |
| March | 05:54 | 18:09 | 12 h 15 min |
| April | 06:05 | 17:39 | 11 h 34 min |
| May | 06:18 | 17:20 | 11 h 2 min |
| June | 06:31 | 17:15 | 10 h 44 min |
| July | 06:33 | 17:23 | 10 h 51 min |
| August | 06:18 | 17:36 | 11 h 19 min |
| September | 05:50 | 17:46 | 11 h 57 min |
| October | 05:20 | 17:56 | 12 h 36 min |
| November | 05:01 | 18:13 | 13 h 12 min |
| December | 05:01 | 18:33 | 13 h 32 min |
Worked out for Rio de Janeiro from its position and its time zone (America/Sao_Paulo). The times are approximate — the sun shifts a couple of minutes from one year to the next — and they leave out twilight, which adds some light before and after. Each month is worked out from its 15th, the day that looks most like the month as a whole.
Rank what matters most to you, from one to three things, and tick anything you want to avoid. We compare the areas the guide describes and explain why each one fits, catch included.
It sorts what the guide says; it does not score neighbourhoods. It does not look at hotels, today’s prices, safety or accessibility, and it only knows the areas the guide describes.
Every rating comes from what the guide’s table says in words, and the sentence is shown next to it. What the guide does not say is not scored.
Who each one is for and what the catch is, in the guide’s own words.
The most balanced option: plenty of choice, metro, a range of prices.
The catch: The busiest and most uneven: some stretches are considerably better than others.
The best beach, a pleasant atmosphere and good restaurants.
The catch: More expensive than Copacabana for the same thing.
The quietest and most affluent area, with the best sense of security.
The catch: The priciest of the lot and slightly removed from the action.
Considerably better prices, with a metro and a very good restaurant scene.
The catch: The beach on this bay is not for swimming; you have to travel.
An artists' quarter on the hill, with charm and views.
The catch: Steep, poorly connected at night, and you go downhill for everything.
Give it the days you have just worked out and Joru builds the whole trip: what to see each day, in what order, and how long it takes to get between them. With real places and real forecasts, not invented ones.
Free for one destination of up to three days, on Android and iPhone.
