Roots EarthAll cities

Brazil · Latin America

Roots Earth in Rio de Janeiro: audio stories about 50 places

Roots Earth has audio stories about 50 places in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in Latin America. The Rio de Janeiro stories are in all seven Roots Earth languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The app needs no account: open Rio de Janeiro, pick a place on the city's map of places and play. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection. The stories are written by local people.

The 50 places are listed below in the order the app shows them, and again further down with their coordinates. The lists were taken from the Roots Earth catalogue on 15 September 2026.

Published 16 September 2026. Markdown: rio-de-janeiro.md

The 50 places in Rio de Janeiro with audio stories

In the order the app shows them.

  1. Christ the Redeemer
  2. Sugarloaf Mountain
  3. Copacabana
  4. Ipanema
  5. Maracanã Stadium
  6. Escadaria Selarón
  7. Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden
  8. Tijuca National Park
  9. Rio de Janeiro Cathedral
  10. Theatro Municipal
  11. Museum of Tomorrow
  12. National Museum of Brazil
  13. Paço Imperial
  14. São Bento Monastery
  15. Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading
  16. Candelária Church
  17. Carioca Aqueduct
  18. Fort Copacabana
  19. Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon
  20. Pedra da Gávea
  21. Niterói Contemporary Art Museum
  22. National Library of Brazil
  23. National Museum of Fine Arts
  24. Museu de Arte do Rio
  25. National Historical Museum
  26. Quinta da Boa Vista
  27. Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí
  28. Parque Lage
  29. Praça Quinze de Novembro
  30. Cinelândia
  31. Praça Mauá
  32. Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro
  33. Catete Palace
  34. Ilha Fiscal
  35. Santa Teresa
  36. Lapa
  37. Confeitaria Colombo
  38. Pedra do Sal
  39. São João Batista Cemetery
  40. Botafogo
  41. Leblon
  42. Flamengo
  43. Urca
  44. Largo do Boticário
  45. Arpoador
  46. Laranjeiras
  47. Rocinha
  48. Vidigal
  49. Glória
  50. Gávea Hippodrome

Is there an audio guide for Christ the Redeemer?

Yes. Christ the Redeemer has its audio stories in the Roots Earth app: a short introduction and a deeper story, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian.

It is place 1 of the 50 Rio de Janeiro places in the app, at -22.95194, -43.21056. Every one of the other 49 places in the list above has the same two stories.

Roots Earth is not a guided tour: you choose the place on the city's map of places and play its story yourself.

How to use Roots Earth in Rio de Janeiro

Open Roots Earth and choose Rio de Janeiro. The city has its own map of places with all 50 of them on it. Tap the place you are standing in front of, or any other, and play its short introduction or its deeper story. You decide what to listen to and in which order.

You can listen in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian, and there is no account. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection.

In full

All 50 places in Rio de Janeiro, in the app's order, with their coordinates.

All 50 places in Rio de Janeiro, with coordinates

Every place below has a short introduction and a deeper story in the Roots Earth app, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The names, the coordinates (latitude, longitude) and the one line descriptions are the app's own catalogue values of 15 September 2026; a place without a line here has none that this page can print.

1. Christ the Redeemer

Coordinates
-22.95194, -43.21056
In one line
Crowning the Corcovado peak above Rio de Janeiro, this 30-metre Art Deco figure of Christ spreads its arms 28 metres wide over the city. Completed in 1931, it is among the world's most recognized monuments.

2. Sugarloaf Mountain

Coordinates
-22.9494, -43.1567
In one line
A 396-metre granite monolith guarding the mouth of Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf Mountain has been reached since 1912 by Brazil's first cable car, which climbs in two stages and delivers some of Rio de Janeiro's finest panoramas.

3. Copacabana

Coordinates
-22.96694, -43.18056
In one line
A 4-kilometre crescent of sand on Rio de Janeiro's Atlantic shore, Copacabana is fronted by Roberto Burle Marx's black-and-white wave-patterned promenade, redesigned in 1970. It draws sunbathers, footballers, and millions for its New Year's fireworks.

4. Ipanema

Coordinates
-22.98361, -43.20444
In one line
An elegant beach district between Leblon and Arpoador, backed by the twin Dois Irmãos peaks, Ipanema gave its name to the 1962 bossa nova classic. Its sunsets, surf, and lifeguard postos draw a cosmopolitan crowd.

5. Maracanã Stadium

Coordinates
-22.91217, -43.23016
In one line
Brazil's temple of football, Maracanã opened in 1950 for the World Cup and was rebuilt for 2014. It hosted both finals, the legendary Maracanazo defeat, and Pelé's 1000th goal in 1969.

6. Escadaria Selarón

Coordinates
-22.91432, -43.17895
In one line
A flight of 215 steps between Lapa and Santa Teresa, tiled in red, yellow, and green by Chilean artist Jorge Selarón from 1990 until his death in 2013. Over 2,000 tiles came from more than 60 countries.

7. Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden

Coordinates
-22.9675, -43.22389
In one line
Founded in 1808 by Prince Regent João VI, Rio de Janeiro's Botanical Garden holds around 6,500 plant species across 140 hectares. Its grand avenue of royal palms and giant Amazon water lilies are celebrated highlights.

8. Tijuca National Park

Coordinates
-22.9594, -43.2778
In one line
Tijuca National Park is a hand-planted urban rainforest spreading across roughly 40 square kilometers of Rio de Janeiro's mountains. Reforested from the 1860s and made a national park in 1961, it shelters waterfalls, peaks, and rare wildlife above the city.

9. Rio de Janeiro Cathedral

Coordinates
-22.9108, -43.1807
In one line
Rio de Janeiro Cathedral is a vast modernist cone built between 1964 and 1979 to a design by Edgar de Oliveira da Fonseca. Inspired by Mayan pyramids, it rises 75 meters and holds up to 20,000 worshippers beneath four soaring stained-glass windows.

10. Theatro Municipal

Coordinates
-22.90922, -43.17649
In one line
The Theatro Municipal is Rio de Janeiro's grand opera house, built between 1905 and 1909 in an eclectic style modeled on the Paris Opera. Inaugurated in 1909, its gilded interior, marble staircase, and painted ceilings host opera, ballet, and orchestral seasons.

11. Museum of Tomorrow

Coordinates
-22.89413, -43.1794
In one line
The Museum of Tomorrow is a futuristic science museum opened in 2015 on Rio's revived waterfront. Designed by Santiago Calatrava with a cantilevered spine roof above reflecting pools, it explores cosmos, earth, and sustainable futures through five immersive sections.

12. National Museum of Brazil

Coordinates
-22.90583, -43.22611
In one line
The National Museum of Brazil, founded in 1818 at Campo de Santana and moved to a former imperial palace in 1892, is the country's oldest scientific institution. A devastating 2018 fire destroyed most of its vast collection, though the Bendegó meteorite survived and reconstruction continues at Quinta da Boa Vista.

13. Paço Imperial

Coordinates
-22.90351, -43.17423
In one line
The Paço Imperial, built between 1738 and 1743 on Praça XV, served as Brazil's colonial, royal, and imperial seat of power. Here Princess Isabel signed the 1888 abolition of slavery. Today the austere colonial palace houses a cultural center.

14. São Bento Monastery

Coordinates
-22.89667, -43.17778
In one line
São Bento Monastery, founded in 1590 with its church built from 1633, is a Benedictine abbey crowning a downtown hill. Behind a plain mannerist facade lies one of Brazil's finest gilded Baroque interiors, still alive with Sunday Gregorian chant.

15. Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading

Coordinates
-22.9053, -43.1822
In one line
A Neo-Manueline library raised between 1880 and 1887, the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading holds the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside Portugal, its towering carved-wood shelves crowned by an iron-and-glass skylight in central Rio.

16. Candelária Church

Coordinates
-22.90081, -43.17789
In one line
Rebuilt from 1775 and crowned by a Lisbon-stone dome finished in 1877, Candelária Church blends Baroque and Neoclassical design. Once Rio's tallest structure, it stands today as both a grand sanctuary and a memorial to the 1993 massacre at its steps.

17. Carioca Aqueduct

Coordinates
-22.91259, -43.17985
In one line
Completed in 1750 to carry fresh water into colonial Rio, the Carioca Aqueduct spans the Lapa district with 42 double-tiered white arches. Since 1896 it has carried the city's last surviving tram, the yellow Santa Teresa streetcar, high above the streets.

18. Fort Copacabana

Coordinates
-22.9858, -43.1853
In one line
Built between 1908 and 1914 at the southern tip of Copacabana beach, this coastal fortress once guarded Rio's harbor with massive Krupp cannons.

19. Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon

Coordinates
-22.97112, -43.21172
In one line
A saltwater lagoon of about 2. 4 million square meters in Rio's South Zone, Rodrigo de Freitas is ringed by Ipanema, Leblon and Gávea. Once colonial sugar land, it hosted the rowing and canoe events of the 2016 Olympic Games.

20. Pedra da Gávea

Coordinates
-22.99652, -43.28193
In one line
Rising 844 meters above the Tijuca Forest, Pedra da Gávea is among the world's largest coastal monoliths. Weathering has carved a face-like profile into its rock, fueling debates over a supposed ancient inscription that scientists attribute to natural erosion.

21. Niterói Contemporary Art Museum

Coordinates
-22.9075, -43.1264
In one line
Opened in 1996 and designed by Oscar Niemeyer, this saucer-shaped museum perches on a Niterói cliff above Guanabara Bay. Its 50-meter cupola, sweeping ramp and reflecting pool frame one of Brazil's largest contemporary art collections and panoramic views toward Rio.

22. National Library of Brazil

Coordinates
-22.90972, -43.1755
In one line
The largest library in Latin America, founded in 1810 from books the Portuguese court carried to Rio. Its eclectic 1910 building on Cinelândia square holds roughly 9 million items, from rare manuscripts to royal photographs.

23. National Museum of Fine Arts

Coordinates
-22.9088, -43.17573
In one line
Brazil's premier art museum, housed in an eclectic 1908 palace on Rio Branco Avenue. Founded in 1937, it holds around 20,000 works tracing back to the royal collection brought by the Portuguese court in 1808.

24. Museu de Arte do Rio

Coordinates
-22.89667, -43.18194
In one line
A contemporary art museum opened in 2013 at Praça Mauá, joining an eclectic old palace to a former bus station beneath a wave-like floating roof. Its galleries explore the art and life of Rio de Janeiro.

25. National Historical Museum

Coordinates
-22.90591, -43.16952
In one line
Founded in 1922 within a colonial fort and arsenal whose oldest parts date to 1603, this museum holds over 287,000 items, including Latin America's largest coin collection and the imperial thrones of Brazil's monarchs.

26. Quinta da Boa Vista

Coordinates
-22.90583, -43.22444
In one line
A vast 19th-century imperial park where Brazil's emperors lived in the São Cristóvão Palace. Its 500,000 square meters hold lakes, temples, the fire-scarred National Museum, and Brazil's oldest zoo.

27. Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí

Coordinates
-22.91122, -43.19775
In one line
A purpose-built parade ground designed by Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 1984, where Rio's samba schools compete each Carnival. Its 700-meter avenue seats around 90,000 spectators between concrete grandstands.

28. Parque Lage

Coordinates
-22.9606, -43.212
In one line
A lush park at the foot of Corcovado, set around an Italianate 1920s mansion with a courtyard pool framing the Christ statue. Once an industrialist's estate, it now houses a respected visual arts school.

29. Praça Quinze de Novembro

Coordinates
-22.9028, -43.1729
In one line
Rio's oldest public square opens onto Guanabara Bay beside the old imperial palace. Named for the 1889 proclamation of the republic, it witnessed coronations, the abolition of slavery, and centuries of waterfront life.

30. Cinelândia

Coordinates
-22.91101, -43.17573
In one line
A grand civic square ringed by the opera house, national library, and fine arts museum. Nicknamed in the 1920s, when Francisco Serrador transformed Praça Floriano into a cinema-centered cultural district, Cinelândia remains the ceremonial heart of central Rio.

31. Praça Mauá

Coordinates
-22.89611, -43.18056
In one line
A reborn waterfront plaza in Rio's old port district. Once a rough dockside quarter, it now anchors the Porto Maravilha renewal, framed by the soaring Museum of Tomorrow and the Museum of Art of Rio.

32. Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro

Coordinates
-22.90333, -43.17556
In one line
An 18th-century Carmelite church that served as Rio's cathedral for nearly 170 years. Inside its gilded Rococo nave, two emperors were crowned, the only Christian coronations ever held in South America.

33. Catete Palace

Coordinates
-22.9258, -43.1761
In one line
A grand 19th-century neoclassical palace built for a coffee baron, later Brazil's seat of government from 1897 to 1960. Here President Getúlio Vargas took his own life in 1954. Today it houses the Museum of the Republic.

34. Ilha Fiscal

Coordinates
-22.9, -43.16667
In one line
A green neo-Gothic castle on a tiny island in Guanabara Bay, built as a customs house under Emperor Pedro II. It hosted the last ball of the Brazilian Empire in November 1889, days before the monarchy fell.

35. Santa Teresa

Coordinates
-22.9175, -43.18806
In one line
A bohemian hilltop neighborhood of winding cobbled streets, old mansions, and artists' studios. Its bright yellow tram still rattles across the Carioca Aqueduct, carrying riders up to sweeping views over Rio.

36. Lapa

Coordinates
-22.91361, -43.18167
In one line
Lapa is the bohemian heart of central Rio, famous for its samba clubs, street parties, and the white arches of the old Carioca Aqueduct. By night the neighborhood fills with music, dancing, and crowds spilling across its squares.

37. Confeitaria Colombo

Coordinates
-22.905, -43.17889
In one line
Confeitaria Colombo is a grand Belle Époque coffeehouse in central Rio, open since 1894. Towering Belgian mirrors, rosewood frames, and a stained-glass skylight surround marble tables where writers, presidents, and royalty have lingered over coffee and pastry.

38. Pedra do Sal

Coordinates
-22.89801, -43.18527
In one line
Pedra do Sal is a steep stone slope in Rio's old port district, the historic heart of Little Africa and a birthplace of samba. Recognized as heritage in 1984, it still hosts open-air samba gatherings on its worn steps.

39. São João Batista Cemetery

Coordinates
-22.959, -43.188
In one line
São João Batista Cemetery, opened in 1852 in Botafogo, is Rio's most famous resting place. Among its ornate mausoleums lie Tom Jobim, Carmen Miranda, Villa-Lobos, Santos-Dumont, and many of the nation's presidents, artists, and heroes.

40. Botafogo

Coordinates
-22.95, -43.18417
In one line
Botafogo is a lively South Zone neighborhood wrapped around a curving bay, with one of Rio's most iconic views of Sugarloaf Mountain. Once an elite enclave, it is now a busy mix of homes, museums, bars, and the famous football club.

41. Leblon

Coordinates
-22.98333, -43.22583
In one line
Leblon is Rio's most affluent beach neighborhood, sitting beside Ipanema beneath the Two Brothers hills. Known for upscale dining, a relaxed seafront, and the city's priciest real estate, it blends easy beach living with quiet sophistication.

42. Flamengo

Coordinates
-22.93361, -43.17444
In one line
Flamengo is a residential South Zone neighborhood along Guanabara Bay, home to the vast Aterro do Flamengo park built on reclaimed land and landscaped by Roberto Burle Marx.

43. Urca

Coordinates
-22.94889, -43.16556
In one line
Urca is a quiet seaside neighborhood at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain, largely built on reclaimed land from 1922. Its Art Deco villas, the little Praia Vermelha, and the sea wall make it one of Rio's most tranquil corners.

44. Largo do Boticário

Coordinates
-22.9395, -43.2013
In one line
Largo do Boticário is a small colonial-style square in Cosme Velho, framed by pastel neocolonial houses and Atlantic Forest greenery. Named for an apothecary who settled here around 1831, it was largely created in the 1920s as a romantic vision of old Rio.

45. Arpoador

Coordinates
-22.99056, -43.19167
In one line
Arpoador is a rocky point and beach between Ipanema and Copacabana, named for the harpooners who once hunted whales here. Famed for its sunsets, applauded nightly by the crowd, and its left-breaking surf, it remains one of Rio's most beloved gathering spots.

46. Laranjeiras

Coordinates
-22.93583, -43.18889
In one line
Laranjeiras is a leafy, upper-middle-class neighborhood in Rio's South Zone, named for the orange groves that once filled this valley by the Carioca River. It holds the Palácio Guanabara, the state government seat, and the historic home of Fluminense Football Club.

47. Rocinha

Coordinates
-22.98861, -43.24833
In one line
Rocinha is Brazil's largest favela, a dense hillside community of roughly 72,000 people between São Conrado and Gávea. Built by its own residents from the mid-20th century, it has grown into a self-made city of concrete homes, busy shops, and vibrant street culture.

48. Vidigal

Coordinates
-22.99472, -43.23861
In one line
Vidigal is a hillside community on Morro Dois Irmãos, between Leblon and São Conrado, overlooking Ipanema Beach. Famed for its sweeping views and the Two Brothers trail, it has become one of Rio's most visited favelas, a lively hub of sport, culture, and family life.

49. Glória

Coordinates
-22.92083, -43.17361
In one line
Glória is a hillside district between downtown Rio and Flamengo, named for the 17th-century church crowning its hill. Below lies the Marina da Glória, opened in 1979, while the hilltop holds layers of history reaching back to the indigenous village that gave cariocas their name.

50. Gávea Hippodrome

Coordinates
-22.97323, -43.22192
In one line
Rio's grand racecourse, opened in 1926 and modeled on Paris's Longchamp, spreads across five neighborhoods beside the Lagoa lagoon. Home of the Jockey Club Brasileiro and the Grande Prêmio Brasil, it frames thoroughbreds against mountains and city.

Roots Earth in short

Roots Earth has audio stories about 5,665 places in 130 cities, 25 countries and 6 regions, written by local people.

  • No account
  • Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection
  • Audio stories in English and German in every city, and in Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian in 126 of the 130 cities

Roots Earth for Android is available on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rootsearth.app.