Rio has been justly dubbed the "Marvellous City", mainly owing to its spectacular location, beaches, views and its world-famous carnival. If you want to join the hordes of riotous, semiclad carnival-goers, you will have to visit in late February, although at this time everything is more expensive. Outside of carnival season, Rio is quite different: it is still exotic and people do wander the streets in swimwear, but it does not have the buzz of New York or Rome and if you want excitement you will have to seek it out. It is a sprawling city - its greater area covering over 484,500 sq mls - and is home to around 10 million inhabitants known as Cariocans. They can appear distinctly European and materialistic, yet there is real poverty here, as witnessed by the large shanty towns or "favelas" around the city's edges. Those people with jobs earn very little (something to bear in mind if wondering whether to tip) but there is little begging. Even so, local advice should be sought as to where it is safe to wander, but generally few problems should be encountered by sticking to the main areas. Wealthy residential areas are all along the coast, culminating in the highly exclusive Barra da Tijuca in the W. Downtown Rio - measuring a manageable 2¾ mls by 1¾ mls - is of little interest to the tourist, apart perhaps from a handful of crumbling historic buildings; the chic beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema are Rio's real heart. These 2 spectacular crescent-shaped bays are divided by a headland and the fortress of Forte de Copacabana, although this itself does not merit a visit.

Anyone desiring to see a largely modern South American city in one of the world's most beautiful settings, with good urban beaches. Not for those who want British food; English is not widely spoken, except in upmarket hotels. Little to interest children. Two or three days to see the sights is probably enough time to spend here.

Most hotels are located in the affluent beachfront districts of Copacabana and, to a lesser extent, Ipanema, as this is where most tourists would want to be. Many are soaring, modern tower blocks, as building space in these areas is at a real premium.

Going to the beach is a way of life for the city's inhabitants, and most local life goes on there; at weekends the beaches are particularly crowded. Parasols and beach chairs are available to hire; parasols are particularly necessary if intending to spend some time on the sand as the sun is terribly fierce. Even most Brazilians use a sun block with a factor upwards of 25 and avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day. Copacabana Beach (2½ mls long) and Ipanema (2 mls long) with their fine, pale golden sand are surprisingly attractive considering they are urban beaches and both backed by main roads. The beaches at Botafogo and Flamengo to the E of Copacabana are pretty but polluted. The longest is at Barra da Tijuca, which is 10 mls long. A red flag flying indicates either dirty water or dangerous waves so no swimming.

Surprisingly uninteresting. Unexciting shopping centres are found around Copacabana. Night stalls in the central section of Avenida Atlantica sell typical tourist goods like sarongs, carvings and bags; these are not particularly good quality and haggling will be expected. Upmarket jewellers have concessions in almost every large hotel.

Daytime: cable car up Pao de Açucar (sunset is the best time); botanical garden; huge statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain (reached via mountain railway); Maracano, one of the world's largest football stadiums; football museum; neoclassical theatre; governor's palace. Nightlife: "Rio by night" tours; samba shows with dinner. O Globo daily newspaper lists music and other events.

Surprisingly reasonable prices, especially when compared to the cost of accommodation. The large hotels in Copacabana all have restaurants; otherwise the choice is mostly "lanchonettes" (snack bars serving greasy pastries), hamburger joints, sushi and Italian restaurants; anything else will need searching for. "Comida a kilo" (meaning literally "food by weight") are self-service eateries where you can eat as much as you like; they offer good salads, meat and fish. "Churrascarias" are all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurants serving spit-roasted meats and fish. "Feijoada" is the national dish, made of pork, black beans, rice and oranges, traditionally eaten on Saturday. Fresh coconut water on the beach is a must, as are any number of fresh tropical juices.

An air-conditioned tourist bus service with information in English operates 3 routes, taking in the most popular tourist attractions. Although the city is well served by regular buses and has an underground system, they are probably best avoided unless you speak Portuguese. When taking taxis, tariff 2 is for after 9pm and Sunday and more expensive than tariff 1.

Half day: tandem hang-gliding over the sea and Tijuca forest; favela (shanty town) tour. Half/full day: diving at caves and shipwrecks. Full day: boat tours to beaches and islands; walking trails through Tijuca forest; Buzios and beaches.

In SE Brazil, in the state of Minas Gerais on the Atlantic coast. 716 mls SE of the capital Brasilia. 269 mls E of Sao Paulo, the country's largest city. Domestic airport, Santos Dumont, is in the centre; the city's international airport (Galeao) is in the N outskirts, about 13 mls N of the city centre.

Nestling among a series of giant, bullet-shaped, tree-clad mountains, most notably Corcovado and Pao de Açucar (Sugar Loaf), and edged by a string of spectacular urban beaches, the most famous of which are the long twin bays of Copacabana and Ipanema. Other natural features include the large Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon and, behind the city, a huge swathe of green forming the Tijuca National Park, possibly the world's largest urban forest.

Telephone Area Code: 21
Website: www.riodejaneiro-turismo.com.br

Airport : International Airport
Airport Code: GIG
Flight time from ther U.K.: 10 hrs. 30 mins