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The temple and the tree at the square.
The Historical Center of Pune
Dishes at Aksorn are grounded in deep historical research.
Aksorn
La Fourvière Funicular
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David Livingstone’s Shaving Mirror
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Dishes at Aksorn are grounded in deep historical research.
Aksorn
Thailand’s hot, humid climate meant that customers wanted an alternative to hot tea.
ChaTraMue
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
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All Brazil Rio de Janeiro

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Rio De Janeiro

18 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Updated February 13, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Rio de Janeiro

The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading

This stunning Brazilian library contains the largest collection of Portuguese texts outside of Portugal itself.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Largo do Boticário

Crumbling remnant of Rio's colonial past tucked behind Corcovado mountain in the neighborhood of Cosme Velho.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Parque Lage

Beautiful public park off the beaten path and away from tourists.
Rio de Janeiro Cathedral

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro Cathedral

This massive Brazilian church is built like an angular, technicolor pyramid left by Mayans from the future.
Inside the library.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil

The largest library in Latin America owes its existence to an Old World earthquake and a Napoleonic invasion.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Largest Street Art Mural in the World

Eduardo Kobra’s breathtaking 32,300-square-foot graffiti wall took over Rio’s Olympic Boulevard.
Images of the Unconscious Museum.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Images of the Unconscious Museum

An overlooked collection of over 350,000 artistic works created by psychiatric patients using art therapy.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Escadaria Selarón Mosaic Steps

A 125-meter long "tribute to the Brazilian people."
See All 18 Things To Do in Rio de Janeiro
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Architecture 4
Architectural Oddities 4
National Parks 2
Waterfalls 2
Collections 2
Art 2
Follies And Grottoes 2
Forests 2
Water 2
Museums 2

Rio De Janeiro Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Sofia Perpetua
    2
  2. serflac
    1
  3. Beable
    1
  4. luispachon007
    1
  5. SamM
    1
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Rio de Janeiro.

Places Edited

  1. ski queen
    9
  2. The Bearded Vagabond
    8
  3. Collector of Experiences
    6
  4. melodml
    4
  5. tomaszagoda
    4

Places Visited

  1. domingosjorge
    16
  2. guzguz
    15
  3. hector81
    14
  4. ski queen
    13
  5. melodml
    13

Recent Rio de Janeiro Activity

  • Carnelian

    wants to go to Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences

  • Carnelian

    wants to go to Terra Encantada (Enchanted Land)

  • guilhermenobreneto

    has been to Parque Lage

  • guilhermenobreneto

    has been to Largest Street Art Mural in the World

  • jigreenberg

    wants to go to Parque Lage

Stories About Rio de Janeiro

Lightning strikes the hand of the Christ the Redeemer statue that stands on a mountaintop above Rio de Janeiro.

In Rio, a Reincarnated Spirit Can Chase Away the Rain

Cacique Cobra Coral is often tapped by officials to keep weather from ruining important events.
by Constance Malleret
February 13, 2025
In the 1950s, Carnival was a chance for Rio to display its growth and artistic flair.

Take a Parade Down Memory Lane to Rio's 1953 Carnival

Images of a city and culture showing itself off to the world.
by Ashawnta Jackson
March 2, 2022
The whip spider, or tailless whip scorpion, is neither a spider nor a scorpion.

Making Sense of the Great Whip Spider Boom

Studying the arachnids reveals as much about the structure of science as it does about the creatures.
by Eric Boodman
June 7, 2021
Alexsandro Brauna on the shoulder of a giant.

It's Hard Work to Restore Rio's Christ the Redeemer, but the Views Are Amazing

The work is for the 90th anniversary in 2021, but the real party is still a decade away.
by Lucy Bryson
May 21, 2021
This Brazilian navy ship had a strange insect encounter during nighttime operations.

The Ecological Mystery of a Stink Bug Swarm Far Out to Sea

The chance encounter has led to insights on how insects make it to distant islands.
by Erica Tennenhouse
March 24, 2020
The fire that swallowed Rio de Janeiro’s Brazilian National Museum on September 2, 2018.

Air Conditioning Caused the Fire That Claimed Brazil's National Museum

And budget cuts allowed it to spread.
by Evan Nicole Brown
April 9, 2019
The group known as Turma do Índio—one of the oldest and most respected—in Guadalupe.

In Praise of Bate-Bola, Rio's Seductive, Scary Alternative Carnival

Garish costumes, masked clowns, and favela funk.
by Lucy Bryson
February 28, 2019
A meteorite is seen amid debris at Rio de Janeiro’s treasured National Museum on September 3, 2018, a day after a massive fire ripped through the building.

Step Inside Brazil’s Museu Nacional, Before the Devastating Blaze

A new digital tour helps visitors jump back in time.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
January 2, 2019

Lists Featuring Rio de Janeiro

(Flickr/andreakw)
The bathroom
Some of the decorations include broken crockery that have been priced back together

11 Homes Transformed Into Amazing Mosaics

If you own your property, why not bedazzle it?

11

Including Wyckoff Street Mosaic, La Maison Picassiette, and House of Mirrors

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