AquaRio

Rio de Janeiro


The largest aquarium in South America is Rio's newest major downtown attraction. You can get an up-close look at some 350 different species (there are more than 8000 animals in all), spread among two dozen different tanks. The highlight is a 3.5-million-liter aquarium with a tunnel through the middle that gives fine views of sharks, rays and shimmering schools of fish gliding past.

To get here, you can take the VLT (which has stops at the metro stations of Cinelândia and Carioca) to the Utopia Aquario stop. There's also a Bike Rio stand out front.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Rio de Janeiro attractions

2. Cidade do Samba

0.41 MILES

Located north of Centro, near the port, Samba City is actually made up of 14 large buildings where the top Rio schools assemble their Carnaval floats. It…

3. Cais do Valongo

0.42 MILES

Unearthed in 2011, the Valongo Wharf was the first arrival point for an estimated 900,000 enslaved peoples brought to Brazil after long, harrowing voyages…

4. Boulevard Olímpico

0.45 MILES

Rio's formerly derelict port district has been reborn as a wide promenade lined with massive street art. A handful of renowned artists have painted…

5. Museu de Arte do Rio

0.75 MILES

Looming large over Praça Mauá, the MAR is an icon for the rebirth of Rio's once derelict port. The huge museum hosts wide-ranging exhibitions that focus…

6. Morro da Conceição

0.79 MILES

One of Rio's oldest neighborhoods, this pretty area feels like a tiny slice of Portugal, with its old shuttered houses, quiet cobblestone streets and…

7. Museu do Amanhã

0.85 MILES

Designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, this thoughtfully conceived science museum has interactive exhibitions on outer space, the earth…

8. Fábrica Bhering

0.89 MILES

Inaugurated in 1880, Fábrica Bhering was the first chocolate factory in Brazil. It is now a stunning multistory, multipurpose art space and cultural…