10 Things to Do on a Rainy Day in Rio de Janeiro

When you visit Rio de Janeiro, the first thing that comes to mind is visiting the amazing beaches, the beautiful hiking spots, the Sugarloaf Mountain, and Christ the Redeemer statue. However, your plans might have to change if you are not that lucky and it is pouring rain outside. Oh no! Now what? What to do on a rainy day in Rio de Janeiro?

Even though the beaches and the beautiful mountains are the most requested landmarks in the city, there are still other great options of activities for you to do on a rainy day in Rio de Janeiro.

Museum of Tomorrow

The Museum of Tomorrow is located at Praça Mauá in Centro. It is a science museum that mixes the human race, planet Earth, and the future through digital experiments and experiences. The museum also connects science and technology with the importance of sustainability.

Speaking of that, sustainability itself is one of the guidelines for the Museum of Tomorrow. The museum uses water from Guanabara Bay in the air conditioning system and captures solar energy through photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of the building.

Museu do Amanhã is the perfect attraction for the whole family, for children and adults, as it is one of the greatest cultural tours in Rio de Janeiro.

Where: Praça Mauá, 1 – Centro.
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm.
Entrance Price: R$30.

Read more: The Best Cultural Tours in Rio de Janeiro

AquaRio Aquarium

AquaRio is the largest aquarium in South America, with a building of over 26,000 m² and 4,5 million liters of water. Moreover, it has over 5,000 animals from 350 species.

One of the largest attractions of AquaRio is the main tank, featuring an underwater tunnel that passes through the aquarium. It is the perfect experience for you to see fishes, stingrays, and sharks.

AquaRio also has a special tank where kids can interact with animals, touching and playing with some of them.

If you have kids and are experiencing a rainy day in Rio de Janeiro, AquaRio is the right choice for you.

Where: Praça Muhammad Ali – Gambôa.
Open: Weekdays, from 9 am to 4 pm. Weekends and holidays, from 9 am to 5 pm.
Entrance Price: R$140 (tourists), R$110 (Brazilians), R$70 (kids).

Afternoon Tea at Colombo Bakery

Confeitaria Colombo is a traditional bakery in Centro. Portuguese immigrants founded this coffeehouse back in 1894 inspired by the European cafes, a representation of Rio de Janeiro’s belle époque. Between 1912 and 1918, the shop was renovated with an Art Nouveau flair, with large crystal mirrors and carved wooden furniture.

The bakery offers a nice variety of breakfast and afternoon tea buffets and a vast menu to choose from.

Where: Rua Gonçalves Dias, 32 – Centro.
Open: Weekdays, from 11 am to 6 pm. Saturdays, from 10 am to 5 pm.

Maracanã Tour

A guided tour to the Macaranã stadium will take you behind the scenes of the most famous stadium in the world. There is a permanent exhibition with outstanding pieces of history of football in Brazil. Among the things you will be able to see, there is a uniform worn by Garrincha in the 1962 World Cup and Zico’s memorabilia.

A bilingual guide will also show you the dressing, warming, and press rooms, and the football field. The tours have an average duration of 40 minutes.

Where: Av. Presidente Castelo Branco, s/n. Portão 2 – Maracanã.
Open: Every day, from 9 am to 4:30 pm.
Guided Tour: R$60.

Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading

Real Gabinete Português de Leitura (The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading) is a library with the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal. It was elected by Time Magazine as the 4th most beautiful library in the world. Founded in 1837, it was first introduced in Rio de Janeiro after the Portuguese royal family came to live in Brazil. Today, the library houses over 300,000 books. The visit is free and you are allowed to take pictures of its interior.

Where: Rua Luís de Camões, 30 – Centro.
Open: Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 4 pm.

National Museum of Fine Arts

The National Museum of Fine Arts was inaugurated in 1938 and it is the most important museum for Brazilian art. Nowadays, the museum has a collection of 20,000 pieces. Among the permanent exhibitions are works by Pedro Américo, Zeferino da Costa, Jean-Baptiste Debret, Candido Portinari, Di Cavalcanti, and Tarsila do Amaral.

Where: Avenida Rio Branco, 199 – Centro.
Open: Tuesday to Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm; weekends and holidays, from 12 pm to 5 pm. 
Entrance Price: R$8 (free on Sundays).

Shopping Malls

There are several shopping malls in Rio de Janeiro. Some are bigger, some are smaller, some are fancier, some are popular. If you are living/staying in Zona Sul, the best shopping mall for shopping in Rio de Janeiro is Rio Sul in Botafogo. Rio Sul has 400 shops scattered through seven floors.

If it is raining in Rio de Janeiro and you have nothing else to do, how about buying a few souvenirs to take to your friends and family?

Bossa Nova Mall is another good option for a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro. It is located inside Santos Dumont airport, which is a great option for last-minute shopping before leaving Rio de Janeiro.

Read more: 7 Tips on Shopping in Rio de Janeiro – Online and In-Store Shopping

Feira de São Cristóvão

The Centro Luiz Gonzaga de Tradições Nordestinas, also called the São Cristóvão Fair (Feira de São Cristóvão), is an open-topped pavilion that promotes the Brazilian northeastern culture in Rio de Janeiro. Inside the fair, there are restaurants with traditional northeastern food, karaoke bars, a stage for live concerts, dance presentations, and more. Also at the fair, there are lots of different shops selling traditional northeastern products, such as fruits, nuts, musical instruments, special spices, hammocks, clothes, leather shoes, and jewelry.

You can enjoy a rainy day in Rio de Janeiro at the São Cristóvão Fair, going through its shops, bars, and restaurants.

Where: Campo de São Cristóvão — São Cristóvão. 
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am.
Entrance Price: R$8.

Samba Schools

If you like samba and are looking for a very Brazilian thing to attend, how about visiting one of the many samba schools in Rio de Janeiro? 

The samba schools host different events most of the weekends throughout the year. From rehearsals to presentations, live samba sessions, and lunch parties, you will have a blast dancing, listening to the lively beat of the instruments, and feeling the vibe of the local dancers and musicians.

Visit the samba school’s websites to check their schedule for the week.

Here are a few of them: Salgueiro, Mangueira, Vila Isabel, São Clemente, Beija Flor, Portela, Unidos da Tijuca.

CBF Museum

This is a unique experience, visiting Brazil’s national football team museum. 

The museum is very interactive and modern. A guided tour will escort you through some rooms where you will be able to touch, listen, watch, and read all about football and the national team. You will travel through time through short films and photos telling the story of football, the first competitions, and the most important players in history. There are also interactive boards, games, and collections for you to check.

And if that is not impressive already, you will get to see all of the five FIFA World Cup trophies Brazil was won so far. 

It is definitely a must-go for all football lovers out there.

Where: Avenida Luis Carlos Prestes, 130 — Barra da Tijuca. 
Open: Every day, from 10 am to 6 pm. (Be advised that during the coronavirus pandemic, the museum is temporarily closed.)
Entrance Price: R$20.

What to do in Rio de Janeiro when it rains?

It’s no use crying over the spilled milk. If you are visiting Rio de Janeiro on a rainy day, you can still enjoy the city and explore different activities with bad weather outside. Take advantage of the fact that many of the activities listed above are close in proximity, so you can plan your day ahead and visit different places in just one go. 

For example, you can spend the morning in AquaRio, visit the Museum of Tomorrow afterward, stop for a snack at Confeitaria Colombo in the afternoon, and finish your day by visiting the National Museum of Fine Arts. 

Do not let the bad weather prevent you from enjoying your trip. Have fun!

If you want to learn Brazilian Portuguese, visit Caminhos Language Centre.