A yellow tram rattles across the white arches of an old aqueduct on its climb to Santa Teresa, while glass cable cars swing up toward Sugarloaf above a bay full of sailboats. Ferries slide across the water to Niterói, and cyclists, runners and skaters share the wave-patterned promenade of Copacabana.
Away from the sand, cariocas hike shady trails in the Tijuca Forest and meet friends at corner bars that spill onto the sidewalk. Summers are hot, humid and stormy, and winters stay warm and sunny with far less rain. A Local Friend keeps the plan loose, so a sudden shower can turn a beach afternoon into an evening of live samba in Lapa.
