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Cheap flights to Rio de Janeiro
| Popular in | December | High demand for flights, 7% potential price rise |
| Cheapest in | March | Best time to find cheap flights, 4% potential price drop |
| Average price | $957 | Average for round-trip flights in April 2020 |
| Round-trip from | $400 | From New York to Rio de Janeiro |
Cheapest Prices for Rio de Janeiro flights by month
When is the best time to fly to Rio de Janeiro?
Choose a month below to see average flight price and weather conditions.
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NYC - RIO Price
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$808 - $1480
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RIO Temperature
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77 - 87.8 °F
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RIO Rainfall
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0.04 - 0.55 inches
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When is the best time to book flights to Rio de Janeiro?
The price you pay for your flight to Rio de Janeiro may vary depending on when you book.For the best chance of a lower fare, look to book 44 days in advance of your trip. Fares are likely to increase a fortnight or so before your departure date.
Which day is cheapest to fly to Rio de Janeiro?
The cheapest flights to Rio de Janeiro are usually found when departing on a Tuesday. The departure day with the highest cost at present is Sunday.
What time of day is cheapest to fly?
At the moment, flights at noon are likely to offer the best value for money for your Rio de Janeiro trip. A flight in the morning will more often than not be of higher cost.
Rio de Janeiro is synonymous with its glitzy Carnival, Sugarloaf Mountain, the Christ statue on Corcovado, and the “itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny” bikinis littering the beach at Ipanema. Brazil’s lively cultural capital nestles between the sea and the mountains, and is home to Tijuca Forest, the world’s biggest urban forest, which was completely replanted during the late 19th century. The city is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, encompassing most of Brazil’s major tourist attractions.
Tourists booking flights to Rio are advised to bring their open minds and attitudes. Temptation runs rapid in Rio — if the samba doesn’t seduce you, the people will. The city moves to the music of the choro, samba and bossa nova, all of which form the principal source of Brazilian national culture. Rio’s infamous annual carnival is a wild, colorful and hedonistic affair that draws together both rich and poor, who flood the streets for the world’s largest samba parade on the Sambodromo.
Rio de Janeiro climate
If you like the heat you will love Rio de Janeiro where the temperature rarely drops below 68 degrees (Fahrenheit). Rio has a classical tropical climate. December to March is summer, and it is very humid with temperatures topping 100 degrees. December has the most rain and July and August the least. Winter is short, lasting only from June to September. Daytime temperatures in winter are in the 70s and 80s the nights are cooler.
Best Time to Fly to Rio de Janeiro
Peak Season:
Carnival, usually in February, is “the” time to come to Rio. To take in some sights and museums, you will need to arrive a few days before the party starts and linger a few days after. Flights to Rio and hotel prices are higher during Carnival. Book your hotel and Rio de Janeiro flight at least a year in advance.
Another grand party is New Year’s Eve, called Reveillon. Millions pack the beach for the all-night celebration, music, and fireworks.
Off Season:
The city is less crowded and prices are a bit lower in winter, from May to October, with the exception of Reveillon.
Getting around Rio de Janeiro
The Rio de Janeiro subway doesn’t reach all parts of the city, but it is air conditioned and quicker and cheaper than the buses, which can take you anywhere. You will need to learn enough Portuguese to ask for directions though, since few drivers speak English. Avoid taking buses at night; they can be a hotspot for robberies. The private Fresco buses have regular stops and can be flagged down anywhere on the way to the beach, downtown or the airport. If you’re traveling anywhere in the city at night, take a taxi to play it safe. There are plenty of taxis around, and you shouldn’t have trouble flagging one down. For a more reliable and air-conditioned cab, your best bet is one of the radio taxis and cab companies that serves hotels. It’s always a good idea to negotiate your fare before you get in the car if the meter isn’t running. If you rent a car, stay alert and keep the car doors locked. You’ll have to deal with heavy traffic, poorly labeled streets and scarce parking.
Rio de Janeiro Travel Information
- Take a cable-car ride up Sugarloaf Mountain. The journey to the top is done in two stages. The first cable car climbs more than 700 feet up Urca Hill. Then, on another cable car, tourists travel 1300 feet to the summit from which there are wonderful views of Copacabana beach and over the city.
- The world-famous statue of Christ the Redeemer is 125 feet high and stands at the peak of the mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park.
- The botanical gardens are home to about 2,600 species of plant life. The gardens were created by the Prince Regent of Portugal in 1808 as a temporary home for imported plants while they were being acclimatized. There are animals too such as toucans, tanagers, marmoset monkeys and exotic butterflies.
- World-famous beaches include Copacabana, where Rio’s New Year’s celebrations take place, and Ipanema, famous in the song The Girl from Ipanema.
- For retail therapy, check out the upmarket Rua Garcia D’Avila or for budget-conscious travelers, the hippie fair at Praça General Osorio is a good place to pick up souvenirs such as wooden sculptures, leather goods and artworks.
- The Museu Nacional de Belas Artes was inspired by the Louvre. It dates from 1908 and is Rio de Janeiro’s main fine arts museum. It displays artifacts from the 19th century to today from several famous Brazilian artists including Victor Meirelles, Pedro Americo and Candido Portinari as well as foreign and contemporary artists.
