Wondering if it is safe to travel to Rio de Janeiro? Based on our personal experience of visiting this wonderful city, on multiple occasions at different times of the year, here is our answer:
⚠️ It is possible to travel safely in Rio de Janeiro. However, you need to be well-prepared.
So, before your trip to Brazil, learn from our experiences and equip yourself with our 11 top tips on how you can stay safe in Rio de Janeiro.
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🎉 If you are traveling to Brazil for attending Carnival, read our tips on how to stay safe during Rio Carnival.
💼 Do not forget to buy travel insurance before your trip to Brazil. We used Heymondo.
Paradise Catchers Readers: Get 5% off on Heymondo travel insurance (discount automatically applied)
* Discount not applicable for US residents
Keep a Low Profile
When traveling in Rio, try not to attract unwanted attention. Try to blend in.
As brown-skinned travelers with curly and wavy hair textures, it is probably a little more easier for us to blend in when traveling in many parts of Latin America, including Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
✔️ Irrespective of whether you fit a similar appearance profile or not, here are some Dos and Don’ts so that you do not stand out as a tourist in Rio:
👚 Dress casually
💍 Avoid jazzy jewelry
📷 Do not display expensive gadgets
🤳🏽 Take out your phone in public only when necessary
For all other times, keep your phone inside an anti-theft money belt and keep it close to your body. In crowded places, wear the money belt underneath your clothing.
➡️ Read: What to Pack for Rio
Protect Your Phone
When talking about safety tips for Rio de Janeiro, how to handle your smartphone needs its own dedicated section.
📱 Yes, it’s a thing in Rio! Theft of phones.
Almost every Brazilian fellow traveler we met while traveling in other countries in Latin America warned us about being careful of our phones in Rio.
Every local person we interacted within other cities of Brazil advised us to hide our phones when roaming the streets of Rio.
When we were traveling in Rio, particularly during Carnival, we came across many traveler accounts, of themselves or someone they knew, who had lost their phones to theft, or even robbery. And of course, we have our own stories to tell from our time in Rio.
✔️ So, like it or not, you do need to be extra cautious about protecting your phone in Rio. Here are our tips:
💳 Put your phone inside an anti-theft money belt and keep it close to your body. In crowded places, wear it underneath your clothing.
🤳🏽 When you need to use the phone, step away from the crowd and watch your surroundings before taking the phone out of your money belt – preferably inside an establishment.
🚦 Do not stand on the pavement close to the road with flow of traffic.
🗑️ If you are visiting Rio for Carnival, you may consider bringing a burner phone for attending events.
📞 If you do use a burner phone, make sure it has all the essential apps like Uber, Google Maps, WhatsApp.
💻 When purchasing travel insurance, remember to get the add-on for electronics theft. Read and understand full terms and conditions.
Paradise Catchers Readers: Get 5% off on Heymondo travel insurance (discount automatically applied)
* Discount not applicable for US residents
Choose Your Accommodation Carefully
Look for accommodation in reputable locations that are known to be tourist-friendly and have easy and convenient access to public transport.
✔️ Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing your place of stay in Rio:
📍 Consider neighborhoods such as:
🏨 Check hotel reviews online, with specific focus on safety
🔐 Ensure your hotel has good security measures, like a safe place to leave your valuables, controlled access.
➡️ Read: 8 Best Areas to Stay in Rio de Janeiro + Hotel Recommendations
Use Reliable Transportation
From metro (subway) to light vehicle on tracks (VLT), from buses to Ubers, there are plenty of public transport options connecting different parts of the city.
When traveling in Rio, we have personally availed all the forms of public transport mentioned above.
✔️ Now, from all these options available, we recommend you to primarily rely on Metro and Uber.
🚇 Metro:
- Well-connected across multiple lines
- Frequent and regular schedule
- Fixed price
- Not affected by traffic.
🚗 Uber:
- Easy and convenient
- Affordable and value for money
- Susceptible to traffic.
🌃 Tip: If it’s already dark, and if you need to walk a few minutes from your Metro station to your destination, call Uber instead.
Carry One Card and A Little Cash
When going out in Rio de Janeiro, leave your valuables in a safe space at your place of accommodation.
✔️ These are the only essentials you need to take with you:
💳 1 Credit Card: Card payments are accepted widely in Brazil.
✅ Before traveling, set a transaction amount limit on your card – for single transactions as well as total daily transaction amount.
✅ To minimize limit exposure, you can bring a prepaid card instead of credit card, and load balance as you need.
💰 Little Cash: You do not really need much cash, but small bills for small purchases, street vendors and tips.
✅ Put your card and cash, along with your phone, inside an anti-theft money belt. Wear it underneath your clothing when going to crowded places.
Stay Vigilant – Not Just in Crowded Areas
As with many other big bustling cities in the world, crowded places like markets, beaches and popular tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro can be hotspots for petty crime. Of course, you need to stay extra vigilant in such places.
👀 But in Rio, staying vigilant is not optional. You should NEVER let your guard down, even at seemingly safe places.
✔️ Here are some things to keep in mind when exploring Rio:
👀 Stay alert. ALL THE TIME.
It takes just one second of mental slip to become a victim of theft in Rio.
👥 Pay attention to your surroundings.
Follow your instincts. Leave without any hesitation if you sense something does not sit right.
🎒 Secure your belongings.
If carrying objects on you, opt for an anti-theft cross-body bag with slash-proof design and RFID technology.
💰 Keep your valuables concealed.
Use an anti-theft money belt to put your card, cash and phone in. Yes, we cannot emphasize on this enough!
Avoid Dangerous Areas
Not all areas in Rio are tourist-friendly.
✔️ Here’s a rough guideline of how to know which areas to avoid:
🏞️ Stick to Tourist Spots:
Areas frequented by tourists generally have better security and infrastructure.
🗣️ Consult with Your Hotel Concierge:
We always ask our accommodation hosts and local guides about areas to avoid, during the day and at night.
🏠 Avoid going to favelas on your own:
Venturing on your own in favelas (informal settlements in Rio) can be risky if you are not familiar with the dynamics in such places.
If you absolutely have to go, go with a professional licensed guide.
❓ Check travel communities for tips:
When in doubt, just ask. We find this Facebook Group: Travel to Brazil particularly helpful for any insight about traveling in Brazil, including safety tips in specific situations.
🥁 For cultural insights about Rio, we recommend the Little Africa Heritage Walking Tour, and NOT a Favela Tour.
Be Cautious at the Beach
Rio has some of the world’s most famous beaches. You would want to have some days of sun, sea and sand.
✔️ Make sure you plan ahead before heading to the beach. Here’s what you should do:
🏖️ Bring only the essentials for your beach day in Rio.
🏊🏽 Go to the beach in groups/ with travel companions so that you can watch over each other’s belongings when going for a swim.
🚔 Stick to well-patrolled areas.
Plan Your Night Out
Nightlife in Rio de Janeiro is legendary.
🪩 Even if you are not a night owl, go out and see for yourself how this city vibes at night.
✔️ But plan your night out carefully. Here are the things to do and not do:
📍 Choose reputable venues for your night out in Rio.
👥 Stay together with your group and avoid becoming isolated.
🍹 DO NOT accept drinks from strangers, even if they seem harmless.
🚗 For getting back to your hotel, call Uber from inside the establishment. Step out only when your ride has arrived at the doorstep.
Learn Basic Portuguese Phrases
Not just in Rio or Brazil, learning a few basic phrases in the local language can go a long way in making your trip smoother and safer. It can help in emergencies.
✔️ Here are a couple of tips for you to get going with your Portuguese learning:
🇧🇷 Some important words and phrases to know in Portuguese:
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Can you please help me? | Você pode me ajudar, por favor? |
| Where is the Tourist Police Station? | Onde fica a Delegacia de Polícia Turística? |
| Thank you. | Obrigado. |
📲 Download Google Translate to/from Portuguese offline.
🔡 Invest time in learning Portuguese conversation basics before traveling to Brazil. Apps like Duolingo are good for getting started.
Keep Emergency Contacts Handy
Always have a list of important contacts.
✍🏽 Save the contacts on your phone and keep a written copy, in the unwanted event that your phone is lost or stolen.
✔️ We recommend you to save the following lists of contacts, digital and paper copy:
Emergency Contacts
- Local Police: 190
- Ambulance and Medical: 192
- Fire Department: 193
Important Contacts
- Your country’s embassy or consular office in Rio de Janeiro/ Brazil
- Hotel concierge desk or Accommodation host
- An immediate family member
- A trusted friend
Tourist Police in Rio de Janeiro
There is a police department in the south zone of Rio de Janeiro, dedicated to solely serving the needs of tourists.
When you need to get in touch with the police and if it not an emergency, we recommend you to go directly to the Tourism Support Police of Rio de Janeiro.
The officers in that station speak English. They are also reachable on WhatsApp for followups.
⬇️ Save this information about Rio Tourism Support Police Department:
👉🏽 Address: Av. Afrânio de Melo Franco, 159 – Leblon, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 22430-600, Brazil
📲 WhatsApp: + 55 21 98596-7474
Plan Your Rio de Janeiro Trip
➡️ Rio de Janeiro 5-Day Itinerary
➡️ Best Areas to Stay in Rio de Janeiro
➡️ eSIM vs. Local SIM in Rio de Janeiro
➡️ How to Visit Christ the Redeemer – one of the 7 Wonders of the World
➡️ Practical Tips for Visiting the Sugarloaf Mountain
➡️ Is it worth taking the Maracana Stadium Tour?
➡️ Little Africa: Our Favorite Cultural Walking Tour in Rio
Travel Resources
- Flights: Skyscanner
- Hotels: Booking.com | Expedia
- Tours: Viator | GetYourGuide
- Travel Insurance:
- Heymondo (get 5% off)
- SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
- eSIMs:
- Transfers: Bookaway. Code PARADISE5 for 5% off
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