Rio de Janeiro Travel Forum

I will arrive on March 23 and will be staying in a hotel on Copa. I will have my evenings and weekends off.
I have read a lot from the pages here on VT, other than the obvious places, what are must see places I should visit during my time there? I don't have a lot of money to spend but this is a chance of a lifetime for me so a little debt from the trip will be ok!!
Thanks for all the ideas in advance and wish me luck!

I also had an opportunity to spend time working in Rio about a year ago.
Among the many sights I enjoyed were a soccer game at Maracana stadium and the beaches near a place named Grumari. It is about 20 miles west of Copacabana. Rent a car, go just past Grumari and the winding road leads to some beautiful beaches where the mountains meet the sea and that the locals flock to. There are places to get food and drinks along the beach, and one particularly nice little restaurant with outdoor tables by the sea.

Also worth seeing is the Monastery of Saint Benedict with a church built in 1590. The monks sing Gregorian chants in the church on Sunday mornings, standing room only if you don't get there early. Outside the church you can purchase a variety of flavored liqours made by the nuns.

Go up to the top floor of the Le Meridien hotel at the east end of the beach for a really nice view of the Copacabana area.

Enjoy! Ken

Oh yeah, one more thing. They're not kidding when they say to watch out for your safety. Don't be in fear...just be aware of what's going on around you and stay out of the darker, deserted places at night.

Robotman is correct. Rio de Janeiro's beaches are sequential. They are something like that: Copacabana-->Arpoador-->Ipanema-->Leblon-->São Conrado-->
Barra da Tijuca--> Prainha-->Grumari. Grumari is very nice. Be carefull with polluted beaches.
Some international good sights in Rio are: Pão de Açucar (Sugar Loaf); Corcovado; Maracanã; Ponte Rio-Niteroi. There are many beach cities near Rio de Janeiro: Cabo Frio, Buzios, Arraial do Cabo. Diving is very performed in Cabo Frio and Buzios. There you may ask for Praia do Peró, Praia do Forte. In Buzios (the brazilian high-society has summering houses there) you may search for: Geribá, Ferradura, Azeda, Azedinha.
If you want to understand a little of samba click on the link below:
http://cidadedosambarj.globo.com/ ,and try to get in touch with this people.
There are many others places to visit but I just noticed the best of Rio to you. Enjoy Rio. But be cautious!
Cassiovieggore

After visiting Sugarloaf, one option is to walk across the parking lot to a small scenic little beach named Praia Vermelha. At the end of the beach is 2 km trail. The trail has some nice views and you might see some little monkeys in the trees.

Also, consider renting a bicycle on the weekend. There are walking/riding pathways from Leblon to Cocacabana and then to Botofogo and Flamengo. You can also ride the pathway around the Lagoa near Ipamema.

Enjoy your trip to Rio! Gary

Take a look at www.ipanema.com which describes neighborhoods and has a good list of clubs and also good maps.
Do Corcovado early before the crowds and Sugarloaf at sunset.
Hang around at your local Posto drinking icy beer or caipirinhas.
Explore the bars and restaurants near the Lagoa.
Walk a lot in Ipanema and Leblon, exploring the local restaurants and bars and shops.
Check out the shopping centers like Rio Sul and Shopping Leblon.
Take the bondinho up into Santa Teresa to look at the architecture, views, shops and restaurants.
From Thursday through Saturday nights, Lapa is very lively. To dance to live samba with the locals, try Carioca da Gema or Scenarium.
Take the ferry across to Niteroi and check out the beaches there, the museum and the amazing views back across at Rio.
Check out the mirantes--and the monkeys in Tijuca --and on Sugarloaf.
Spend a Sunday with all the carioca families at Quinta de Boa Vista and check out the gem of an ethnic museum there.
Hang glide, take a helicopter ride over the Cristo, go away for the weekend to Buzios and/or Parati, and do a day trip to Petropolis.
A poster/Rio-guide/all-round-good-guy named RafaelTheSecond has a number of pages on the VT site about off the beaten path hints.
Boa viajem.

Thanks you all who have replied with tips and info, will continue to check back for more before I leave on Saturday!

Also note that it's even more spectacular than that background shot on MySpace! Take a good camera.
Also, a phrasebook of some sort might come in handy. Fewer people than you might think speak reasonable English.
Make friends with whatever Brazilians you may be teaching or otherwise come in contact with and hope they invite you to sample their hospitality. Brazilians are some of the warmest, friendliest, most open folks...