The statue of Christ the Redeemer looking benignly over Rio from his perch atop Corcovado Mountain, is one of the most iconic city sights, visible from every corner. Take the cog railway up and check the weather first, as tropical mists sometimes shroud the peak.

Cable cars have been shuttling up the twin peaks of Sugarloaf Mountain for over a hundred years, and the journey remains one of Rio’s most popular activities. Go up at sunset and see the city below light up, including the Cristo Redentor statue illuminated on the horizon.

Rio’s most famous beach stretches in a sumptuous arc around the bay, lined with soaring skyscrapers, housing many of the city’s top hotels and restaurants. The wide flat sands are filled with sun-lovers: playing volleyball, working out, or just working on the tan.

Adjacent to Copacabana, Ipanema has an equally pristine sandy beach, attracting many of the city’s trendiest set. Likewise, the beachside neighbourhood is a magnet for Rio’s wealthiest young hip crowd, with chic boutiques, nightclubs and bars to keep them entertained all night long.

These superb gardens house one of the finest tropical plant collections in the world, founded by Emperor Dom João VI in 1808. The shady avenues lined with towering palms, ponds filled with giant Amazonian water lilies and steamy glasshouses provide an idyllic oasis in the middle of the city.

The world’s biggest urban forest embraces the whole city. The lush, mountainous jungle is home to many exotic plants and animals, as well as several of its highest peaks, including Corcovado. A network of trails criss-crosses the park, leading past sparkling waterfalls and streams, with lookout points providing breathtaking views over Rio and beyond.

Rio’s giant stadium is one of the largest and best known in the football world. It was built for the 1958 World Cup Finals and is renowned for the carnival-like exuberance of its fans. It also hosts concerts for mega-stars, from Madonna to Prince, and was once again the setting for the 2014 World Cup Final.

This attractive hillside neighbourhood overlooking downtown Rio was one of the city’s earliest residential districts, and its cobblestoned streets are still lined with age-worn mansions. Today, Santa Teresa is home to many of Rio’s artists, and has several excellent museums and galleries, along with atmospheric local bars, restaurants and boutique hotels.

This sumptuously gilded church and Benedictine monastery, on a city centre hilltop, is one of Rio’s most precious historic treasures, founded in 1590. The church’s interior is richly decorated with carvings and paintings in the Brazilian Baroque style, and is considered one of the finest examples in the whole country.

This downtown site was the ceremonial heart of Rio when it was the Brazilian capital. Many important buildings, including the Imperial Palace, overlook the square. An ugly modern flyover sadly blights Praça XV, as it is known, today, but it has witnessed many historic events, including, in 1889, the ousting of Emperor Dom Pedro II.

Fans will be happy to know that Herr Pfeffer, a restaurant in the Leblon district, serves Hefeweizen (wheat beer), Pilsener, Lager and Kölsch in addition to Pale Ale.

Based by the sea: Barra Blue Beach Point, a beach club right on the ocean, was the Olympic base of the German team in 2016.

Ice, tonic water, 4 cl Brasilberg, and your Rio Negro is ready to be served. Brasilberg bitters was invented by an Underberg family member who emigrated to Brazil.

You can get a taste of it at Herr Brauer.

Architect Oscar Niemeyer, the son of German emigrants, famously designed Brazil’s capital, Brasília. But he also built Rio’s 700-meter-long carnival arena.

The Jewish jeweler Hans Stern (1922 – 2007) fled Nazi Germany with nothing and made his fortune in Brazil. Visitors to the headquarters of his glittering empire in Rio can watch jewelry-making in action.

Maracanã now has a magic ring to it, for German soccer fans, too. The German national team won its fourth World Cup trophy there in 2014.

Excellent live samba performed in a restored old depository, its three floors decorated with eccentric collectibles and vintage memorabilia.

One of Rio’s most venerable gafieira samba dancehalls. Locals of all ages come here for the pure joy of dancing, and they are only too pleased to teach novices their smooth moves.

An innovative cultural centre, promoting local talent, with a changing programme of live music and art events.

A relative newcomer to Rio’s arts scene, this rambling old building hosts a vibrant mix of live music, dance, poetry and theatre.

A giant white marquee in the shadow of the famous Arcos da Lapa, this live music venue attracts some of Brazil’s top bands, and is hugely popular with a young crowd.

Stunning fusion cuisine created by celebrated French chef Roland Villard; try the Amazonian gastronomic banquet, serving up a mouth-watering medley of tropical fish, fruits and vegetables.

One of Rio’s most feted chefs, Roberta Sudbrack takes deceptively simple fresh ingredients and conjures up wonders of culinary delight. An expensive but unforgettable experience.

This romantic lakeside restaurant serves up Middle Eastern cuisine, with diners seated on low-slung sofas under the stars, and late-night dancing at weekends.

On a shady street corner in Ipanema, this is one of the best places to get a belly-busting feijoada, the closest thing to a Brazilian national dish: a rich stew complemented by exotic side dishes.

One of Rio’s most beloved street cafés, with loyal customers queuing around the block for one of its classic high-stacked sandwiches.

Younger crowd, changing concerts on the first floor, billiard tables on the second, and on the third floor, every Saturday, samba lessons from 8 to 12pm. As Carlinhos de Jesus, dancer, choreographer and owner of a dance school and the samba club Lapa 40° tells us: “There are no tables because we don’t want our guests to watch, we want them to move!” At Lapa 40°, today’s malandros, the samba “bad boys” in their black T-shirts, flit with breathtaking lightness of foot around their lady partners. “The good ones are the guys who make their partner sweat – regardless how advanced or otherwise she is,” says Plínio. He and five other professional dancers make sure their female guests leave the place with a big smile.

Popular with a middle-aged crowd, many of whom are pros. Every Sunday, there’s a “Golden Years’ Ball” (8pm to 4am with live music starting at 10pm). This dance hall, which draws tourists from all over Brazil and abroad and has often featured in telenovelas and big-screen movies, has changed very little over the decades, and the old rules still apply here. Namely, all couples dance in a circle, counterclockwise, no drinks are allowed on the dance floor, and shorts and plunging necklines are taboo.

Mostly frequented by locals who know the regular bands and singers. Live samba seven nights a week (starting 9:30pm); the doors only close when the last guest has grown too tired to dance.

One of the most popular samba clubs in downtown Rio, it attracts a mixed, in other words Brazilian and international, set. Tuesdays to Saturdays, the live samba music begins at 7:30pm, and three bands perform in the course of the night. The popular, Northeast Brazilian dance rhythm forró is played regularly here. The Scenarium used to be a treasure trove for film set designers, but today it resounds with live music and is packed with people every night.