The nightlife in Rio de Janeiro is supposed to be some of the best in the world. The cariocas definitely love to have a good time and partying is all part of that but the nightlife and clubs in Rio may not be exactly what you're quite used to on a night out. Often the best scenes aren't at a night club but rather in a street party or samba rehearsal on a plaza somewhere.
It's also to be remembered that Rio nightlife isn't about getting slaughted on the local fire water and then getting into a fight with someone over their sport allegiances. People in Rio almost never get drunk, they're much more interested in getting laid and so the whole affair stays quite light, flirtatious and upbeat.
Rio Bars
Brazilians drink beer all the time but always in moderation though you can buy it just about anywhere. Consequently the action is less centred around a bar than on street cafes where people can sit and nibble something whilst they eye up the bodies passing by. A few plastic tables and chairs and the Brazilians have a ball sharing a large bottle of beer.
If you're looking for something that resembles more closely a bar in Europe of the States, you'll need to head to the upmarkets neigbourhoods like Ipanema where there are some copycat pubs and bars. The latest craze to sweep South America is the Irish pubs and there are a couple of them around Praca General Osorio - Shenanigans and the Irish Pub.
The irish Pub is small, cosy and tends to attract a regular crowd of expatriates and is quiet on week nights. Shenanigans is loud, brash and vulgar and tends to be crowded most days of the week. It has enormous bounders and cute waitresses. It's basically a crude money-making machine exploiting the desire of Brazilians to go somewhere exotic and of Westerners hoping to meet a Brazilian girl who speaks English.
As you move further up Ipanema you pass a whole load more street cafes where you can get a pizza to soak up the alcohol, until you come to the Emporio on Rua Maria Guiteria, just two blocks from the beach. It's a pretty grotty bar but it's open until 4 in the morning and so is the last chance to get laid before the night is out. On good nights the action spills out onto the street and then you can buy cans of beer from the guys selling from the backs of their cars and mingle.
The bars in Leblon get very bourgeois with designer hair cuts and slang that was invented on the latest telenovela but days before. There's a bunch of bars around the Leblon triangle found between Dias Perrira and Ataufa Paula.
Rio Clubs
Starting with the most upmarket clubs in Rio you can try your luck at Zero Zero in Leblon. Everyone there is beautiful, from well off families and they're likely to speak English if they feel like it.
There are no clubs in Ipanema and whilst you tend to only find strip clubs and brothels in Copacbanam, there is Bunket 74 right at the end of Nossa Senhora de Copacabana where it meets the beginning of Ipanema. It's a stuffy basement which sometimes has some great drum and bass. The music varies each day of the week and sometimes it's distinctly punky or gothic.
The Casa de Matriz can attract a cool crowd in Botefogo - it's pretty cramped, the lighting is dusky and you have the feeling that you've wound up drunk in someone's apartment.
One of the best spots of Rio nightlife is Casa Rosa in Laranjeiras which is close to Flamengo. Casa Rosa means the 'pink house' and it used to be a brothel before it was converted into a samba club a while ago. It's a beautiful place to hang out and one of the cooler places to meet Brazilians and hear some truly awesome samba. t's open from Thursday to Sunday. It's a very dodgy area though so you don't try to walk home - ask them to call you a taxi..
The best clubs in Rio are near Lapa and our favourite is the Rio Scenarium, an antique house with 3 floors of surreal decor with displays of bizarre furniture and art what could easily have been dreamt up by Dali in a fever. Here you'll usually find foor or samba, and the nearby Carioca de Gema is also a very cool spot to practice your samba steps.
Another good place to hang out is along the bohemian Arco de Teles, a street with some nice bars on the sidewalk and a club called Dito y Feito which has different music on each of its three floors and it isn't the kind of place where you're likely to bump into other foreigners.
If you're desperate to hit some nightlife that more closely resembles home then you can always drive out all the way to Barra de Tijuca and hit the Hard Rock Cafe where all the rich Brazilians go to dance in tight gym clothes in between modelling sessions.
Rio Street Parties
Lapa is rocking from Thursday to Saturday and has live music up and down the street, with samba, rock and hiphop by turns.
The rich head along to Gavea sem ley (Gavea without law) on Moday nights but it's far cry from the spontaneous partying it used to be.
The best of Rio nightlife happens on one off rehearsals of samba blocos at varying locations in the zona norte. Everyone's on their feet dancing and you'll get a great show. Just make sure to take a taxi home. The best thing about these street parties is that they're open to all, regardless of their income so you won't be limited to meeting the brats whose daddies give them an allowance to hit all the expensive clubs..
A good run-down of Rio clubs and nightlife can be found in the guidebook Rio for Partiers - Don't take everything word for word but it's more entertaining than the usual guidebook crap.