Safest Areas to Stay at in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is one of my favorite cities in the entire world but you do have to pick your area where to stay in Rio de Janeiro wisely, to ensure you have an amazing time.

In this article, I will share with you the safest areas to stay at in Rio de Janeiro. I will also share some dangerous areas to avoid in Rio de Janeiro.

I will cover:

• Copacabana

• Ipanema

• Botafogo

• Leblon

• Lapa

• Centro

• Santa Teresa

Safest Areas to Stay at in Rio de Janeiro

Copacabana

I think without a doubt the best area where to stay in Rio de Janeiro is around the Copacabana beach. It is one of the safest areas to stay in due to it being so touristic. There is a police presence and you won't face serious crime there. Said that, pickpockets are everywhere, so make sure you watch your bag when in the area and especially when on the beach.

Copacabana is also simply an amazing area to stay in, as you will be next to the most famous beach in the whole of South America. You have loads of restaurant options around you and also many wonderful hotel options.

I stayed by Copacabana for a month and really enjoyed it.

The metro system in Rio is great so you can easily get anywhere in the city. Uber also works in Rio so in general you shouldn't be worried about limiting yourself in one area. The city is so big there is no one convenient location. You will need to use transport to get to different places in the city.

Ipanema

Ipanema is also a great option where to stay, due to it being still safe but a little bit more authentic. You can go surfing on the Ipanema beach and it does not get as crowded as Copacabana beach. There is also a metro station nearby so you will be able to easily get to places. Although Ipanema is still a prime location to stay at, you might be able to find cheaper accommodations but still be 10-15 minute walk away from the Copacabana area.

Botafogo

Botafogo is a new modern upcoming area that offers shopping centers, restaurants and is a great exit point to all the main sites and places in Rio de Janeiro. If you are in Rio for a short period of time and want to be in the most convenient location possible then Botafogo will be your best choice. Most of the main metro lines go via Botafogo and some of the most popular central beaches where locals go are nearby. This area is between Copacabana Beach and Centro, the historical part of the city so staying here will allow you to easily travel to most places in Rio de Janeiro.

In general, Rio de Janeiro is a massive city and crime happens everywhere. So wherever you decide to stay, you have to be aware of your surroundings and follow basic safety tips to not get robbed or get in trouble. Always watch your belongings. Also, Rio de Janeiro is extremely touristic, so the more touristic the site or area, like Copacabana, the more pickpockets there will be. So just always be aware!

Lapa

Another area I want to recommend is Lapa, purely for those who like to go out, socialize, and enjoy a good party in their travel destinations. So if you are after that, then Lapa will be your choice. At the same time, due to the nightlife and trouble that comes with it, it is not the safest area to stay at. Although the main streets where the clubs and bars are will be alright, if your accommodation is a bit out of the way, I would reconsider.

Leblon

Another 50/50 area is Leblon - the beautiful beach area next to the Ipanema beach. If you stay by the beach, I think it is a great choice because you might be able to find cheaper accommodations there but still get the good vibes of the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. The only minus is that is close to the Rocinha, which is a favela with a very bad reputation. So again, if your accommodation is somewhere further inland, then that might not be as safe anymore.

This leads me to my next section....

Areas to Not Stay in Rio de Janeiro

I could mention loads of other favelas together with Rocinha, but really when booking you won't consider those anyway. Let's look at the options that you might consider and why I would not recommend them.

Centro

In South America, in general, the downtown, historical centers are not the best areas to stay at. To explore and learn more about history, for sure, but just during the day. The same goes for Rio. The historical center has higher crime rates than the areas I mentioned above. Also, a lot of homeless people, who of course many might say are harmless, but when it is late, it might not be as ideal to walk around. If you decide to stay in Centro then I would not recommend wandering around in the late hours.

For example, in Copacabana, I could totally go out for dinner at 9 PM, go home around 11 PM. I was not worried. In Centro, I would not do that.

Said that, Centro is a must-see in Rio de Janeiro and I definitely highly recommend booking one of the free walking tours there to learn more about the cities and Brazil's history.

Santa Teresa

This area I want to mention because there are a lot of bloggers that generalize it. It is actually quite a large area and within that area there are little smaller areas - some safer, some not so safe. For example, Lapa is one of the areas. There are streets that are gentrified and have some cozy Airbnbs but there are also streets that are known to not be so safe. I personally did not stay in Santa Teresa so I do not know every little part of it, but I wanted to highlight that it covers a big area, and you can't generalize it and label it as safe or not safe as many bloggers do. If you have found a nice recommendation that you like, do extra research about the specific little area around it.

Get the feel of Centro, Lapa, Copacabana, and more in

my Rio de Janeiro video: