"Places easily missed...but should not be " a Rio de Janeiro Travel Page by Gty656t

There are so many things to do around Rio, that it is easy to forget the mountain towns just a couple of hours away. The cites of Petropolis and Terespolis, were the summer homes of the Brazilian royalty. Both cites have awesome museums, as well as bars and resturants. In the summer you can escape the heat, the winter can have tempeatures nearing zero with wonderful winter festivals. Nova Friburgo is another close option and for less than US$1.00 you can ride a cable car 650 meters up the Morra da Cruz for breath taking views of the region. My favorites are the quaint mountain towns found west of Rio. Penedo is the most visited by tourists, founded and settled by the Finnish in the 1930's the town still has the Fin feel, with a Finnish Cultural Center, meuseum, and Finnish dancing on Sunday. There are many small towns around Visconde de Maua, that are the homes of artists, and decendents of European settlers. Slide down a water fall, catch trout, drink the local Pilsner's, but these are areas are inexpensive, and places to relax.

Of course there is Buzios, and if you plan on going, it is marvelous. Great beaches, beach parties, and night life. If you want to rub shoulders with the Brazilian elite, do it here, you will not be disapponinted! But if you are more of a traveler and less of a tourist, try going were the Carioca's spend their weekends, the small beach towns, near Buzios of Marica, Saquarema, Araruama, and Cabo Frio. These smaller towns have delicous beaches at 1/4 of the price, and you will have a much better "Brazilian experience". Dozens of pousadas offer great beach locations at very little cost. Cabo Frio has a budding nightlife, a lot more casual, and very safe. So party with Rio's youth all night, relax on white sand beaches during the day, less than two hour bus ride from Rio.