Surely Rio's most recognisable landmark, Christ the Redeemer watches over the city from the 700-metre-high summit of Corcovado mountain. The statue itself, complete in 1931, is 30 metres tall and the largest Art Deco statue in the world. It is visible from almost everywhere in the city and offers spectacular views back over Rio.

Travel up to the base of the statue by the narrow-gauge cog train, which chugs you at a gentle pace through the rainforest of the Parque da Tijuca, considered one of the world’s largest urban forests, an area full of monkeys, waterfalls and lush vegetation.