Rio in 3 days: the itinerary I give my friends

• Book Sugarloaf and Corcovado train tickets online, especially in high season (December to March) and at weekends.
• Between sights, use Uber or 99: it is the easiest option and really cheap, except when it rains.
• Pay by card and always choose to pay in reais; keep a few bills for moto-taxis and beach vendors.

From the top of Dois Irmãos to sunset over the bay.

• At sunrise: the Dois Irmãos hike, the best view in Rio. From Vidigal square, a moto-taxi takes you up to the trailhead (R$10 cash), then R$10 entry. Allow 50 minutes up, with little monkeys along the way, and 35 minutes down.
• Midday: Vidigal beach, a small cove shared with the Sheraton, then the hotel's grill buffet (about €20). Chairs and umbrellas are rented from the barraca, R$15 to 30 each.
• Afternoon: a nap. The midday sun is strong.
• 90 minutes before sunset: Sugarloaf. Buy the skip-the-line ticket and head straight to the second cable car for the best view; enjoy the first level on the way back.
• As night falls, at the very top: a caipirinha at the Clássico Beach Club, the brasileira, half maracujá (passion fruit), half lime. In front of you, Copacabana, Dois Irmãos and the whole of Rio lighting up.

Christ the Redeemer in the morning, Arpoador at sunset.

• Morning: the little Corcovado train from Cosme Velho, through the Tijuca forest, then the statue and the whole bay.
• Afternoon: Ipanema, its shops, then the beach.
• Sunset: near Posto 10 to watch the futevôlei players, on the Arpoador rocks, or on the Hotel Arpoador terrace, my favorite.

Old Rio, by Uber from one stop to the next.

• The Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, the most beautiful library in Rio.
• The Theatro Municipal, on Cinelândia.
• Confeitaria Colombo, a tea room founded in 1894, for a coffee under its mirrors.
• Saint Sebastian Cathedral, a concrete cone with huge stained-glass windows.
• Lunch at Casa Nova Lounge: try the feijoada.
• Parque das Ruínas in Santa Teresa, for the view.
• The Selarón Steps, on the way down to Lapa.

• The Jardim Botânico and Parque Lage, next to each other at the foot of Corcovado.
• A bike ride around the Lagoa: 7 km of cycle path.
• A futevôlei lesson on Ipanema beach.

There is also a fourth day, outside the city. That one I only share with our guests, so that it stays the way it is.

Vila Oriba, the house I rent out, sits at the entrance to Vidigal: the Dois Irmãos trailhead 10 minutes away by moto-taxi, the beach a 7-minute walk, Leblon 5 minutes and Ipanema 10 minutes by taxi, Sugarloaf 25 minutes and Corcovado 35. A whole house for 8, with a private pool and ocean view, at least 8% less when booked direct than on Airbnb.