Crime in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

What more can be said?

Exceptionally dangerous, wherever you are.

Yes it may have some nice postcard views, but are they worth your life?

In 2016 a bullet just missed me by 1 meter in Botafogo. I have no idea about from where it came.
Stay away from Hell de Janeiro

Had a day walking in centro area about several miles with an iphone in hand , gave some cash from the pocket to street musicians and everything was fine. recklessly walked in the middle of no busy road while taking photos and you know what homeless men cried out to watch my back due to approaching vehicle. well i dont know what to think after reading the previous comments

I have just come back from Rio. It is magnificent city with serious issues. Unfortunately.

I just came back home from Rio. Spent 2,5 weeks there with my friend. We are both Finnish and in our twenties.

I guess we were just lucky because nothing bad happened - the only thing we witnessed was a taxi crashing with biker - but it's something we would see in our home town as well and happens every now and then everywhere.

We took busses to Buzios, Angra, and Paraty and everything went fine. We also explored the city of Rio by subway, Ubers and walking. And no - we did not go to the North Zone, Just Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Sao Conrado, Pedra da Gavea, Botafogo, Leme, Centro, Lapa etc... Plenty of things to see on those "safer zones".

I am well aware of the problems of the city and the horrific quality of living in the favelas, so I would never say it's a paradise or the best city in the world. Most of the shootings happen in favelas so they are relatively easy to avoid (for the visitors - god help the locals).

But for a visitor (or at least for us) it was something we will never forget - in a positive light. The city was so beautiful with all the mountains / hills, beaches, palm trees, forests and parks and a lot of cultural sites to see. Also - food and drinks were cheap for us as europeans, and we were always treated with respect. Many of the locals did not speak english, but they were eager to teach us a couple of words and use their hands and facial expressions to try to make us understand what they wanted to say. They were always helpful and asked if we needed help, do we know the way, were are we going etc.

The weather was perfect in July, I would not visit during the local summer as it could be too hot for me. It seemed to be off season as there were no queues to any tourist attractions and we could just walk in easily without waiting.

Ubers were really easy to use and the drivers were nice and did not drive too fast or anything. The only bad car trip we experienced was an official taxi we had to take once when we did not have the wifi connection to order uber. He was driving too fast and took his hands off the wheel during the drive, spoke loudly portuguese and we understood nothing. It was a scary trip and took like 20 mins so that was maybe the only bad experience we had.

I even walked back home at 4am alone from the bar, like 20 mins. That was in copacabana though. I was pretty drunk and in the morning I got scared when I understood how dangerous it could have been.

We both have dark hair, tan and wore flip-flops so I guess we did not stand up from the crowd that much.

I can't tell everyone will be safe there and it's the best destination to go f.ex with your family, but I wish I didn't read all the horror stories before leaving, because for me the fear was not helpful - I even thought about cancelling my flights. Now I'm glad I didn't because it was awesome, and I will totally go back some day. Hope the situation gets better before that. I'm also worried about the local businesses if no tourist wants to go there anymore - it could drive more locals to the poverty and even worsen the situation.

Even though Rio has a major crime problem, that history was a POS.

Detroit is a child’s playground compared to this city despite being one of the most violent cities in the USA

Don't got here. Even your kids are prime targets for kidnapping, or worse. There are safer places to go such as in the US or even in Europe, and Australia. Brazil is a deathtrap for tourists and locals alike.

I spent Carnival in Rio last year alone. I didn’t wear jewellery or smart clothes. I didn’t carry a bag - just a cheap day pack -and only used my phone in safe places. I used the metro and walked miles - no problems I went to the Sambadrome by Metro and returned at 4am. Very busy and full of revellers. Avoided parts of centro and used lockers at Ipanema. I’m a savvy ‘older’ traveller. Favelas are a ‘no go’ unless you go with a local guide. Some are ‘pacified’ others not. Be sensible...
Had a brilliant time with no hassles.

I got robed in Santa Theres by some horrible men and then they wanted to sell me drugs. Try to avoid Santa Theres.

I stayed in Rio for a week.
It was a pleasant experience except for the part where I was chased by a bunch of dudes trying to rob me and had to sleep to the sound of gunshots every other day.
The food is nice, people are nice (the ones that don't wanna to kill you).

I have been visiting Rio de Janeiro since 2002 and it was much safer and of course cheaper as the value of the U.S. Dollar was 4-1 Brazil RS Real . I visited for my 45th trip this past January 2017 and due to return on next month . I have never been robbed or attacked so I feel very fortunate compared to others . I do plan to return next month and stay in the Copacabana or Ipanema areas . I always keep my eyes open no matter where I travel abroad or in the U.S.A. . Basically the world is just much more dangerous now in many places but their are still safe places to travel . My advice is to just be alert wherever you travel in the world . Don't become parinoid just become and stay aware of your surroundings .