The best time to visit Rio de Janeiro: weather month by month

This is the postcard Rio and also the hardest to endure. Temperatures pass 35°C easily, with high humidity and a much higher heat index. The beach is at its peak — warm sea, long days, a seafront busy until late — but outdoor activity in the middle of the day becomes uncomfortable and trails turn into endurance tests.

It is also the rainy season. Rain usually arrives as heavy late-afternoon downpours that pass quickly but can flood streets and close viewpoints. Adding New Year, Carnival and the January school holidays, it is the most expensive and most crowded period of the year — book months ahead or pay the price of improvising.

This is the best window of the year for most itineraries. The heat eases without the cold arriving, rain decreases, the sea is still pleasant for swimming and the city drops out of high season. Flights and accommodation are noticeably cheaper than between December and March.

For hiking, viewpoints and the historic centre it is the ideal season: walking in the sun stops being a problem and visibility improves. May and June start bringing the first cold fronts, which knock the temperature down for a few days — nothing that requires a heavy coat, but enough to empty the beach.

Carioca winter is mild: highs usually sit between 22°C and 27°C, and lows rarely bother anyone. It is the driest season of the year, with clear skies for days on end — which makes it the best period for Corcovado, Sugarloaf and the viewpoints, where visibility matters more than temperature.

The sea gets colder and swimming becomes optional, though 30°C days in the middle of July are common. Excluding the peak of the July school holidays, it is the cheapest and quietest period of the year. For anyone coming for the city rather than the sand, it is hard to beat.

Spring brings the heat back gradually, with the sea warming and rain still moderate. September and October combine comfortable weather, off-peak prices and fewer people on the seafront — the second-best window of the year alongside autumn.

November is already a transition into summer, with hot days and the first heavy late-afternoon downpours. It is also when the market starts raising prices in anticipation of high season. Anyone wanting summer without summer prices tends to aim at the first half of December, before New Year.

Three periods transform the city: New Year, with the celebration on the Copacabana seafront; Carnival, between February and March, with the Sambadrome and the blocos; and the January and July school holidays. In those windows accommodation rises sharply, often with a compulsory minimum stay, and the city runs on a holiday footing.

Big concerts and sporting events also move prices and occupancy for a few days. If your dates are flexible, check the calendar before booking — shifting the trip by a week can mean a very different bill and a completely different city outside the hotel door.