Rio Carnival 2027 Hotels: Where to Stay for the Sambadrome and the Blocos

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In this guide15 sections

The short answer
23 January to 13 February: what has been published
Which carnival do you want
Copacabana and Leme: the beach and the blocos
Ipanema and Arpoador: a quieter beachfront
Centro and Lapa: the Sambadrome and the nightlife
Botafogo and Flamengo: a seafront with a metro line
Santa Teresa: gardens above the city
Barra da Tijuca: room to breathe
Getting in from the airport, and around
Entry for US, Canadian and Australian visitors
How to book Rio for Carnival
All 12 at a glance
Before you go
Frequently asked questions

Rio’s Carnival is two festivals on one calendar: the samba-school parades on the Marquês de Sapucaí, which LIESA, the league that runs them, dates to the nights of Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February 2027, and the street blocos, which the city expects to start on 16 January. Where you sleep decides which of them you do easily. The bill has its own quirk: the hotel industry reported Rio’s Carnival occupancy above 91% on 12 February 2026, days before the weekend began, and the two hostels here that publish their Carnival terms ask for the full price up front or sell a non-refundable rate.

This guide covers what LIESA, Riotur and the city had published in October 2026, six areas matched to the kind of carnival you want, 12 hotels, how to get around and the entry rule for US, Canadian and Australian visitors. The hotels are researched picks, chosen for location, what each property publishes and consistent guest feedback, and each was checked as operating in October 2026. No hotel pays to appear here.

The short answer

If you want…	Stay in	Why
the beach and the biggest street parties on the sand	Copacabana and Leme	The Copacabana Palace and the Pestana Rio Atlântica both sit on Avenida Atlântica, and last year’s official Fan Fest was on Copacabana beach
a quieter beachfront and a smart evening	Ipanema and Arpoador	The Fasano and the Hotel Arpoador look out on the beach, and a hostel here is a block from the sand
the Sambadrome and Lapa’s bars on foot or by metro	Centro and Lapa	The parades are in the Centro, and the two hotels here are in Lapa and on Rua Senador Dantas
a seafront with the Sugarloaf in view, and a metro line	Botafogo and Flamengo	The Yoo2 faces Botafogo beach, and the Windsor Florida is by the Flamengo park
a hillside hotel with gardens, away from the crowds	Santa Teresa	A hotel set in a coffee farm of 1850, with trams that did not run last Carnival
room to breathe and the sea at the door	Barra da Tijuca	An oceanfront five-star of 487 apartments, west of the Zona Sul beaches

A black-and-white night view of a tall decorated parade float with crowded stands on the right and people in rain ponchos in the foreground, under floodlights in heavy rain — A float on the Marquês de Sapucaí on a rainy parade night. Photo: Victor carnevale / Pexels

23 January to 13 February: what has been published

LIESA’s news pages give the 2027 parade nights as 7, 8 and 9 February, with the six best-placed schools returning on 13 February. The Riotur and LIESA calendars add the rehearsals and the other parades around them.

When	What	Where
Saturdays and Sundays, 23-24 and 30-31 January	Free technical rehearsals, with children’s schools opening each date	Marquês de Sapucaí, the Sambadrome
Friday 5 and Saturday 6 February	Série Ouro, the second division, with 17 schools	Sambadrome
Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February	Grupo Especial, four schools a night	Sambadrome
Friday 12 February	The children’s schools’ final night, 12 schools	Sambadrome
Saturday 13 February	Desfile das Campeãs, the six best-placed schools	Sambadrome

The Grupo Especial order was drawn on 16 April 2026. Sunday opens with União de Maricá, then Beija-Flor, Paraíso do Tuiuti and Vila Isabel. Monday has Mocidade, Unidos da Tijuca, Salgueiro and Imperatriz Leopoldinense. Tuesday has Portela, Viradouro, Grande Rio and Mangueira. LIESA’s FAQ says the Sambadrome gates open at 7pm on parade nights. Ash Wednesday, by our arithmetic from the Tuesday, is 10 February.

Tickets. LIESA names Ticketmaster as the only official seller and warns against unofficial links, profiles and sellers. For 2027 it set the special stands, Sectors 2 to 11 except 9, and the numbered individual chairs in Sector 12 at R$250 a night, or R$125 for half-price tickets, which go to students, over-60s, people with disabilities and low-income young people. Frisas, the six-person boxes, cost R$1,835 to R$10,200 a night depending on how close they are to the track, and are paid by Pix only. The popular stands in Sectors 12 and 13, on the Praça da Apoteose side, had not been announced in LIESA’s news list by 22 October. When we looked on 26 October, Ticketmaster’s page showed the special stands, the individual chairs and the frisas as marked “ESGOTADO”, sold out, and the Série Ouro’s special stands cost R$45 for a full ticket.

The rest is in LIESA’s rules. Tickets are digital, personal and tied to the buyer’s CPF, the Brazilian taxpayer number, and cannot be transferred. Ticketmaster says cards issued abroad work but cannot be paid in instalments, and that buyers must register with details from the card’s country. We did not test how a visitor without a CPF registers, so check on the page before the next sale. LIESA’s FAQ also says children must be at least five, that each spectator may bring two 500 ml plastic bottles and two food items, and that the numbered stands of Sector 9 are sold by ABAV/RJ, the travel-agents’ association, to travel agencies and inbound tourism.

Not yet published, as far as we could see: the 2027 bloco programme and the list of megablocos, any 2027 Fan Fest on Copacabana beach, the Cinelândia balls, the Intendente Magalhães parade calendar, and any special metro and train operation. Riotur’s own timetable has the blocos’ registration closing on 24 September and their final paperwork on 15 January, so the list will come late. We have not used 2026’s programmes as if they were current.

Last year’s pattern is the best guide to the shape of it, and 2027 falls eight days earlier, because Fat Tuesday was 17 February in 2026. In 2026 the city’s official megabloco circuit, named for Preta Gil, ran on the Rua Primeiro de Março in the Centro on weekends from 24 January to 22 February, one megabloco at a time, and Riotur counts 451 blocos across the city for 2026. The Cordão da Bola Preta, which Riotur calls the oldest bloco in Rio, paraded on Carnival Saturday. Riotur announced an official Fan Fest on Copacabana beach from 20 January to 21 February, with a stage at Posto 3 and screens showing the parades. The city’s operations plan expected more than eight million people to move around Rio over the Carnival days. Treat all of that as a pattern, not a promise.

Which carnival do you want

Riotur says visitors can build their own route in its Blocos do Rio app, and last year’s programme spread the blocos across every region of the city rather than holding them in one place. If the street parties are why you are going, sleep near a metro line that reaches the Centro, and plan each day around one bloco. If the Sambadrome is the point, sleep where the metro or a short taxi reaches Praça Onze or Central do Brasil, the two stations last year’s plan used for the parades. If you want both, the Zona Sul beach districts, Copacabana, Ipanema and Botafogo, share a metro line with the Centro.

Drummers seen from behind in matching purple vests printed with a group's name and red hats, with a man in a white mask and other costumed people around them in a street — Drummers of a street bloco in matching shirts. Photo: Davi Nicoletto / Pexels

Copacabana and Leme: the beach and the blocos

Copacabana is the long Avenida Atlântica beachfront, served by the Cardeal Arcoverde, Siqueira Campos and Cantagalo metro stations, with Leme beyond it. It is the district Riotur chose for last year’s Fan Fest. The cost is the crowd on the avenue and the sand.

A sandy beach with scattered people in front of rows of apartment blocks and palm trees, with a forested hill and a statue on a distant peak behind — Apartment blocks behind the sand, with the hilltop statue in the distance. Photo: Luca Buhl / Pexels

Where to stay in Copacabana and Leme

How the hotel links work: a hotel’s name goes to its own website. “Check rates” opens it on Booking.com through our partner Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

Copacabana Palace, splurge. A Belmond hotel at Avenida Atlântica 1702 with 140 rooms and suites, three restaurants, a pool and a private area on the beach. The hotel lists rooms of 26 to 44 m², suites from 44 m² and says it has “defined carnival”. Choose it for the grand address on the beach. Watch out: its site says the Pool Wing is closed for renovation until November 2026 and that the spa is being renovated, and its offers page lists New Year’s Eve but no Carnival package, so ask what will be open on your dates. Check rates on Booking.com →
Pestana Rio Atlântica, comfortable. A hotel of 247 rooms at Avenida Atlântica 2964, with a rooftop pool, the Deck Bar, a restaurant and a gym, and oceanfront suites. The hotel says it is 750 m from a metro station. Choose it for a beachfront room without the Palace’s name. Watch out: 750 m is a real walk after a night out, and its page describes Carnival in general terms and lists no package. Check rates on Booking.com →
CabanaCopa Hostel, budget. An urban hostel at Travessa Guimarães Natal 10, which the hostel puts two minutes from the metro and five from the beach, with private rooms for two to six and dorms of four to eight beds, all with air conditioning, bed linen, lockers and Wi-Fi, plus a bar and a terrace. Choose it for a bed in Copacabana at hostel prices. Watch out: its FAQ says bookings on its own site during special periods, including Carnaval, use a non-refundable rate, and the bar is part of the building. Check rates on Booking.com →

Ipanema and Arpoador: a quieter beachfront

A long curving beach seen across the water from a rocky point, with cactus plants in the foreground, apartment blocks along the shore and hazy mountains behind — The beach at Ipanema, seen across the water. Photo: Vinícius Vieira ft / Pexels

Ipanema runs west from the Arpoador rock, with Leblon beyond it, and its metro stations are General Osório and Nossa Senhora da Paz. It is a more residential beach than Copacabana, with the same sea. Last year’s hotel survey put Ipanema and Leblon at 96.19% occupancy for Carnival, so it fills early.

Where to stay in Ipanema and Arpoador

Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro, splurge. A Philippe Starck hotel at Avenida Vieira Souto 80, on the Ipanema seafront, with 89 rooms in five categories, an infinity pool above the beach and a guests-only rooftop pool bar on the eighth floor. Choose it for a design hotel on the sand. Watch out: with 89 rooms it has little to sell, and its page lists no Carnival package or minimum stay. Check rates on Booking.com →
Hotel Arpoador, comfortable. At Rua Francisco Otaviano 177, in Arpoador, a hotel that calls itself the closest to the beach in the city. Its rooms run from 16 to 50 m², with sea-facing categories named on its site. Choose it for a beachfront hotel at the Arpoador end of the sand. Watch out: its smallest room, 16 m², faces the inner courtyard, so book a named sea-view category if you want the water. Check rates on Booking.com →
Mango Tree Ipanema, budget. A hostel at Rua Prudente de Morais 594, a block from the beach and 400 m from Nossa Senhora da Paz station, with dorms, private rooms and a bar, garden, terrace and 24-hour reception. Choose it for a hostel bed a block from Ipanema beach that states its Carnival terms openly. Watch out: its policy says special-event bookings, and it names Carnaval, need the full amount up front, that a cancellation 90 days before check-in gets back 50% of the deposit with a 25% penalty on the booking value (the hotel’s wording), and that nothing is refunded inside 90 days. For a check-in on 6 February, 90 days is 8 November, by our arithmetic. Check rates on Booking.com →

Centro and Lapa: the Sambadrome and the nightlife

A cobbled street beside a long white aqueduct of arches, with old painted houses on the left and a man walking across the street — The Arcos da Lapa. Photo: Roy Serafin / Pexels

The Sambadrome is in the Centro, and so are the megabloco route and the Cinelândia balls, so this is the district for sleeping close to the parades. The official safety advice we found covers Brazil as a whole and does not single out Lapa; it names phone theft and pickpocketing at Carnival, and the city’s last operations plan put 950 municipal agents a day on the Sambadrome and the other parade sites. Metro stations in the Centro also changed hours last year, as the getting-around section explains.

Where to stay in Centro and Lapa

Vila Galé Rio de Janeiro, good value. A four-star at Rua Riachuelo 124, in the Lapa quarter, with 292 rooms split between the Collection wing, a restored 19th-century mansion, and a 13-floor modern tower. It has a pool, a spa and two restaurants, and the hotel puts the Arcos da Lapa and the Selarón steps within walking distance. Choose it for Lapa’s bars on foot. Watch out: the two wings differ, so book by the wing you want, and the site publishes no Carnival terms. Check rates on Booking.com →
Windsor Asturias, good value. A three-star of 166 rooms at Rua Senador Dantas 14, with a rooftop view and the Ópera restaurant, which the hotel says is a few minutes from Santos Dumont airport and from metro and VLT stations. It lists the Theatro Municipal and the Biblioteca Nacional among its neighbours. Choose it for a Centro base at a three-star price. Watch out: in the 2026 plan, Cinelândia station ran only from 6am to 8pm from 14 to 17 February, so ask which station to use at night. Check rates on Booking.com →

Botafogo and Flamengo: a seafront with a metro line

Botafogo and Flamengo lie between the Centro and Copacabana, along the bay, and the metro’s Botafogo, Flamengo, Largo do Machado, Catete and Glória stations run through them. Last year’s survey put the Glória, Flamengo and Botafogo strip at 96.91% occupancy for Carnival, the highest it reported, so it fills as fast as the beaches do.

Where to stay in Botafogo and Flamengo

Yoo2 Rio de Janeiro, comfortable. A Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel at Praia de Botafogo 242, facing the beach, with 143 apartments and suites, a rooftop bar and the Cariocally restaurant. The hotel says the Sugarloaf and the Corcovado are in view. Choose it for the bay view and the Botafogo restaurants. Watch out: views are by room type, with Standard, Superior partial view and Deluxe front view on its list, and its packages page was empty. Check rates on Booking.com →
Windsor Florida, good value. A hotel of 422 apartments at Rua Ferreira Viana 81, a few metres from the Flamengo park, which the hotel pitches as good value for money, with rooms set up for families. Choose it for a large hotel near the Aterro and the metro. Watch out: it is a large hotel, and its page lists no Carnival terms. Check rates on Booking.com →

Santa Teresa: gardens above the city

A yellow and blue open-sided tram numbered 19 beside a pavement, with two people standing by the track, overhead wires above and a red truck down the road — A yellow Rio tram at a stop. Photo: Jonathan Borba / Pexels

Santa Teresa is the hilltop neighbourhood above Lapa, where the old tram is the traditional way up, and the choice for quiet nights and a view rather than for walking home from a bloco. Last year the state government said the Santa Teresa trams would not run from the Friday before Carnival until Carnival Tuesday, except with restrictions on the Sunday.

Where to stay in Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa Hotel RJ-MGallery, splurge. A boutique hotel at Rua Almirante Alexandrino 660, set in a coffee farm of 1850, with rooms looking over gardens or Guanabara Bay, the Térèze restaurant, Le Spa and a pool. Its room list runs from a Superior Room to a Royal Suite. Choose it for a garden stay above the city. Watch out: the hotel’s offers listed a bride’s-day package and no Carnival one, and the trams did not run last Carnival. Check rates on Booking.com →

Barra da Tijuca: room to breathe

Barra is the long modern beach district west of the Zona Sul. It suits a family that wants a pool and a calm beach more than the street parties, and the metro’s Line 4 reaches Jardim Oceânico at its eastern end. The cost is distance from every parade site.

Where to stay in Barra da Tijuca

Windsor Marapendi, comfortable. A five-star at Avenida Lúcio Costa 5400, facing the sea, with 487 apartments looking at the sea, the mountains, the city or the Marapendi lagoon, a pool and a sauna. The hotel accepts cats and dogs up to 5 kg for a fee. Choose it for a pool and a beach without the crowd. Watch out: the page gives no travel time to the Sambadrome, so ask the hotel before you book. Check rates on Booking.com →

Three of the 12 hotels belong to the Windsor group, which has many Rio properties. We chose them for location and for what their pages publish, and not for any link.

Getting in from the airport, and around

From RIOgaleão: the airport’s own pages list the BRT Transcarioca Parador at R$5.00, from 4am to midnight, to Madureira and Terminal Alvorada in Barra, with a link to metro Line 2 at Vicente de Carvalho. A special Mobi-Rio bus runs from Terminal 2 to Terminal Gentileza for R$15. Regular and executive taxis leave from Terminal 2 arrivals at metered or city-hall-table fares, and Uber has pick-up points on the international departures floor, door D.
On the metro: Lines 1 and 4 run together between Uruguai and Jardim Oceânico, and Line 2 between Pavuna and General Osório. Last year’s plan, announced on 13 February 2026, ran the metro without a break from 5am on the Friday to 11:59pm on Ash Wednesday, and the trains from 4am to 10:45pm. For the parades, passengers left at Central do Brasil for the odd sectors and at Praça Onze for the even ones. Presidente Vargas station was shut from 14 to 17 February, and Cinelândia ran from 6am to 8pm. The 2027 notice had not been published.
By ferry and tram: last year the ferries ran extra trips on the big bloco days, and the Santa Teresa trams stopped.
For traffic: the city’s COR.Rio app, free on Android and iOS, is in English, Spanish, French, Chinese and Portuguese and shows road closures, and Waze carries the parade closures.
Safety: the UK Foreign Office advises that pickpocketing is common and that criminals target big celebrations such as Carnival, that thieves target phones and robberies are common on buses, and that city beaches should be avoided after dark. It says to avoid favelas, including tours marketed to tourists, to buy your own drinks, to take care with spirits because of methanol poisoning, and to dial 190 for the police. It advises against wearing expensive jewellery and carrying large sums.

Entry for US, Canadian and Australian visitors

Brazil’s foreign ministry says the requirement for a visitor visa for citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia took effect on 10 April 2025, and that they can apply online for an e-Visa through brazil.vfsevisa.com without going to a consulate. Its pages give the fee as US$80.90 and the issue time as about five working days. The portal blocked our automated access, so we confirmed the fee only on the ministry’s pages, which carry older update dates. Check the portal and the ministry before you pay. For other passports, ask the Brazilian consulate: this guide does not give immigration advice.

How to book Rio for Carnival

Book early, with a way out. Last year’s hotel survey, reported by Agência Brasil on 13 February 2026, had more than 91% of rooms taken in the capital, 96.91% in Glória, Flamengo and Botafogo, 96.19% in Ipanema and Leblon and 95.42% in the Centro, and the Sambadrome’s special stands were marked sold out on Ticketmaster in October.
Ask about minimum stays and prepayment. Only two hostels publish Carnival terms: Mango Tree’s special-event policy above, and the CabanaCopa’s non-refundable special-period rate. None of the 12 publishes a Carnival minimum stay or package on a page we could read. The Copacabana Palace’s offers page lists New Year’s Eve and no Carnival offer, Windsor’s promotions page lists holiday, Christmas and 2027 New Year offers, and the Yoo2’s packages page was empty. Ask in writing, and ask when the balance is due.
Match the nights to your plan. The parades run on 7, 8 and 9 February, with the Série Ouro on 5 and 6 February and the Campeãs on 13 February, so a stay from 5 to 10 February covers the Série Ouro and the three Grupo Especial nights, with checkout on Ash Wednesday.
Check what is open. The Copacabana Palace’s pool wing and spa, and the 2027 metro and tram notices, are the things to ask about.
Do not buy tickets from resellers. LIESA says tickets are personal and non-transferable and names Ticketmaster as the only official seller.
Compare totals. Our hotel booking sites compared goes through where to book, and where to stay in Venice for Carnival shows how another carnival city handles dates and taxes.

All 12 at a glance

Hotel	Area	Tier	Best for	Watch out for
Copacabana Palace	Copacabana	Splurge	The grand address on the beach	Pool Wing and spa under renovation
Pestana Rio Atlântica	Copacabana	Comfortable	A beachfront room with a rooftop pool	750 m to the metro
CabanaCopa Hostel	Copacabana	Budget	A hostel bed in Copacabana	Non-refundable rate at Carnival
Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro	Ipanema	Splurge	A design hotel on the sand	Only 89 rooms
Hotel Arpoador	Arpoador	Comfortable	A beachfront hotel in Arpoador	16 m² rooms face the courtyard
Mango Tree Ipanema	Ipanema	Budget	A hostel a block from the beach	Full prepayment, 90-day cancellation line
Vila Galé Rio de Janeiro	Lapa	Good value	Lapa’s bars on foot	Two wings, no Carnival terms
Windsor Asturias	Centro	Good value	A Centro base at a three-star price	Cinelândia station hours last year
Yoo2 Rio de Janeiro	Botafogo	Comfortable	The bay and the Sugarloaf	Views by room type
Windsor Florida	Flamengo	Good value	A large hotel by the Aterro	A large hotel, no Carnival terms
Santa Teresa Hotel RJ-MGallery	Santa Teresa	Splurge	Gardens above the city	No Carnival offer, trams stopped last year
Windsor Marapendi	Barra da Tijuca	Comfortable	A pool and a calm beach	Far from the parades

Before you go

Before you fly, sort out mobile data (the best travel eSIM; check that Brazil is included) and cover (the best travel insurance). For habits that matter in a Carnival crowd, see solo travel safety rules. Apply for the e-Visa early if it applies to your passport.

Frequently asked questions

When is Rio Carnival in 2027?

LIESA gives the Grupo Especial parade nights as Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February 2027 at the Sambadrome, with the Série Ouro on 5 and 6 February and the Desfile das Campeãs on 13 February. Free rehearsals are on 23, 24, 30 and 31 January, and Riotur expects the street carnival to start on 16 January. The 2027 bloco programme had not been published in October 2026.

Where is the best place to stay for Rio Carnival?

It depends on the carnival you want. Copacabana and Leme put you on the beach where last year's official Fan Fest was held, Ipanema and Arpoador are quieter, Centro and Lapa are closest to the Sambadrome, Botafogo and Flamengo have the metro and the bay, Santa Teresa is a hillside retreat, and Barra da Tijuca is the roomy option west of the Zona Sul beaches.

How do you buy Sambadrome tickets for 2027?

Only through Ticketmaster, which LIESA names as the sole official seller. The special stands (Sectors 2 to 11 except 9) and the Sector 12 chairs were R$250 a night, R$125 half price, and the frisas for six people R$1,835 to R$10,200 a night. When we looked on 26 October, the special stands, chairs and frisas were marked sold out, and the popular stands in Sectors 12 and 13 had not been announced.

Do Rio hotels have minimum stays at Carnival?

Only two hostels publish Carnival terms: Mango Tree Ipanema asks for the full amount up front and refunds nothing inside 90 days of check-in, and the CabanaCopa uses a non-refundable rate in special periods including Carnaval. None of the 12 hotels in this guide publishes a Carnival minimum stay or package on a page we could read, so ask in writing.

How do you get to the Sambadrome by metro?

The Sambadrome is on the Marquês de Sapucaí in the Centro. In last year's plan, passengers left the metro at Central do Brasil for the odd sectors and at Praça Onze for the even sectors, and the metro ran without a break from 5am on the Friday to 11:59pm on Ash Wednesday. The 2027 metro and train operation had not been announced in October 2026.

Do US, Canadian and Australian visitors need a visa for Brazil?

Brazil's foreign ministry says the visitor-visa requirement for citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia took effect on 10 April 2025, and that they can apply online for an e-Visa at brazil.vfsevisa.com. It gives the fee as US$80.90 and the issue time as about five working days. Check the portal and the ministry before you pay; for other passports, ask the Brazilian consulate.

Sources & further reading

Dates, rules, prices and hotel terms change, and the 2027 bloco programme, the megabloco list, the metro and tram notices and most hotels’ carnival terms were not yet published when we checked; where we describe last year’s arrangements we say so. Every hotel detail here was checked in October 2026; confirm minimum stays, rates and cancellation terms with the hotel before booking. These are researched picks, not reviews. This article contains affiliate links: hotel rates on Booking.com and other booking sites through Stay22, and tours, transfers and eSIMs through our partners; if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No hotel pays to be included.

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