Cristo Redentor

Cristo Redentor: Rio de Janeiro’s Statue

Christ the Redeemer stands 30 metres tall (38 metres including the pedestal) on the summit of Corcovado mountain, 710 metres above Rio de Janeiro. Construction ran from 1922 to 1931; the sculptor was Paul Landowski, a French-Polish artist who modelled the hands and face in his Paris studio while the engineering was handled by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. The arms span 28 metres. The statue is reinforced concrete covered in triangular soapstone tiles — each individually cut and fitted by a workforce who signed the underside of many tiles before installation.

The Corcovado summit is inside the Tijuca National Park, the largest urban forest in the world. On days with good visibility, the view from the base of the statue takes in the full sweep of Rio’s geography: Guanabara Bay and the bridge to Niterói to the east, the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and the ocean beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana to the south, and the Sugarloaf and the bay entrance to the northeast.

Getting There

The Corcovado Rack Railway (Trem do Corcovado) runs from Cosme Velho, a residential neighbourhood in the western city. The journey takes about 20 minutes through Tijuca forest and deposits you at a station a 220-step escalator and elevator system below the statue platform. Tickets cost around R$117 for adults and should be booked in advance online, especially on weekends and during school holidays. The train is the best option for the journey through the forest.

Vans run from Largo do Machado and other pickup points in the south zone of Rio. They’re cheaper but the road up is steep and narrow; the train experience is better.

The statue can be visited at night, when it’s lit and the city lights below provide a different kind of view. The last train typically runs around 21:00 in peak season.

Visiting Rio Around the Statue

Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) is the other major elevated viewpoint, reached by two stages of cable car from the Praia Vermelha neighbourhood. The middle station on Morro da Urca (230 metres) is worth a stop; the full Sugarloaf summit at 396 metres gives views of Corcovado from the opposite direction. The cable cars run continuously through the day; tickets cost around R$130.

Santa Teresa, the hillside neighbourhood between Corcovado and the city centre, has colonial buildings, art studios, and restaurants. The old tram (bonde) that used to serve the neighbourhood is being restored. Escadaria Selarón, a mosaic staircase created by Chilean artist Jorge Selarón from 1990 until his death in 2013, is nearby at the border with Lapa.

Rio Practicalities

October through March is summer and brings the highest temperatures, Carnival (February/March), and the highest prices. April through September is cooler and less humid. The Copacabana and Ipanema beaches are accessible year-round; safety in these areas has improved in recent years but the standard advice on avoiding isolated beach areas and not carrying valuables at night still applies.