City-Discovery.com Carnival in Rio Travel Picks Feature Samba and Soccer

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 01, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Carnival in Rio is one big party, and City-Discovery.com lets you join in the fun with a host of sightseeing, samba, and soccer tours. This year, the main events, including the world-famous Samba Schools' Parade, will fall on February 13 to 16, but festivities are in no way limited to these dates. Preparation for Carnival, marked by street parties, fireworks, and masked balls, is year round. As early as January, groups of revelers dress in costume and gather in squares or neighborhood bars to dance and march to the beat of drums.

Dating back to the 17th century, modern Carnival in Rio as well as the rest of Brazil has attracted thousands of revelers from all over the world year by year. According to the travel website, the trend lately is not simply to watch but to participate in the festivities.

Before the culminating event at the Sambadrome Stadium, where all 14 competing Samba schools let it all out in a spectacle of fabulous costumes, singing and choreographed dancing, special effects, decorated floats, and almost-naked beauties, numerous events and activities that welcome the participation of tourists are held. Jumping into street parties is totally free while experiencing the samba beat in carnival balls requires ticket purchases.

Booking activities designed to give participants a piece of the Carnival action before and after Lent is also a good option. City-Discovery.com has one such package, drawn up below. Tours to the city's famous landmarks such as Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christ Statue at Corcovado Mountain are included.

Note that activities mentioned in this list may not be available during the official Carnival dates. Interested travelers are advised to check with City Discovery through its customer service hotline.

In Rio's Samba Town, tourists can stop being tourists and become a member of Brazil's elite samba groups.

Also in the Carnival theme are these Show and Dance tours, the Plataforma Night with Dinner and the Plataforma Show Only.

Sightseeing activities such as Rio by Day cover all the city's major attractions, such as Corcovado, Sugarloaf, Botafogo Bay, Niteroi Bridge, downtown Rio, and the Maracana Soccer Stadium.

Soccer tours such as Carioca's Passion and the Rio de Janeiro Soccer Tour offer opportunities to see thrilling matches among Brazil's best soccer teams at the Maracana Soccer Stadium, largest stadium in South America.

For more tips, inspiration and insider information on Carnival in Rio, Brazil, and other parts of the world visit www.city-discovery.com.

About City Discovery
City Discovery is a leading provider of sightseeing tours, travel experiences and ground transportation worldwide. With over 5,000 carefully selected travel activities in 300 destinations and user-friendly features such as traveler reviews, wishbox, suggested itineraries and gift certificates, City Discovery sells directly to consumers through City-Discovery.com and a network of over 7,500 travel agencies and affiliates. City Discovery is available in 13 languages and has offices in USA, France, Italy, Greece and the Philippines.

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