Rio not only is a marvelous city (Cariocas call it "Cidade Maravilhosa" ) but also boasts a great and diversified nightlife, with theaters, clubs, restaurants and live music. Most local youths like to visit clubs like Nuth, Baronetti, Club Six and Mix, which mainly play electronic music, hip hop and rock, and which may not be of interest to the average tourist.

Rio de Janeiro is mainly the city of Samba. Samba first appeared early in the 20th century in Rio de Janeiro (then the capital of Brazil) influenced by immigrant black people from Bahia. The title "samba school" ("escola de samba") was used by larger groups of samba performers to lend acceptance to samba and its performance. Samba is mainly a rhythm and has a wide variaty of styles which include Choro, Pagode, Samba Commum, Partido Alto, Samba Canção and Samba de Enredo (which is the music performed by the Samba Schools during the Carnaval Parade).

If you want to get to know Carioca culture, immersing yourself in samba is a must. Several clubs, known as Casas de Samba,( "houses of Samba") offer live music. Lapa is one of the neighbourhoods where some of them are located. It's not far from the two main tourist hotel neighborhoods, so you'll pay around R$30 to get there. Carioca da Gema, Estrela da Lapa, Centro Cultural Carioca , Rio Scenarium  are the most famous, but you can discover many others near these places. There you can hear some of  Rio's best players and have a nice time with nice people -- with a very good  "caipirinha" of course.

For those really wanting to immerse themselves in Carioca culture, visiting a "pagode  de mesa" (pagode around the table) is a must. Pagode is mostly played by groups of friends who take their instruments to a bar, sit around the table and start to play. You'll find many places like this in Rio de Janeiro, but none of them is as famous as the "Pagode de Tia Doca", every Sunday starting 17:30. The address is Rua João Vincente 219 in Madureira. The "Pagode de Tia Doca" is organized by the "Velha Guarda" (old members) of the Portella Samba School. Famous pagodeiros and sambistas like Zeca Pagodinho, Beth Carvalho and Arlindo Cruz are known to visit the Pagode de Tia Doca. On Fridays, but less historical , is the Pagode de Tia Doca at "Estudantina Musical", Praça Tiradentes and starts 19:00.

Another tradition for those enthusiastic about samba is the "gafiera" dance hall.  Here you can meet Cariocas out to have a fun night of dancing with a partner. One well-known gafiera is Estudantina, but there are many more, like Elite near Praca Tiradentes. Another good place to hear samba and dance is Democráticos, on friday and saturday nights. On friday, this place has a party with many good brazilian musicians, called  Semente da Música Brasileira

For a good agenda about samba e choro: Agenda do Samba - Choro and for a good agenda on Lapa and some downtown venues, check Lá na lapa

For those interested, the Samba Schools rehearse from September until Carnaval,. Some schools are open on Friday nights, others on Saturday, Sunday or Thursday. The best period to go there however is from mid-December to the start of Carnaval ,when some members are actually dressed up in their costumes. Be aware however, that most Samba Schools are located in or near favelas and going alone on foot ,or even by rented car, is not advisable; take a cab or go with a tour. Most samba schools cost about  R$ 10 to enter. Attire is generally very casual. Good and well known schools in the city of Rio de Janeiro are Mangueira, Vila Isabel, Salgueiro, Padre Miguel, Portela and Viradouro. If you want to venture out, Grande Rio (Duque de Caxias) and Beija Flor (Nilopolis) are other great options.

There are many other places to listen Brazilian music in Rio, not just samba, but also Bossa Nova and other rhythms. These venues include Canecão (near shopping Rio Sul) and Vivo Hall (Barra de Tijuca). For exact times and venues, it's best to check at your hotel. Be careful with entry fees that people offer you. Just a few places charge more then 15 dollars to get in. (Rio is different from Europe, in that people charge customers trying to get into practically anyplace.)

"Ilha dos Pescadores" in Barra de Tijuca is also a great place to visit. They always have live shows and the type of music depends on the day; Monday, for example, is "Forro Day". 

A popular outing for Cariocas is the "Feira de São Cristovão", which serves as a market for original items from the Northeast. There are several typical restaurants and at night, this is the place in Rio de Janeiro to dance "Forro".

If you like a pub atmosphere, visit Shenanigans! It’s a really cozy place, with lots of good drinks and beers…and if you love billiards, that’s the place to go, as well. They have good steaks there and other delicious menu choices.  And one of the nicest things about the place is that you can find other “gringos” there, so it may feel more like home. Great place!

Friday night, just after work is what Cariocas call "Happy Hour". It's not happy hour as most Europeans and Americans are used to, with disounted drinks, but more a "happy hour" because the weekend has started. Many people going home from work stop for drinks with colleagues and friends. This is a period when most bars in the centre of Rio are crowded. You also see many places where people park a van filled with beer and some seats they put up almost everywhere  and anywhere in the streets. Some popular places are Cinelândia (in front of the Municipal Theatre), Arcos da Lapa (near the Lapa District), Arcos da Teles near Praça XV and Rua São Jose (close to Praça da Carioca).