SoccerBible City Guide: Rio de Janeiro

Luckily for us we get to see a fair bit of the world whilst searching for the best in football culture. So being the nice guys that we are, we thought we'd pass on a bit of knowledge from our travels. First up our attention turns to Rio de Janeiro, the city we recently visited for the Nike HyperVenom launch.

With the Conferations Cup underway and Brazil 2014 creeping closer, we take a look at the city that will host the World Cup final. Rio is known as the cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city) and it doesn't take long to find out why. Surrounded by mountians, rain-forests and white sand beaches its pretty much picture perfect. Throw in a heady mix of Samba music, a tropical climate, amazing food and an unrivalled passion for football, we may have just found our favourite city in the world.

Stadium: EstÁdio do Maracana - The largest stadium in Brazil and South America, EstÁdio do MaracanÃ is an open air stadium that holds 78,838. Originally opened in 1950 to host the World Cup, it was partially rebuilt in preparation for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup, the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

The Stadium museum is well worth a look. It shows the history of the national team and also has a Walk of Fame which has footprints of over 100 famous players such as Pele, Ronaldo and Beckenbauer.

Pre game - For a decent bite to eat head out to Cafe das Ruinas in the grounds of Parque das Ruinas. If you've missed breakfast at the hotel (we've all been there) they serve them all day. Alternatively check out the famous Chaika in Ipanema for a hamburger, emapada or anything else from its 700 item menu!

Post game - Go straight to Lapa to sample the vibrant nightlife. The streets are lined with sidewalk cafes where locals gather for hours to indulge in chi chi chi (banter and chatter). The district s street parties are among the most famous of Rio s party attractions, and crowds gather in droves from Thursday through to Saturday. On either end of the Lapa night scene are nightclubs (Carioca de Gema) where you can catch free live music Monday to Friday and the Rio Scenarium - a three floored samba club set in a dilapidated warehouse.

Stay - We lucked out on our trip and managed to blag a stay at the prestigous Hotel Copacabana Palace. Pricey but if you've got deep, deep pockets, you'll struggle to find better. For something a bit more affordable check out The Altos de Santa Teresa Guest House or hotel Villa Tijuca located in Rio de Janeiro's Rio Comprido neighborhood - both are close to the Maracana Stadium.

While you're there - First things first, go for a kick-about on the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana while you eye up the locals - goal mouths stretch the entire length of the Copacabana beach. You can't visit Rio without visiting the no.1 tourist attraction - find a good spot to photograph the 38m high statue of Christ the Redeemer.

If you're interested in Romario's life story - a boy from the Favela's who made to the top of Brazilian football - then you might be intrigued by the less glamorous side of Rio life. If so, take an insightful Favela tour and meet some awesome people doing amazing things trying earn a living. If you're lucky you might even get a game of favela football.

Rio has around 6.5 million people and one thing they all have in common is a love of football. It's a huge life choice for a Carioca (a Rio native) to choose who to support and given the abundance of teams it isn't an easy one. If you fancy seeing a league game Rio has 4 teams in the Campeonato Brasileiro SÉrie A; Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama.

Remeber the awesome video for 'Beautiful' by Snoop Dogg Pharell? The Mosaic Covered steps they were chilling on are worth checking out if you're in the area. Part of an ever changing creation by Chilean born artist Jorge SelarÓn they connect Lapa with the hill-top Neigbourhood of Santa Theresea.

Last but certainly not least, check out all the hottest Nike gear at the super cool Nike Ipanema store. A massive 1,200 sqm store over three floors, the Nike Ipanema store showcases a wide range of official and free time product, ranging from Nike sponsored global teams, to Brazilian National Team product, to those of local clubs, expressing Brazil's unique passion for futebol.