There are four main sections of Rio which is the Zona Norte or the North Zone, Zona Sul or the South Zone, Zona Oeste or the West Zone and its urban Centro. The place where most tourist will gather is in the Zona Sul which you can find a mix of beaches, hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, office buildings and residential areas. It is the most prosperous section of the city in which it is also filled with fancy condos that houses the upper and middle class of Rio. It also includes dozens of music halls and theatres. Santa Teresa, Lapa and Centro are filled with the remains that reminds the people of the old colonization of Portugal which includes the amazing neoclassical structures that houses art galleries, museums and churches. Most of Zona Norte is residential and for the lower class but its famous soccer stadium and international airport is located here. The up-and-coming part of Rio is the Zona Oeste which is occupied by the newly wealthy people with untouched beaches, superstores and malls.
In Centro you can find precious gems that are left from the days of the Portuguese colony in which it shared space today with the modern high rises of the financial district of Rio. Some of the highlights of this section are the ornately decorated palaces, museums and churches. The neighborhood will turn into something like a ghost town during the days between the afternoons of Saturday to the morning of Monday in which work would begin. For good buys on English language titles and Brazilian literature, you can find many used bookstores in this area. The two large residential neighborhood that is close to the Centro section, Gloria and Catete are worth to visit during the afternoons. The national government which operated in Catete before has still their beautiful old residences and palaces and Gloria is popular for its amazing hilltop church.
One of the first residential area of Rio is Santa Terasa and it is worth a visit to this place if you want to see narrow, cobblestone streets. Most of the colonial mansions that are lining up in this area are converted into stylish boutique hotels and guesthouses. You can also see excellent art galleries, craft stores and restaurants. Lapa is where you can see a most of the dance clubs and music halls of the city. Lapa is best enjoyed at night.