Sugarloaf Mountain is the 396-metre granite monolith that guards the entrance to Guanabara Bay, reached by two consecutive cable cars from the Urca neighbourhood. The first cable car goes to Morro da Urca (232 metres), where there are restaurants, shops, and a helipad; the second continues to the summit of Sugarloaf itself. The view from the top — Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer to the west, Copacabana and Ipanema beaches curving south, the bay dotted with islands — is one of the great urban panoramas in the world.
Visit late in the afternoon for the best combination of light and temperature: the sunsets from the summit are spectacular, and the city lights coming on as dusk falls over the bay is one of Rio's finest displays. The cable cars run until 10pm, so a night visit is feasible. Expect queues in high season. The trail up to the summit — Caminho da Urca — is an alternative for hikers, but requires some scrambling.