A brighter Friday, the city turning toward a fine weekend.

TODAY’S PICK — EASE INTO THE WEEKEND

A flexible Friday as the sun returns

Friday is a day to keep your options open, with the weather on the mend but not quite settled. If the sun is out, a stroll along the seafront or an hour at a beach kiosk is a fine way to mark the end of the wet spell, with the sand drying out, the kiosks busy again, and the city’s mood lifting along with the skies. It is the first proper hint of the warm weekend to come.

If a shower is about, lean on the indoor options that have served so well this week. The port museums at Praça Mauá, the Museu do Amanhã and the MAR, make an easy pairing under one trip on the VLT, and the CCBB in Centro keeps several free exhibitions in its grand old hall. Any of them is a pleasant, dry way to fill a few hours while the last of the rain blows through, and all are an easy Metrô or light-rail ride from the Zona Sul, so a change of plan need not derail the day.

Either way, today is really about looking ahead to the weekend, when the warmth returns in earnest. Friday evening is for planning: where to be for the Saturday sunshine, and where you will watch Brazil take on Japan on Monday night. Take today gently, with the best of the week still very much to come over the next few days.

OUTDOORS — THE SUN COMES BACK

A window today, the weekend wide open

There should be spells of sunshine today between the clearing showers, so keep an eye on the sky and seize a bright hour if one comes along. The Aterro do Flamengo and the Lagoa circuit are good for a walk or cycle, and the milder air makes for comfortable, active outings without the heat of the peak summer days.

For the bigger plans, hold on just a little longer. With Saturday warm and Sunday gorgeous, the weekend is the time for a proper beach day at Ipanema or Leblon, or for the Pão de Açúcar cable car, when the clear skies will show the bay at its best.

It is worth a quick look at the tide and surf if you are planning the sand, as the sea can be lively after an unsettled spell, and the lifeguard flags are the ones to follow. But the overall picture is simple and welcome: the outdoors is back, today in glimpses between the showers and across the weekend in full, glorious form.

COFFEE & WHERE TO WORK — BOTAFOGO & CENTRO

Wrapping up the working week

It is Friday, so the trick is finishing the week’s work with the weekend in sight. In Botafogo, Urban Bean keeps a calm room and a steady connection, and Como Coworking nearby is the dependable choice for a focused final push at a desk.

In Centro, Curto Café is the pick for excellent coffee and a productive hour, handy if you are pairing work with a museum visit at the port. Both areas are easy to reach and pleasant on a milder day, with cafés ideal for a between-showers break.

Many of the coworking spaces wind down a little earlier on a Friday, so check the hours if you need a late session. With the weekend warming up, finishing in good time to enjoy the brighter days ahead is the smart way to close the week.

THE CONTRASTING PLAY — A NIGHT IN LAPA

The weekend starts in the bairro of samba

Friday night is when Rio’s nightlife wakes up, and with the football done for the week and the weather improving, Lapa is the place to feel it. The nineteenth-century arches light up, the bars and clubs fill, and live samba and choro spill out onto the streets in the city’s most famous and most infectious night-time quarter.

It is lively and gloriously informal, so wear something comfortable, take only what you need, and let the music guide you from one bar to the next. For a gentler start, the botequins of Botafogo and the quieter edges of Lapa offer a relaxed drink before the night really builds, a fine way to ease into a weekend with the warm weather on its way back and a holiday mood settling over the city.

TONIGHT, AFTER 7 PM

A proper Friday night out

With no match tonight and the weekend ahead, the city is in the mood to go out. The improving weather helps, and Friday is Rio’s big night, so the bars, the live music and the street life are all back in full swing after a quieter, wetter week indoors.

Lapa is the classic choice for music and dancing, while the botequins of Botafogo and the beachfront bars of the Zona Sul suit a more relaxed evening in the open air. Wherever you land, the talk will turn to the weekend’s returning sunshine and to Monday’s big knockout match against Japan, the next chapter of Brazil’s campaign.

If you would rather keep it low-key, a long dinner and a drink somewhere lively is plenty on a Friday. The point is simply to enjoy the shift in mood, with the warm weekend and a knockout match both to look forward to in the days just ahead — a fine note on which to close a week that began under grey skies and ends with the sun coming back.

ALSO ON TODAY

Friday evenings are busy as the city heads out, so the roads and ride apps get stretched, especially around the nightlife districts. The Metrô is the easiest way to Lapa and the Zona Sul, running later on a Friday night.

For Lapa, the Cinelândia and Carioca stations are a short walk from the arches. If you are out late, plan your way home in advance, as demand for rides surges after midnight on a Friday with the weekend underway.

Lunch: A Friday lunch can be a treat to start the weekend. A long almoço at a Botafogo bistro, or a lighter beachside bite if the sun is out, both fit the milder day, with plenty of good options near the port if you are museum-bound.

Dinner: Make a night of it. Lapa and Botafogo are full of lively spots for dinner before the music, from petiscos and chope to a proper sit-down meal, the right way to launch a weekend with the warm weather returning.

On the football, Brazil’s next match is against Japan in the round of 32 on Monday, played in Houston, so there is the weekend to enjoy first. It is a step up in quality, with Japan a well-organised side, so expect a tougher test than the group finale.

On the markets, the Bovespa rose strongly on Thursday to above 172,000 after the mid-month IPCA-15 inflation reading came in softer at 0.41%, easing some price worries. The dollar slipped back below R$5.20, and the Selic remains at 14.25%.

A Friday night in Lapa is one of Rio’s great experiences, and a friendly introduction to the city’s love of music. For newcomers, it is the easiest place to feel the carioca weekend begin, with samba and choro drawing a crowd of all ages onto the streets.

A few sensible tips: go in a group if you can, carry only what you need, use the Metrô or a booked ride, and keep an eye on your belongings in the busy bars. Do that, and a night among the Lapa arches is as warm a welcome to Rio as the beach on a sunny day.

The knockouts are set, and Brazil know their path. Having won Group C, they face Japan in the round of 32 on Monday in Houston, the reward for topping their group ahead of Morocco, who go on to play the Netherlands.

It promises to be a real test. Japan are among the most organised and technically sharp sides at the tournament, and they will not be overawed, so Brazil will need to be at their best rather than expecting a repeat of the comfortable win over Scotland.

The boost is Neymar, back from injury after his late cameo against Scotland and now building toward fuller fitness. With Vinícius Júnior in fine form, four goals already to his name, Carlo Ancelotti has attacking options to trouble any defence.

For now, though, the players and the city get a weekend to draw breath. The match is Monday, so there is time to enjoy the sunshine first before the knockout nerves set in for what should be an absorbing tie.

The week ended on a high for the markets. The Ibovespa rose 0.89% on Thursday to around 172,028 points, touching above 173,000 during the day, led by gains in the big banks and a brighter mood on inflation.

The lift came from the mid-month IPCA-15 reading, which showed inflation easing to 0.41% in June from 0.62% in May, a little below expectations. The softer print cheered investors, and the dollar slipped 0.39% to around R$5.18, back below the R$5.20 mark.

The Selic stays at 14.25% after last week’s cut, with the central bank‘s next decision in late July. The currency is now down around 5.6% against the dollar this year, and a calmer inflation picture is helping the mood into the weekend.

THE DAYS AHEAD

Brazil play Japan in the round of 32 on Monday June 29, in Houston, having qualified as winners of Group C. It is the first knockout match, a single game with extra time and penalties if needed to separate the sides.

Japan are a well-organised, technical side, so it should be a tougher test than Brazil’s 3-0 win over Scotland. Morocco, who also came through Group C, face the Netherlands in their round-of-32 tie. Check local listings for the confirmed kickoff time and broadcast on Globo and SporTV.

Lapa is the heart of Rio’s Friday nightlife, where the famous arches, the bars and the clubs come alive with live samba and choro spilling onto the streets. It is lively, informal and a quintessential carioca night out, busy from mid-evening onward.

For something more relaxed, the botequins of Botafogo and the beachfront bars of the Zona Sul offer a gentler evening of drinks and petiscos. Take the Metrô, which runs later on Fridays, go in a group, and keep your valuables close in the crowds.

Yes, the weekend looks lovely for it. After a milder, still slightly showery Friday at 22°C, Saturday warms to 24°C and is largely dry, and Sunday is gorgeous at 26°C with barely a cloud, ideal beach weather.

So while today is a touch in-between as the wet spell clears, the beach is firmly back on for the weekend. Sunday looks the pick of the days for the sand, with the Pão de Açúcar cable car and the viewpoints also at their best in the clear air.

The index rose 0.89% to around 172,000 points, lifted mainly by the big banks and a brighter mood on inflation. The mid-month IPCA-15 reading eased to 0.41% in June from 0.62% in May, a little below what economists had expected.

The softer inflation figure encouraged investors, and the dollar slipped 0.39% to around R$5.18, back below the R$5.20 mark. The Selic stays at 14.25% after last week’s cut, and the calmer price picture, together with the central bank’s slightly brighter growth outlook, has helped sentiment as the week closes.