Rio gets a bad rap in the rain. Of course, few places are at their best when the heavens are wide open, but when the city's most famous assets are almost all to be found outdoors, the options can quickly start to look a little thin. A tropical summer storm might be a spectacular one-off experience, but when the infamous frente frio (cold front) rolls in and stays put the cariocas retreat moodily under their brollies, meaning it is time to dig a little deeper under the sandy façade and into Rio's ever-growing cultural fabric.

To that end, Time Out Rio has uncovered the 20 best ways to while away the day, an afternoon and even into the evening, where the weather doesn't make a jot of difference. Spread across five categories, it is proof that even the biggest wash-out can have its highlights.

Attractions | Activities | Museums | Bars and Restaurants | Shopping

Activities

If the weather really is getting you down, the power of a relaxing massage will help banish thoughts of bikinis and beaches for a little while. If that isn't your thing, there is always sport to watch, be it a live football match featuring one of Rio's top four clubs or the horse races in Gávea.

• see our pick of rainy-day activities

Attractions

With Sugarloaf and Corcovado pretty much off-limits in bad weather, now is the time to get a little creative. The incongruous baroque beauty of Ilha Fiscal is a perfect case in point, a short boat trip into the bay, but the city's religious architecture is often just as impressive.

• see our pick of rainy-day attractions

Museums

Rio is catching up with São Paulo when it comes to its art galleries, of which Oscar Niemeyer's MAC across the water in Niteroí is something of a must. On this side of Guanabara, though, Flamengo's MAM offers more than just paintings for a full day by the bay.

• see our pick of rainy-day museums

Bars and restaurants

It takes a certain kind of restaurant to make you want to spend hours inside without getting itchy feet. In Rio, that means burger-joints for comfort food and all-you-can-eat rodizios, a brilliant concept for food fans who won't be hurried back out into the wet just because their plate was cleared away. Go get another!

• see our pick of rainy-day bars and restaurants

Shopping

Given that it is often simply too hot (or wet) for pounding the streets, air-conditioned malls are king in all corners of the city, but that doesn't necessarily have to mean getting bombarded with the usual brand names and slogans, especially if antiques are your thing.

• see our pick of rainy-day shopping