Rio de Janeiro has a rich maritime history so it is fitting that sea-faring vessels of various types and the city's rejuvenated waterfront district will play an important role in logistics and entertainment during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The historical port region, which has been totally renovated in time for the Games, will host the ‘Olympic Boulevard’, an entertainment area that will have big screens for watching the sport, plus more than 100 live music shows, firework displays,  food trucks and a hot-air balloon that will offer the public breath-taking views across the city from 150m above the ground.

Waterfront culture

The region's centre-piece, Praça Mauá, has been transformed into a major cultural hub, with two new museums: the award winning Art Museum of Rio and the spectacular Museum of Tomorrow, plus a series of old shipping warehouses that are used for art and gastronomy events.

The area, which is just 6.4 kilometres from the Maracanã Stadium (which will stage the opening and closing ceremonies and Olympic football matches) will also feature the NBA House, which seems set to become a second home for basketball fans during the Games.  

The Norwegian Gateway will provide accommodation during the Rio 2016 Games

Anchored at the nearby Pier Mauá will be the Norwegian Gateway, one of the world's largest and most modern cruise ships, which will provide accommodation for National Olympic Committees and sponsors during the Games. It will have also five-star double bed suites with balcony views available to the general public during this period. Before and after the Games, it will offer cruises at promotional prices between Miami and Rio de Janeiro (see details below).

The use of ships as hotels during the Olympic Games also happened at Athens 2004, when the newly inaugurated Queen Mary 2 hosted athletes' families, heads of state and the USA men's basketball team. In Rio, the male and female American basketballers will stay on a small vessel operated by Silversea Cruises. Meanwhile, a historic sailboat will serve as a ‘hospitality house’ for Portugal.

Rio gets ready to party as hospitality houses revealed for Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Portuguese sailboat that will host guests in Rio during the Games

Many countries organise informal embassies in swanky areas to host athletes and other guests, celebrate medals and share their culture during the Games. Portugal has chosen to occupy the Navio Escola de Sagres, an historic sailboat that will remain moored at the quays of the Brazil Navy, next to Praça Mauá, and will be open between 3 and 22 August (from 10am to 11pm). The venue will tell some of the country's history, which of course overlaps with Brazilian history.

The Navio Escola Sagres, built in 1937 in Germany, left Lisbon on 21 June and will make stops in Cape Verde, and the cities of Recife and Salvador in the northeast of Brazil. The ship was handed over to Brazil in 1948 and then passed to Portuguese hands in 1962.

Miami-Rio and Rio-Miami tours

The Norwegian Gateway is offering promotional options for cruises with a Miami-Rio-Miami itinerary. The package includes 12-day voyage each way, non-stop, and includes five daily meals in various restaurants. The Miami-Rio voyage will take place between 24 July and 4 August, while the return voyage will be between 22 August and 2 September. The Olympic Games will run from 5-21 August. Prices start at 817 reais (US$250) per person before taxes. More information can be found on the To Go Travel website or by calling +55(11)3124-0210. Take a virtual tour of the ship.