Beaches In Rio de Janeiro

People come to Rio de Janeiro, gape at its magnificent ocean setting and refuse to get up from their beach towels until it's time to go home. That shoreline and the neighborhoods attached to them shouldn't be missed, but a bit farther inland, Rio de Janeiro still sparkles.

Arpoador

Jutting out from between Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, the night-lit Arpoador Beach is Rio de Janeiro's surf spot and weekend gathering sport for well-to-do cariocas.

Barra da Tijuca

The next beach out in Rio de Janeiro is Barra. It's 12km long, with clean, green water. The first few kilometers are filled with bars and seafood restaurants. The beautiful people in Rio de Janeiro hang out in front of barraca do Pepê. Further out there are only barracas (food and drink stalls) on the beach. It's calm on weekdays, and crazy on hot summer weekends.

Botafogo

This small beach in Rio de Janiero is on a calm bay inlet looking out at Pão de Açúcar. The Rio Yacht Club is next door.

Copacabana

A good many Rio de Janeiro vacations begin and end where the beach curves, hotels abound and nightclubs jump. At Copacabana, anything goes, and usually does. Maddening traffic, unbearable noise, packed apartment blocks, and one of the world's most famous beaches. A Manhattan with bikinis. You can swim here, although pollution levels and a strong undertow can sometimes be discouraging. Two blocks from the beach and running parallel to it is Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, the neighborhood's main commercial street, whose sidewalks are always crowded with the colorful characters that give Copacabana its special flavor.

Flamengo

This popular beach in Rio de Janeiro is a thin strip of sand on the bay, with a great view. The park and beach were a landfill project. It's within an easy walk of most of the budget hotels in Catete/Flamengo. There's a different class of Carioca here than on the luxurious beaches to the south, and it's fun to watch them play.

Ipanema/Leblon

Two of Rio de Janeiro's finest districts. As you stroll along these beaches, you'll catch a cross section of the city's residents. Different parts of the beaches attract different crowds. Posto Nine is Garota de Ipanema beach, right off Rua Vinícius de Morais. Today it's also known as the Cemitério dos Elefantes because of the old leftists, hippies and artists who hang out there, but it's also popular with the young and beautiful who like going down there around sunset.

For a close-up look at the posh apartment buildings, stroll down beachfront Avenida Vieira Souto, or drive around the lagoon on Avenida Epitácio Pessoa. Also check out Praça Nossa Senhora da Paz, which is lined with wonderful restaurants and bars. Link: Ipanema.com

Pepino/São Conrado

After the Sheraton there is no beach along the coast along Rio de Janeiro for a few kilometers until Pepino beach in São Conrado. You can also take Avenida Niemeyer to the tunnel leading to Barra da Tijuca. Pepino is a beautiful beach, less crowded than Ipanema. It's where the hang-gliders hang out when they're not hanging up there. Along the beach are two big resort hotels, the Hotel InterContinental and Hotel Nacional. Behind them, nestled into the hillside, is Brazil's biggest favela, Rocinha. Bus No 546, 547 or 557 goes to Pepino. There is also a São Conrado executivo (No 2016) that goes along Copacabana and Ipanema to Pepino.

Vidigal

Under the Sheraton Hotel and the Morro Dois Irmãos, this Rio de Janeior beach is a mix of the hotel and favela dwellers who were pushed further up the hill to make way for the Sheraton.

Back to the Top