This is the perfect area to watch the sunset along the Rio de Janeiro shore line. You can sit up on…read morethe rocks and watch the sun go down while admiring the waves and sounds of the ocean. You can find this area right in the middle of Ipanema and copacabana beach. Honestly if you're a sunset person Ipanema and Praia so Arpoador is where you need to be because the buildings on copacabana beach will disappoint you. Don't worry about bringing a cooler filled with drinks because you can find sellers up along the rocks. Although, I would recommend bringing a towel to sit on for sure and maybe a radio with tunes of your choice. This could legit be a perfect area to take your date and guess what? It's free! So definitely add this to your itinerary whenever you're in Rio de Janeiro .

This is actually a small beach that is nestled between Copacabana and Ipanema. The people hanging…read moreout there were mostly locals when I was there. As a beach, this spot is nothing special. However, the Arpoador rock formation is the reason to stop by. Climb to the edge of this rock and you will get amazing views of the sunset or sunrise. It's a great place to just sit and relax.

Yelp Review 2025 #193:…read more Between Copacabana, Botafogo and Ipanema - I still can't decide which neighborhood I like most. Each place has its own character and charm. I started my day on the beach in Copacabana and I took a leisurely walk to Ipanema which took under 45 minutes. What a pleasant walk that was. People watching, sightseeing and just enjoying a beautiful day by the beach. There's a reason why there are songs about Copacabana and Ipanema. They're both beautiful places and the Cariocas are very proud of them. Copacabana has more beach activities: volleyball, pickleball, futebol, surfing, swimming, and any water sport you can think of. Ipanema is more chill with people sunbathing, walking and playing with their dogs. In short, if you want less people and chill vibes, go to Ipanema.

So in rio there are two big famous beaches One is…read moreCopacabana which is the main tourist beach and you see cariocas and vendors hustling And mainly for young folks or singles or partying This one is Ipanema which is next door and this is where all the locals come to and it's packed and more family oriented and relaxed It's a nice vibe

So I was looking for a place to work out in Copacabana and I tried smart fit first. The system…read morethere doesn't allow foreigners without a Brazilian social security number to join and nobody there spoke English. I made my way over to Body tech and they were much friendlier and spoke English. I had no problem joining for a month with just my drivers license. The place is very clean and has very up to date equipment. I highly recommend this place for anybody.

Great gym. Cost 65 US dollars per week to join. Some of the staff speak English. If you are a…read moregym rat, this place will keep you happy while you are on vacation.

This is where you want to be in Ipanema, in Rio, in Brazil, and the world. Go to Barraca do…read moreUruguai (see my review), grab a chair and a Skol or a caipirinha, and you're in for an excellent day. Like Anthony Bourdain said on his No Reservations episode on Rio, "if you don't enjoy being here, there must be something wrong with you, or you're a Republican."

Loved this beach!! If you are up for it, you can walk from Copacabana to Ipanema and then up a…read moresmall mountain where you'll get a great view of both beaches. The beach here is not as crazy as Copacabana, though there are still a million vendors trying to sell you sarongs, food, beer, caipirinhas, bracelets, etc. The only odd thing was that there was a military boat going back and forth scanning for who knows what but probably has something to do with the World Cup safety. Be sure to head into the side streets of Ipanema once you are done with the beach and explore the cute bars/restaurants this neighborhood has to offer. When I come back to Rio, I'll be sure to stay around this beach. Be sure to check out the beaches of leblon too for even less crowds!

Out of all beaches of Zona Sula, Ipanema is my preferred one…read more Unlike copacabana, which is overly chaotic, touristy and commercialized and Leblon which is more narrow, Ipanema caters more to local crowd, has a wide sand strip, quite clean and less harassment by vendors. Rent a chair and umbrella for a low price and spend the day with a cold coconut.

We stayed at the hotel across the street (Rio Othon) which was nice since we had a designated area…read moreof the beach to use, this was helpful because the beach gets crowded very quickly. The most annoying thing here is all the vendors constantly coming around a little hard to relax U can grab anything from drinks, we tried one not terrible just too sweet for my taste. Food & snacks to bathing suits, bags & shirts helpful for the vendors. If you don't get anything from the vendors there are plenty of places to eat & drink along the beach. My only complain for the beach was that the water it is very rough, crazy strong current u can feel the pull just standing in the sand. We got to see beautiful sunsets, sunrise & were even lucky enough to be here when Lady Gaga played, crazy crowd by her hotel, rehearsal was a mini concert definitely a very cool experience. Nice stretch of beach, scenery is lovely & it's a great way to spend any time during your visit in Brazil.

Copacabana is a bairro (neighborhood) in Rio de Janeiro: in the South Zone of the city. Its 4 km…read more(2.5 miles) beach is the most famous. I'm impressed by how clean the beach is when we get there in the morning! ... evening is another story. Of course, there is this statue of their famed son Ayrton Senna (1960-94), who died on the race track ...our first stop in Rio is to visit him.