There isn't much to see in this park except for a few playground equipment and exercise stations…read more The entire park has a solid sand floor which is very uninviting, though a few grassy areas can be had here and there. Seating is plentiful via a low perimeter wall that is shaded in most areas with quite a few trees. Other than that, most people use this park as access onto Ipanema Beach from the main road.

Except for the fact that its on the beach, at first glance it appears like any other park. But if…read moreyou climb the hill you'll find a skate park with amazing views of the city. During carnaval there were fitness dance parties, live music, etc. Good times. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf1luu2BD2E/

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.

La Plage at the Botanical Gardens. Although this has been around for a long time, this was a new…read morefind for us. The mansion that houses the restaurant is old-world elegant. The crowds lined up to take photos in the iconic courtyard, which encircles an old roman styled pool: The ambiance was beautiful, and the food was exquisite! I had one of the best steaks I've ever eaten in Brazil; it was so tender I would have cut it with a fork. My wife had grilled chicken Caesar salad which was very tasty. Then came dessert, along with a full-flavored cup of coffee. After the enjoyable meal, we explored the mansion, which abuts the rainforest. There are walking trails and other scenic areas to sit in and enjoy the plush greenery. I would highly recommend that this stop is on everyone's list of things to see in Rio.

You're coming here strictly for the views/vibe. The food is decent but it's nothing special. If…read moreyou're coming here strictly for the food you'll be disappointed. That's not to say the food is bad, it's alright. But on a Monday morning the wait to get a table was over an hour. It's outdoors so it can get really hot too. Even after we were seated it took FOREVER to get our food. Luckily we were just killing time until our flight. If you have other things to do it could be annoying. I got a burger and it was ok. It was cooked alright but it was a little bland. The fries were also just ok too. It's a nice experience but temper your expectations.

I feel lucky to have had friends in Rio that helped me to have more of a local experience than had…read moreI gone into my trip blindly and by myself. Stumbling on Praia da Bica is evidence of the power of local knowledge. It was so nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of Ipanema and check out some other parts of the city. Whereas Ipanema Beach is overwhelming with the throngs of people and thongs of fabric, Bica Beach is, comparatively chiller and more relaxed. I liken it from going from South Beach to Fort Lauderdale Beach (or, maybe, even down to the Keys). I came here at night time which is the perfect time of day to enjoy the kiosks and restaurants that dot the beachfront. Walking down this malecon, I saw kids playing soccer, beach bums strumming guitar, folks drinking out of coconuts and taking down large beers... basically, everyone was getting a serious chill on. The stretch of kiosks went as far as the eye can see, so if you're trying to see it all, you might walk for a little while. It was night time, so there was no near nudity to be found -- which was fine with me. The entire vibe was so different from my previous beach experiences in Rio that I found myself wanting to melt into a chair with a beer and people watch... or look at the lights along the beach or in the distance... while I listened to music... or, the sound of the waves gently crashing into the beach. It's the quiet normalcy of Praia da Bica that I most remember and cherish. I would, gladly, go back for another evening of relaxation, good company and cold beer.

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

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.

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.

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.

One could think it is a scene out of a small town on the countryside. But it happens in…read moreLaranjeiras, one of Rio's nice residential neighborhoods. Every weekend a dedicated group of locals gather around to make music at a sweet square bandstand. They bring in professional equipment and every Saturday, from 6 to 11 pm, put excited locals and gringos to dance around and sing along. Samba, obviously -- Rio's favorite soundtrack. The happy music on the square has families blending in with a young and relaxed crowd, lively chatting with their beer cans in hand. A few restaurants around the square sell food and draft beer, so you can grab a bite after the music, too. Every time I visited São Salvador's traditional Saturday afternoons I felt warmly welcomed. It sums up some of the carioca's friendliness and it is a great place to mingle and make friends. Friday nights and Sunday mornings also offer a good amount of music and fun. You can't really go wrong here.