Ipanema Beach is considered one of the most beautiful in the world and was made famous by the song The Girl from Ipanema. This area has always played a role in the culture of Rio de Janeiro. Ipanema beach is lined with tents selling food and drink and renting beach chairs. One good place, run by Jorge, is located between Postos 9 & 10, right in front of the Caesar Park hotel. Ipanema beach is a lot nicer and we have been going there nearly every day. It is exactly as I had always imagined Copacabana beach to be, full of beautiful Brazilian people with the girls in very skimpy bikinis.
Ipanema beach is extremely diverse and entertaining: you can surf, play soccer, fresco ball, volleyball, buy a bikini, drink coconut water, cycle or run along the board walk. At weekends the beach gets filled by carioca who literary spend the whole day chatting and sunbathing: a flamboyant gay community stands in front of posto 8, a stream of perfectly carved bodies decorates posto 9, soap operas celebrities hide in the quieter dunes of Leblon beach and surfers battle with the strong currents of Arpoardor. Ipanema beach is much nicer than Copacabana. It’s a lot wider, but the ocean is FREEZING! Ipanema beach is trendier than Copacabana, and it is generally where the most beautiful people tend to hang out. Ipanema beach has a gay section to it.
Rio is a city that truly has it all - beautiful beaches, architecture, quaint cobbled neighbourhoods, lush rainforest, never-ending nightlife and shopping opportunities! Nowhere gives you a better understanding of this than from the top of the famous “sugar-loaf mountain”. Rio has some amazing forests and great trails for hiking and biking. Rio de Janeiro features many world famous sights. The city is busy and bustling, but it is also surrounded by nature and life.
Brazil has a plethora of beaches that can turn anyone into a beach bum! Long coastlines dotted with pretty cafes - Brazilian style, since you’ll be eating at a place called Brasileirinho.
Plan ahead if possible. If you only have a few weeks to prepare, a commercial visa service can often speed up the process. Plan to be in the area on a Sunday where the Hippie Fair offers the very best from local artists. This thing started back in the days of hippies and hasn’t slowed.
Copacabana is considered the Manhattan of beaches. The beach features white sandy beaches and beautiful water. Copacabana beach is directly across the road and the neighborhood is nice. Also, Ipanema beach is about 4-5 blocks away if you want a change of scenery.
