Rio de Janeiro: See walking tour along the beach promenade – 07/04/2023 – Tourism

For those who have never ventured there before, a relaxed 8 km walk along the promenade of Copacabana and Ipanema beaches —the two most legendary stretches of sand in Rio de Janeiro— will provoke emotions even in those who have been citing “walks on the beach” for years. as one of your favorite pastimes.

Reactions can range from dreamy nostalgia (“Imagine what it must be like to grow up in a place like this”), to cultural “aha” moments (“Bossa nova is making so much sense to me right now!”), to mid-term speculation ( “What are the rules for those who want to be a digital nomad in Brazil?”).

I’ve been to Rio more than 20 times, but I still get emotional every time I come back and set foot on the famous boardwalk where almost all of this tour takes place. Forget the effort of trying to pronounce the word “calçadão” and focus instead on its official sound: a thousand Hawaiian sandals walking down the long, wave-patterned Portuguese sidewalk.

The route is simple: walk along the first beach, take a short detour in the opposite direction to the sea to go around a rocky point, and then walk along the second beach. Stop for refreshments at one of the numerous kiosks along the way. Depending on what you want at the time, turn left to get into the water and cool off a bit, or turn right to venture into town.

Start your tour mid-afternoon on a sunny day. The backdrop of Rio’s beaches under gray skies is like Italy when pasta is lacking. Weekends are good, summer weekends, from December to February, are better, and Sunday is ideal, because that’s when the City Hall closes the waterfront avenue, adjacent to the promenade, to free up space for crowds of cariocas .

Sneakers or flip flops are a good choice, but please avoid sandals with socks. Rio’s beaches are accommodating of all body types, and Cariocas are used to tourist eccentricities like baggy bikinis and shrimp-red skinned gringos, but there are limits even to their tolerance.

Take sunscreen, a credit card —nearly all places accept contactless ones, even kiosks—, and keep your smartphone well tucked away in your pocket. (This is an area of ​​Rio where tourists can walk around in relative safety during the day, but it’s still worth keeping an eye out for.) You don’t need a pedometer – you can track your progress at the lifeguard stations along the way, which are numbered 1 to 12.

Start at the northern end of Leme beach (which soon becomes Copacabana), taking the opportunity to walk along the Caminho dos Pescadores and greet the bronze statue of Clarice Lispector, one of the great Brazilian novelists of the 20th century, or chat with real fishermen. Then, pass by Posto 1, where you can usually see young people sunbathing and playing altinha, a sport in which the objective is to keep the ball in the air longer without using your hands.

When you arrive at Posto 2, it means you are already in Copacabana, a beach that is both touristy (because of the hotels) and diversified (thanks to public transport). The environment vibrates with energy, with footvolley, sculptures in the sand and a notable sculpture, not made of sand, of Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna, who here enjoys a status almost comparable to that of Pelé.

Stop to admire the Copacabana Palace hotel, inspired by the French Riviera, which opened in 1923 and continues to bring class to the beach to this day.

Passing a little from Posto 2, Copacabana beach ends at the Copacabana Fort. Turn right on Rua Francisco Otaviano and walk a little more than three blocks, crossing a park to reach Arpoador beach, known mainly for the surfers who frequent it in the mornings and people who enjoy the sunset at the end of the afternoon, but also for the small and charming park on the peninsula.

Between Postos 7 and 8 you will see the next bronze statue: Tom Jobim, the composer responsible for the bossa nova classic “The Girl from Ipanema”, with his guitar. If it’s a Sunday, take a one-block detour to Praça General Osório to enjoy the handicrafts at the hippie fair.

Then go see the finely carved human specimens that usually hang out around Posto 9. This might be a good time for a short rest in the sand. A friendly salesperson will appear as if by magic to rent you a beach chair.

If you haven’t left the beach yet, think about turning right on Rua Vinícius de Moraes to reach the main street of the elegant neighborhood of Ipanema and enjoy either an ice cream at Vero ice cream parlor or a chilled guava juice and grilled sandwich at Polis Sucos.

After that, head back to the beach, cross the canal and you’ll be in the quieter (and even more elegant) area known as Leblon. At the end of the beach, go up the short but winding street to reach the viewpoint.

Or, better yet, head in the opposite direction to the sea and join the locals at Boteco Boa Praça for a draft beer. There is still a lot to discover in Rio, but without enjoying a cold and frothy draft beer at the end of a day at the beach, you won’t know what Rio is all about.

Distance: eight kilometers.

Difficulty level: Easy, because the route is almost completely flat. But on a sunny day, you’ll end up sweaty and hot.

time to go: 2.5 to three hours, including rest periods.

Good for kids? It’s probably not the best choice for young children, due to the length and the fact that they’re likely to be more interested in playing on the beach.

Translated by Clara Allain