The above activities notwithstanding, by far the most popular activity at Copacabana is people watching and there are beach kiosks with tables and chairs overlooking the sand for just that purpose. It’s common to see Brazilian celebrities and professional athletes walking here or playing foot-volley on the beach; many of them live right here in Copacabana. On the far side of the coast highway are numerous condominium buildings (Paulo Cuelho and Caetano Veloso are just two famed Brazilians with apartments overlooking the beach), top-end hotels, restaurants, bars and stores.

At night, Copacabana becomes a cauldron of activities, most involving the tourist trade. If visitors are not being assaulted on one end of Copacabana (the north end), they are being hustled by prostitutes on the other (the middle and south end mostly). There are some popular dance clubs here, but most of them are packed with prostitutes and foreigners. The color of the night in Copacabana is definitely red and almost everybody on the street is looking to buy, sell, or steal something. The inland roads that parallel Copacabana (of which there are two main ones besides Av. Atlântica on the coast) are generally less and less radical the more inland you go. The first street, Av. Nossa Sra. de Copacabana is the most active. You’ll find restaurants, lunch buffets, markets, boutique shops, shopping malls, movie theaters, cheap hotels, expensive hotels…just about anything and everything is there. You can take this street all the way to the Praia do Diabo, where you can cross over into Ipanema. The next street is Rua Barata Ribeiro, which is a milder version of the other. The south end of Ribeiro goes into the tunnel that leads to Ipanema and you can pick up a bus going out that way (better to go under than over, since the hill is home to two of Rio’s grand favelas).

NOTE: The south end of Copacabana and the inland streets is relatively safe to walk around. The northern end is not. If you are staying in the northern end of Copacabana, be sure to take taxis to other parts of the city. Also, the ocean at Copacabana is generally considered to be polluted and not suitable for swimming, although sources differ on this point.

Walking Tour of Copacabana

If you walk down the boardwalk in Copacabana, there are a few things you should be sure to include in your journey, occasionally coming in off the beach for a block or two to catch an interesting attraction on the inland streets. Before starting out, remember that this journey is farther than it appears on the maps and will take a few hours to complete. The same is true for a walking tour of Ipanema and Leblon afterward. If you’re not up for a day on foot, look into renting a bicycle to make this journey.

At the very top of Copacabana sits the Morro de Leme and there’s a trail that you can take out across the base of the mount to get a fabulous view of the beach. The trail is called the Caminho dos Pescadores (Fisherman’s Way). Coming down toward the middle of the beach (between station 3 and station 2) is the famous Copacabana Palace Hotel, the first hotel built in Copacabana, in 1923. It was frequented by the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable, Walt Disney, and Queen Elizabeth II. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced and filmed together inside. Today it remains one of the city’s most luxurious hotels, although the casino shut down in 1946. You can stop for an afternoon tea in their tearoom for only R$40. Reservations recommended.

Walk into town along Rua Paula Freitas up to Rua Barata Ribeiro, then turn left until you see the Baratos da Ribeiro Bookstore (Rua Barata Ribeiro 354), where you’ll find all kinds of treasures. Back toward the beach down at station 5, you’ll find the Roxy Theater (Av. Nossa Sra. da Copacabana at Rua Bolivar), which was built in the 1930s and still shows art and feature films, including a 3pm matinee. On the boardwalk, just south of the Othon Palace Hotel is the famous nightclub Help, which gets going every night around midnight with driving music and plenty of drinking and dancing. It is located in an old movie house. At the far end of the beach at station 6 (posto 6) is the Fisherman’s Colony, where you can find the fresh catch of the day to take home with you.

Crossing from Copacabana to Ipanema on foot, you will walk past the southern end of Copacabana, where you’ll see fishing boats and fisherman working their trade, as if from the first half of the 1900s. You ‘ll see trees lining the point called Arpoador, where the Copacabana Fort (10am–6pm Tuesday–Sunday) is located. Built in 1914, the fort contains the Museu Histórico do Exército and some interesting German Krupp canons, along with maps and documents from Brazilian naval history. The fort offers an excellent view of Copacabana, which you can see from the patio of the Confeitaria Colombo coffee shop inside–an excellent place to sit for awhile. The walk out to the fort is also a pleasure.

The highlight of the praça is the grand Theatro Municipal (21/2262-3935, 10am–5pm Monday–Friday). The Theatro, built in 1909 at the height of the coffee boom, is a neoclassic building rich in wood, marble and brass. There are stained glass windows from Europe and salas rich in crystal and ornamentation. The best way to visit is to see a orchestral performance in the evening, but there are guided tours of the Theatro during the day (subject to cancellation for rehersals). You can also catch a performance on Sundays at 10am and 5pm Also in the Cinilandia area is the Biblioteca Nacional (Av. Rio Branco 219, 9am–10pm Monday–Friday and 9am–3pm Saturday), built in 1910 in a style to match the Theatro. It’s said to be the second largest library in South America and the eighth largest in the world. Inside are numerous rare books (over three million), all of which are available for viewing. Most impressive is the building itself with its grand marble staircase and columns. It’s worth looking inside and they have guided tours for R$2.

Down the street a piece is the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, inside a 1908 building of renaissance style that was the city’s fine arts acadamy until 1937, when it became a museum. It holds over 14000 pieces from national and international artists, with a special focus on the natoinal artists (including works by Portinari, Segall, Calvalcanti and Tarsila do Amaral, among others). There are also works by Picasso, Dali, Monet and Rodin. Inside is a casual restaurant and souvenir shop. Cost is R$4 and Sundays are free.

When you’re ready to take a break from all this history and art, have a seat at the Bar Amarelinho, a classic bar from the 1940’s that sits in the Cinilandia praça and usually attracts an international crowd. In the evenings, they have samba music and dancing among other festivities.

Nearby is the Espaço Cultural Banco do Brasil (Rua Primeiro de Março 66, noon–10pm Tuesday–Sunday) in a 1906 structure that was originally the headquarters of the Bank of Brazil, but was reformed and turned into a cultural center. The building is fabulous; it has a theater, cinema, exhibition rooms, tea room and souvenir shop. It usually has some excellent national and international exhibits running. Inside is a restaurant/bar that is a popular spot for happy hour. Next door is the Centro Cultural dos Correios (Rua Visconde de Itaboraí 20, noon–7pm Tuesday–Sunday), an exhibition space that focuses on Brazilian sculptors and paintors with rotating exhibits. They have ten exhibit halls and a concert hall for up to 200 people, where they often produce Brazilian musical performances. On the bottom floor, there is a nice coffee shop and a functioning office of the correios (postal service). Finally, there’s the Galeria Paulo Fenandes (Rua do Rosário 38, noon–6pm Tuesday–Sunday) with contemporary works of art from local and national artists.

At this point, you might seek out the Laranjada Americana (Rua Buenos Aires 2c) for a fabulous orange juice. The shop, open since 1925 is in a great old building.

The Village is where you’ll find shops, pousadas and restaurants in quaint, 16th-century constructions, not unlike the Cidade Historica in Porto Seguro. But unlike the old village in Porto Seguro, the Trancoso Quadrado (as the main village square is called) is a place to pass the late afternoon an evening.

During the day, most folks are enjoying the many beautiful beaches below (like its neighbors, Trancoso is built upon a high bluff overlooking the sea). Trancoso is quite a bit smaller than Arraial d’Ajuda, with fewer establishments. Some prefer the quietude and minimalism of Trancoso–and find the establishments more quaint and inviting. Others find Trancoso a bit too high-brow, since it is frequented by Brazil’s rich and famous, causing the finer restaurants and pousadas to demand higher prices.

The main beach, Praia dos Nativos, is below the village on the north side and has most of the establishments, beach bars and activities. The north coast has long stretches of sand and surf and are great for swimming–especially at low tide. These are also terrific beaches for unforgettable sunrise and sunset walks. The farthest you probably want to walk to the north is to Praia Rio da Barra, which is one of the prettiest beaches in the area, at the mouth of the Barra River. The river bends a few times before it reaches the ocean, where it opens into a large lake. The entire scene is lined with palm trees and there are few visitors here during low season. Still, there is a beach kiosk to help you refuel for the walk back. It’s about four kilometers from the villa (1.5 hours walk) and you’ll pass some lovely coconut groves along the way (but few or no beach kiosks).

To get down to the northern beaches, just take the road on the left side of the village (as you enter the town) and cut through to the ocean at Praia dos Nativos. You’ll see the signs. Unfortunately, this little walk downhill can be annoying, due to the many badly mannered drivers going back and forth along this dirt road. If you’re sensitive to dust and easily angered by rudeness, then take a taxi to the beach. A motorcycle taxi is a fun option.

After the river, you walk onto an excellent stretch of beach–with warm, blue water and medium-sized waves. This was once a nudist beach, known as Praia do Nudismo. Today you might come across a few people looking to revitalize the practice (fique a vontage, ok?) but mostly it’s just a great place to swim and get some sun. At the far end of this beach is the best beach kiosk on the coast, the Pé Na Praia barraca. It has an excellent position on the beach with plenty of wooden chairs, hammocks, and places to lay out on a straw mat or sit and sip a cold one. They usually have some kind of electronic groove music going, which puts you in a great, relaxed mood (or maybe that’s the beer).

If you walk further south, you won’t come across anything but lovely sand and surf for about five kilometers. This is a good place to get away from the crowd. There are reefs just off shore in this area, and the beach is slightly murky with seaweed and kelp (evidence of the reefs). You can go snorkeling out in these waters and in peak season, you will find groups of people doing just that–on some excursion or other. It doesn’t look so inviting from the beach around the point (called Ponta de Itapororoca), but once you get out beyond the barrier reefs, you’ll understand the attraction. Again, there are no kiosks around this area until you get all the way to Praia Jacumã, where you’ll find some great beach bars at the Jacumã coconut plantation. There are also more natural tide pools for snorkeling at jacumã and boats to take you out.

If you don’t like the idea of walking on your own all the way to Jacumã to go snorkeling, then join an excursion from Trancoso or Arraial d’Ajuda that visits these pools. Alternatively, you can take a taxi or bus from Trancoso directly to Jacumã to spend the day there. South of Jacumã are the very sought-after Praia Curuípe and Praia do Espelho, which receive visitors from Porto Seguro excursions. If you get to Jacumã, you can walk to these two beaches in about 30 minutes.

To get to the southern beaches from the village, take the trail that leads from the right side of the Quadrado down until you reach the sand and surf. You can’t miss it.

The Super-Barracas

The super-barracas host all kinds of activities: most notably, they have continuous stage shows going (from morning to sundown), featuring different types of music and dancing (see sidebar on Axé Group Dancing). The have several environments for drinking and eating, including service on the sandy beach where there are plenty of lounge chairs and shade umbrellas. The activities spill out onto the beach and even to the ocean where you can usually partake of water sports, like kite surfing and banana boat rides. It’s non-stop, high energy and it’s all sponsored by the super-barraca.

There are three super-barracas on the north coast: Tóa Tóa is the first one, located at Praia Mundaí about six kilometers from town. Axé Moi is next, located at Praia Taperapuã about seven kilometers from town. The farthest is Barramares at Praia Barramares, about ten kilometers away. It’s difficult to say which is better or worse since they all have about the same kind of activities and attract the same type of large crowds during the day–mostly young Brazilians and a few scattered international tourists. The question is not which barraca is best, but whether or not you like the super-barraca scene at all. To best answer this question, its worth visiting one of these mega beach bars during the day. If you don’t like the energy there, you can probably find a smaller, cozier beach bar nearby, or (if you have a car or don’t mind paying for a taxi) continue north to the more charming beaches near Santa Cruz de Cabrália and Santo Antônio.

On weeknights, the barracas have a rotating schedule to produce super-luau beach parties. Each of the three super-barracas has a different night and they never overlap. They even coordinate nights with other clubs in town. The night scene is a mega-version of the day scene. They generally break out the main stage for the Axé dancing groups and get ready for crowds that number into the thousands during peak season. To keep the ugly masses out, there is a cover charge to enter the luau (around R$25, but women usually get a heavy discount). The barracas encourage you to purchase your tickets through a tour guide or at your hotel. This is partially to respect the vacation packaging system of Porto Seguro (see sidebar).

Praia do Curuípe and Itacimirim

A day at these beaches might not seem all that different from any other beach on the Brazilian coastline. Here, the scene moves along a bit slower than at the super-barracas and the beach kiosks are of a normal size, offering shade under the palm trees, cold drinks and decent lunch plates. The beaches here are great for swimming with small waves and warm water. Some of the beach bars available here include Mayumi, Ponto das Tartarugas, and João de Sunga (the largest, across from the Hotel Solar do Imperador). These are good beaches to retreat to, if you need a break from the super-barracas to the north.

You can cut in from the beach to the inland road at the Barraca do Sting or any number of other trails along the northern beaches. If you go all the way to the end, you’ll cut-in at the Pousada Aquarela, right at the location of the ferryboat to Porto Seguro.

There is a northern road that parallels the beach from Arraial d’Ajuda to the ferryboat. Along this road are numerous pousadas and a few interesting shops, restaurants, and bars. The best place to come in from the beach and have look around is at the Barraca do Sting. Just inland from Sting’s place is the cozy Santa Fe Hotel, with an excellent restaurant/bar (open to the public, of course). There are also shops and art galleries in the vicinity. A late afternoon walk along the northern beaches is one of the best excursions you can take in Arraial. The wind comes up a little and blows the sand around your feet, as the tide goes way out, revealing the shiny, sandy ocean floor.