The beaches

Much of the city’s recreation is centred around the beaches to the south of the city. Stretching for four kilometres, Copacabana is home to one of the most famous beaches in the world and also the location for many of the city’s hotels and restaurants. As well as being a great location for soaking up the sun, Copacabana beach is also a hub of activity with regular beach football and volleyball matches and vendors selling anything from sun glasses to coconuts.

Not far from Copacabana beach, Ipanema and Leblon are some of the city’s most affluent areas, with many designer shops, good cafes and restaurants, as well as the beaches where many of the beautiful people flock to see and be seen. The beaches near the centre of the city, such as Flamengo, used to be the focal point of Rio, but are now not so popular.