Rio de Janeiro has more than 30 beaches and roughly 86 kilometers (53 miles) of coastline. They’re mostly pretty awesome, but also pretty different.
The beaches everyone knows – Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana are famous for a reason. They’re beautiful, social, convenient, and very much part of the Rio experience. But there are many beaches with better sand, bigger waves, fewer tourists, or a quieter beach day.
This is completely subjective, but here are my favorite beaches.
1. Barra da Tijuca, My Dream Beach
Surprise, the best beaches aren’t in Rio.
Barra da Tijuca is in Rio’s western zone and the beach is enormous – about 18 kilometers long, making it the largest beach in Rio. It’s known for its waves, so attracts a lot of surfers. If you want great sand, waves, lots of space, and lively beach vibes, this is where I’d go.
But, Barra is not the place I’d recommend staying if you’re visiting Rio for the first time and want to spend your days seeing Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Ipanema, and all the other major sights.
2. Ipanema + Leblon, Best Party
For the overall Rio experience, Ipanema and Leblon are hard to beat.
Ipanema and Leblon are essentially one continuous stretch of coastline, and this is the classic Rio beach scene you’ve seen in photographs.
You’ll almost always have Dois Irmãos (Two Brothers) mountain in the background, which is the iconic view.
This is where all the partying, people-watching, beach vendors, and beach-club scene happens. FYI, Beach Clubs can be expensive. Like $200 USD for a table, and $20 USD for drinks, so a casual afternoon can become an expensive afternoon very quickly.
This stretch of beach for the atmosphere>> Unbeatable.
3. Urca / Praia Vermelha — Small Beach, Best View
Urca is a small, quiet neighborhood around the base of Sugarloaf Mountain, and the beach here is Praia Vermelha (Red Beach). The beach itself is small, with greenish water and reddish-colored sand.
I actually loved coming here after hiking Sugarloaf. I would finish the hike, bring my stuff down to the beach, and just lay there afterward.
Urca is also worth sticking around for after the beach. The Mureta da Urca, the waterfront wall, is a popular local spot for hanging out, having a drink, watching the sunset, and looking back toward Sugarloaf across Guanabara Bay.
4. Leme Beach — Convenient & More Local
At the very end of Copacabana beach, right before you reach a dead end rock of “Pedra do Leme”, you’ll find Leme Beach. It’s way more calm, has families, surfers, fishermen, rather than just tourists. Leme is also more Black, my friends and I opted to come here many times over Ipanema just for a different/more local vibe.
5. Praia de Gávea – Hang Gliders
Little further out, more local, great waves, not crowded.
It’s about one kilometer long and sits beneath Dois Irmãos, and has a good amount of surfers. It’s also where hang gliders and paragliders land after launching from Pedra Bonita. It’s really fun to keep seeing them land on the beach. There aren’t as many tourists here, which is good. The downside is that there aren’t as many vendors and beach services. So bring your own drinks, snacks, towel, umbrella, basically anything you think you’ll want for the day just in case.
5. Praia de Icaraí, Niterói
If you’re willing to leave Rio proper and cross the bay into Niterói, Praia de Icaraí has a gorgeous view.
You’re looking directly across Guanabara Bay toward Rio, with Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer visible in the distance. You can also see the famous futuristic Museu de Arte Contemporânea (MAC), designed by Oscar Niemeyer, along with the distinctive rock formations of Pedra do Índio and Pedra de Itapuca.
Not a good party beach, there’s very few people here. I would not make a special trip across town for if you’re only in Rio for a few days.
6. Flamengo Beach
Flamengo is the opposite of Ipanema. There’s basically nobody around. Come here to read and lay out quietly >
The views across Guanabara Bay toward Sugarloaf are beautiful! and you’re surrounded by the Aterro do Flamengo park, so it feels more like an urban recreation area than a traditional tourist beach.
7. Copacabana Beach
Copacabana was the beach I went to most often, but only because I lived in Copacabana and it was a 4-minute walk from my apartment. I’d bring my homework, find a spot on the sand, and just lie there for a while. As an actual beach, it kind of sucks.
It’s extremely crowded, there are vendors constantly approaching you, and you have to stay very alert with your belongings. Copacabana has a reputation for theft, so you can’t completely switch off and relax there.
8. Vidigal Beach
Praia do Vidigal is a tiny beach between Leblon and Gavea, right at the foothills of the Vidigal favela. I walked here from Leblon, which took about 40 minutes, the walk was more worthwhile than the beach. The Sheraton Hotel is directly on the beach, and we walked through the hotel to enter the beach, so it feels semi-private even though the beach is public. I found the whole thing dystopian; there’s this expensive hotel sitting right beside a favela, essentially taking up the prime access to a public beach…the beach is just fine. I say skip.
9. Botafogo Beach
Botafogo Beach sucks. The sand is hard and it stinks like fish. No one goes there. I just wanted to add it to the list so you know not to bother. Botafogo is for the restaurants, bars, nightlife scene, not the beach. Across the street, there’s a restaurant/bar on the top of the mall that gets very crowded, and provides a great view of the beach/sugar loaf mountain. Terraco Botafogo. Go there, and don’t bother with visiting the actual beach.
My Rio Beach Ranking at a Glance
- Best overall beach: Barra da Tijuca
- Best classic Rio experience: Ipanema + Leblon
- Best for fewer tourists: Gávea
- Best for partying and beach clubs: Ipanema + Leblon
- Best for scenery: Urca / Vermelho
- Best for a quiet beach: Flamengo
- Best if you want to explore beyond Rio’s tourist bubble: Praia de Icaraí, Niterói
- Beach I’d skip: Botafogo