A walk in Rio de Janeiro: along legendary beaches
For beginners, a five-mile walk along the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema — Rio de Janeiro’s two most storied sand blocks — will spark feelings even among those who have long and unironically cited “beach walks” as a favorite pastime.
Such responses can range from counterfactual nostalgia (“Imagine growing up in a place like this”) to cultural aha moments (“Bossa nova makes so much sense now”) to mid-term reverie (“What are the rules for the digital world of Brazil?” another nomad visa?”).
After more than 20 visits I still get a little emotional every time I return to Rio and set foot on the boardless boardwalk where the vast majority of this walk takes place. Brazilians call such a sidewalk on the beach the ‘calçadão’, but forget to pronounce it and focus on the official sound: a thousand flip-flops hitting the undulating Portuguese sidewalk.
The route is simple: walk along the first beach, cut inland briefly to pass a rocky peninsula, then walk along a second beach. Stop for refreshments at the numerous kiosks along the way. When cravings strike, turn left for a dip in the water or right for an urban jaunt.
Start mid-afternoon on a sunny day – Rio’s beach scene under a gray sky is like Italy during a pasta shortage. Weekends are good, summer weekends from December to February are better, and Sundays are ideal, as the town closes the adjacent beachfront avenue to throngs and strolling locals.
Sneakers or flip flops will do, but please no sandals with socks: Rio de Janeiro’s beaches accept all body types, and the locals are used to tourist foibles like baggy bikinis and gringo skin roasted the color of succulent shrimp, but even they pull the border somewhere. Take sunscreen, a credit card – wireless tap to pay is almost ubiquitous, even at street vendors – and keep your smartphone in your pocket. (This is an area of Rio where tourists can walk relatively safely during the day, but still.) A pedometer isn’t necessary; track progress at the lifeguard posts (postos) along the way, numbered 1 to 12.
Start at the northernmost end of Leme Beach (which soon becomes Copacabana) and take the time to walk along the rocks to “Fisherman’s Path” to say hello to the bronze statue of Clarice Lispector, one of Brazil’s greatest 20th-century novelists, or to actual, possibly more responsive fishermen. Then pass by the scene around Posto 1, with young people sunbathing and playing altinha, the boastful game of keeping the ball in the air.
Posto 2 means you’re in Copacabana, both touristy (because of the hotels) and diverse (thanks to public transport). It crackles with energy, foot volleyball, sand sculptures and a remarkable non-sand sculpture of Ayrton Senna, the Formula 1 driver who is close to Pelé status here. Stop and stare at the Copacabana Palacethe French Riviera-inspired hotel, opened in 1923 and still stands on the beach.
Your first beach ends not far past Posto 6 Fort Copacabana. Cross on Francisco Otaviano Street for more than three blocks, ducking through a park to Arpoador Beach – best known for morning surfers and late afternoon sunset cheers, but also home to a charming little park on a peninsula.
Between Postos 7 and 8 is your next bronze statue, the guitar-carrying Tom Jobim, composer of (what else) the bossa nova classic “Girl from Ipanema.” If it’s a Sunday, walk one block to General Osório Square for crafts on the Hippie marketthen head to the finely sculpted human specimens near Posto 9. Now might be the time to take a break in the sand – a friendly neighborhood beach chair rental will magically appear.
If you haven’t left the beach yet, consider turning right on Rua Vinícius de Moraes (named after the “Girl From Ipanema” lyricist) into the main thoroughfare of the posh Ipanema neighborhood for an ice cream at Vero or an ice-cold guava juice or grilled cheese sandwich Policy Sucos.
Then head back to the beach and cross the channel and you’re in the softer (even more upscale) stretch known as Leblon. From the end of the beach, climb the short but winding road to the viewpoint or, better yet, head inland to join the local crowd at Boteco Boa Praca and order a chopp: there’s a lot more of Rio to get to, but there’s no Rio at all without an ice-cold, foamy draft beer at the end of a beach day.
Distance: Five miles
Difficulty level: Easy, because it is almost completely flat, but on a sunny day you get hot and sweaty.
Time to walk: Two and a half to three hours, with sustained.
Good for kids: Probably not the best bet for young children given the height and the fact that they will probably be more interested in playing on the beach.