Popularized by the song "The Girl from Ipanema," this world-famous beach gives foreign visitors a sense of life in Rio, displaying a cross-section of different lifestyles, chic boutiques and eateries and luxurious apartment buildings.

You’ll find historical spots, spectacular views, a beautiful waterfall, a small chapel and unusual trees in this dense, tropical national park, probably best explored by jeep tour.

The beach of Barra da Tijuca, known to locals simply as Barra and pronounced like "Baja" or "ba-ha"extends for 18km/11mi with almost completely untouched stretches favored by surfers. This popular...

A surfers’ favorite, this beach is mobbed on weekends but nearly empty on weekdays.

The departure point for cruises around the bay and off the coast of Rio, the Marina da Glória inside the beautiful Parque do Flamengo offers all the infrastructure for keeping boats with moorage areas, nautical services, restaurants and bars. It also contains a number of shops that sell anything from accessories and supplies for cruisers and sailboats, to boats of all types.