"Start at Barra Praia, my ..." a Rio de Janeiro Travel Page by blaird

Okay, I just got back from my second trip to Rio, and decided I wanted to build up my Rio page, mainly because I have enjoyed my time there so much. We stay with family when we are there, but are contemplating staying at Barra Beach for future trips. Of all the beaches, I liked Barra best. To me, it seems less touristy, cleaner, safer, while still having lots of people to watch while hanging out under an umbrella. It is a short drive up to the tourist spots of Copacabana & Ipanema and is one of the fastest growing areas of Rio.

In summer at Barra, the beaches get pretty full of people, while winter can be pretty empty. The first picture above is from my winter trip in 2003 and the second picture is from my recent summer trip, and you can see the cutest girl on the beach!

Anyway, you can tell that winter beach traffic is pretty light, but summer beach traffic was perfect. The weather was hot, there were lots of people passing a great day at the beach...I loved it!

While in Rio, you obviously need to see Copacabana, Ipanema, Corcovado, Pao de Acucar, possibly Maracana, Porcoa Restaurant or some other churrasco, and other sites. Most of these sites are just up the road from Barra, following the coastal road east and a little north gets you to the other beaches to start.