Rio's most famous sand, divided by lifeguard posts into little tribes, and a granite rock at its end where the whole city seems to gather to clap the sun down.
Ipanema runs west from the Arpoador rock to the canal at Leblon, a long arc of pale sand facing the Atlantic with the twin peaks of Dois Irmãos at the far end.
Cariocas organise the beach by its numbered lifeguard towers, the postos. Each stretch has its own crowd: surfers, families, volleyball players, students, the beautiful and the very old. Vendors walk the sand selling cold drinks, grilled cheese and sarongs.
At the eastern end, the Pedra do Arpoador is a rocky headland between Ipanema and Copacabana. On clear evenings people climb it to watch the sun drop behind Dois Irmãos, and when it disappears, they applaud.
On Sundays and holidays the beachfront road closes to traffic and fills with cyclists, skaters and joggers.
Morning to sunset.
Watch surfers in the first light at Arpoador before the heat builds.
Rent a chair and umbrella from a barraca (beach stall) and settle in. Order a coconut and let the vendors come to you.
Walk a block inland for a juice bar or a plate of grilled fish in the streets behind the beach.
Stroll the promenade west to Leblon, with Dois Irmãos rising ahead.
Be on the Arpoador rock half an hour before sunset, find a spot and join the clapping.
Metro to General Osório (Ipanema) or Nossa Senhora da Paz; buses run along the beach roads.
Bring only what you need: a little cash, a cheap phone, no jewellery. Never leave bags unattended on the sand.
Cariocas rent chairs rather than lay towels on the sand. Topless sunbathing is uncommon.
Rio practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
