In Rio, the beach isn't somewhere you go on holiday. It's the city's living room. People meet friends there, play sport, eat lunch, close business deals and watch the sunset there, often all on the same afternoon. It has its own rules, and none of them are written down.
Here's how to do the beach like a Carioca (that's what people from Rio are called).
Bring a Canga, Not a Towel
Nothing marks you as a tourist faster than a big fluffy hotel towel. Cariocas sit on a canga, a thin, colorful sarong. It's light, it dries in minutes, sand shakes right off, and it doubles as a skirt or a scarf for the walk home. You'll find them everywhere, from beach vendors to markets, and they make a great souvenir.
Rent a Chair From a Barraca
Along every beach you'll see barracas, beach stalls that rent out chairs and umbrellas and serve drinks and snacks. Pick one, ask the price before you sit down ("Quanto é a cadeira?"), and you're set for the day. You usually pay at the end, and many take cards or Pix.
Your barraca becomes your base. If you go for a swim alone, ask them to keep an eye on your things. Locals stick with the same barraca for years.
Know Your Posto
Rio's beaches are divided by postos, numbered lifeguard stations. Each stretch has its own crowd and its own feel, and Cariocas use them as meeting points: "see you at Posto 9." Ask a local friend which posto is theirs, and you'll learn a lot about them.
Eat From the Vendors
You never need to leave the sand to eat. Vendors walk up and down all day calling out what they sell. The classics:
- Mate and biscoito Globo: iced mate tea and airy, slightly salty manioc biscuits. The most Rio snack there is.
- Queijo coalho: a squeaky cheese grilled on a stick over a tiny portable grill, right in front of you.
- Açaí: the thick, icy Brazilian version, often with granola and banana.
- Sacolé: frozen fruit juice in a little plastic tube. Pure childhood for every Brazilian.
- Coco gelado: ice-cold coconut water, straight from the coconut.
What to Bring (and What to Leave at Home)
- Bring: your canga, sunscreen, a hat, a little cash or a card, and your phone in a small bag or zipped pocket.
- Leave at home: your passport, jewelry and anything valuable. Cariocas go to the beach with almost nothing, and so should you.
- Wear: your bikini, with shorts or a canga over it for the walk there. Flip-flops are the only footwear that makes sense.
Play (or Watch) Beach Sport
The beach is a giant sports club. You'll see frescobol (two wooden paddles and a rubber ball, rallied back and forth for as long as possible), futevôlei (volleyball played with feet and heads, and absurdly skillful), beach volleyball, and altinha, a circle of friends keeping a football in the air for as long as they can. Watching is half the fun. If someone invites you in, say yes.
Swim Safely
- Swim near a lifeguard post and look for the flags. A red flag means strong currents.
- Respect the waves. Rio's open beaches can have powerful surf and rip currents, even on sunny days.
- Skip the water after heavy rain. Storms wash runoff into the sea, so locals usually wait a day before swimming again.
The Unwritten Rules
- Small bikinis, no topless. Brazilian bikinis are small and worn with confidence by everyone, but going topless isn't part of the culture.
- Take your trash with you. Leave your spot as clean as you found it.
- Clap for the sunset. At Arpoador, when the sun drops behind the mountains, the whole crowd applauds. Join in.
Wear Something Nobody Else Has
If you want to look like you belong on the sand, start with the bikini. At the bikini workshop at Carioca Bikini Co in Botafogo, you can customize your own with prints, beads and charms, then wear it straight to the beach.
Do the beach the Carioca way and it stops being a place you visit and becomes part of your day. Canga down, coconut in hand, phone away. Welcome to Rio.
— Mel
