Brazil Travel Guide: Best Beaches in Búzios

Brazil has a coastline stretching about 1700 miles, and all along that coastline is pearly beach upon pearly beach. And yet most visitors flock to Rio de Janeiro´s Copacabana and Ipanema.

Those are gorgeous beaches, popular for surfing, beach volleyball, shopping, and people-watching. But if you’re seeking a quieter beach, escape to the local sweet spot, Búzios, the peninsula home to several quiet beaches and a vibrant nightlife.

Buzios: Brazil's Coastal Paradise

Only a two hour bus ride north, this beach resort offers the same sparkling warm waters, plus elbow room. From secluded coves to surfers’ haunts, there’s a beach for everyone.

Originally a small whaling town, Búzios has changed much in the past 50 years. In 1964, the French actress Brigitte Bardot visited Búzios as an escape from the paparazzi, and she liked it so much she stayed for several months.

Now known as the playground of the rich, this exclusive coastal city is full of high-end boutiques, hotel resorts, and villas dotting the foothills. There’s a raging nightlife along Rua das Pedras too, with excellent seafood restaurants and, thanks to Bardot, French restaurants.

Top beach destinations:

Tucuns Beach

This sandy getaway is a real getaway – there aren’t any lifeguards, and not much else beyond sand and sky. Used occasionally by surfers and kite boarders, this is the spot if you want peace and quiet.

Geribá

This bay opens to the southeast, welcoming the best surf in Búzios. But it’s not just a surfer hangout; it’s also a celebrity hangout. Soccer stars escape here to play on the sand, and rumor has it that a few soap opera actors vacation here.

The wide beach accommodates soccer and volleyball games, and the water is great for beginners to practice their surfing skills. If you want to get away from the umbrella-lined beach, walk to the east side, the Canto de Geribá, where calmer waters reign.

Canto

Easily the most calm of Búzios’s beaches, Canto is a protected cove where fishing boats harbor. From the town center, you can sit at a café and drink in the tranquil scene.