If you want to enjoy other beaches and tourist places in Rio de Janeiro beyond those known as Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblón, in the west of the city, discover Barra de Tijuca! We present you the Barra da Tijuca Guide: Beaches and things to do.    [caption id="attachment_16983" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Barra da Tijuca Guide: Beaches and things to do Barra da Tijuca is a neighborhood in the western part of Rio de Janeiro city, with chic apartments and shopping malls / Photo: Canva Pro[/caption]    

How to get there?

The distance between Copacabana and Tijuca is 20 km which can be covered very quickly with the subway, at the last station called Jardín Oceánico, you can get there in 20 minutes! This option is quite recent, as this section of the metro was inaugurated for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, as most of the facilities for the Games were located in Barra and its access was very complicated. It is also possible to get there directly by bus. Line 2335 brings us closer, but it takes an hour and a half. This is not the most recommended option as it is also very tiring. By car or Uber, it’s the same travel time as by subway, but you can enjoy the view of the coast from the highway. On the way, we enter a tunnel that crosses several Morros. On their return, you will be able to see the Rocinha favela up close and be surprised by its immensity. When you get off the subway, you have to walk about 10 blocks to get to the beach and get directly to Barraca do Pepe, which is the most famous and visible spot on this beach.   Travel tips: Daytours4u gives you the Top 4 Tours in Rio de Janeiro to make the most of your trip.   [caption id="attachment_16982" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Barra da Tijuca Guide: Beaches and things to do Barra da Tijuca is located only 20 minutes from Copacabana with the metro inaugurated for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. / Photo: Canva Pro[/caption]    

Barraca do Pepe

At this stop there is a wide variety of fast-food stands, its specialty being all kinds of sandwiches prepared by the minute. Here the beaches are much cleaner, wider, people have more space and there are fewer street vendors. There is also a greater sense of security. The police presence is visible with fixed posts on the beach itself. And in the afternoons, they make visits to the beach area. You can enjoy the sun longer, as there are no buildings covering the coast and the sunset is one of the most beautiful in Rio.   Travel tips: participate in a Brazilian Cooking Class in Rio de Janeiro and discover one of the main aspects of Brazilian culture: its gastronomy!    

What to do in Barra da Tijuca?

Here the atmosphere of the beach is less frenetic and more familiar. In the afternoon many people go surfing. You can enjoy it as a day trip, just going to enjoy the beach from the center of Rio, or you can stay there, as the neighborhood has thousands of accommodations of all prices and comforts for you to stay there directly. In total, from end to end, we have almost 14 km of beach! Enough space to have variety and enjoy the sun and the sea. Parallel to the beach, we will find a very extensive bicycle path. If you like to ride around the city by bike, a nice postcard will accompany you throughout your ride. The orange bikes you will see parked can be used by any tourist. The system is called Bike Rio and consists of downloading an application, registering with your data and associating a credit card. There is a daily or monthly rental option. Choose the option that suits you and your bike! Another alternative that this part of the city has, is shopping. Barra da Tijuca is known as the Miami of Brazil. This fame is well deserved as several huge shopping malls open their doors to enjoy a day of shopping and entertainment. If you want to know one that is huge and you can't do everything in one day, I recommend Barra Shopping. It was built in 1981 and houses a complex that also includes a medical centre and a business centre, among others. The Shopping has more than 700 stores with the main world and Brazilian brands. It has a large car park for 5,000 cars and also has food courts. It is very easy to get there, either by own car or by public transport. Another activity we can do in Tijuca is a helicopter flight. There is a heliport that serves as a starting point and you can see the beauty of this part of the city from the sky. It is also possible to take an air taxi from the same place but in this case with a specific destination. It is widely used by residents who hold managerial positions in the city centre.   Travel Tips: Fly over Rio by helicopter with Daytours4u and observe from the air the attractions it has to show you the Wonderful City.   [caption id="attachment_16986" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Barra da Tijuca Guide: Beaches and things to do With its turquoise water and powerful waves, Barra beach is one of the most sought after by surfers. / Photo: Canva Pro[/caption]    

Cultural activities 

If you are interested in the cultural offer, you will find in this part of Rio de Janeiro, the "City of Arts". A majestic building with a design by a French architect whose idea is to visit it as a walk. That is why you will find many stairs and slopes so that the route does not become monotonous. It is the largest cultural complex in the city. There are 3 cinemas, multi-purpose spaces, art galleries and a theatre that can accommodate more than 1000 people. There is also a reading room where you can access printed and digital books and there are usually free activities for each of the spaces. By searching them on the web, you will quickly see what possibilities are available to you during your stay.  Still in the culture theme, and in this case more specifically football, which, as well as being a worldwide passion, is part of life in the Cariocas. Discover the "Museum of Football", which was created by the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation). One of the most moving rooms is the one that keeps the trophies won by the Brazilian national team. You can't count the number of prizes on display, it seems an infinite number! There is also a special room that displays the World Cups won. You can read their stories too, the jerseys they have worn over the years and there are interactive screens with information that changes depending on the day you go there. For fans of the sport, this is a place not to be missed. At the end of the visit, you can take a picture and pretend to be one more member of the team in the classic team photo. Children under the age of 7 can enter for free.   Travel tips: Want to know what to do in Rio de Janeiro beyond Christ the Redeemer? Read this!   [caption id="attachment_16984" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Barra da Tijuca Guide: Beaches and things to do The "Museum of Football" of the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) keeps the trophies won by the Brazilian national team. / photo: CBF[/caption]    

Gastronomy and nightlife in Barra da Tijuca

If you want to discover Barra da Tijuca's nightlife, there are many chic restaurants with international menus but also a wide variety of bars for a drink and dancing to music. They  are located on Armando Lombardi Avenue, you can find among others the Vitrinni Lounge Beer and All in bar. Avenida Olegario Maciel is also a popular place to enjoy the Brazilian nightlife. Here we will find Banana Jack, Guacamole, Brewteco where there is an offer of various beers, snacks and tasty food to accompany your crazy nights. Hotels, apart from hotels and rental buildings, are mostly new. All this with all the necessary equipment to have a good stay. These include swimming pools, rooms with sea view, gym, All Inclusive or half board option, beach service, typical Brazilian breakfast and many other high quality services .   Travel tips: learn the steps of Samba and Forró with Daytours4u and get ready to go out to one of the most traditional clubs in Rio de Janeiro!   [caption id="attachment_16985" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Barra da Tijuca Guide: Beaches and things to do Barra da Tijuca has a wide variety of bars to drink and dance all night. / Photo: Canva Pro[/caption]    

A promising tourist destination

Barra da Tijuca does not have the world fame of its neighbouring districts such as Copacabana and Ipanema, but the sustained growth of its buildings, the variety of its hotels, shops and shopping centres, as well as the accessibility of its public transport and the pleasant atmosphere of walking around make it a promising and safe destination.  It benefits from a superior quality of life, a young public that started to settle there a few years ago and the event of the Olympic Games has made it a top of mind destination for Europeans as well. The potential for its development and growth is enormous.  If you decide to stay in this part of the city, you will have a great experience of Rio de Janeiro by combining the classic with the new. Adapted and designed to be enjoyed by tourism as a whole. Let's encourage these ways of undertaking and modernizing cities so that the tourist has no other concern than choosing what to do, what to eat, which beach to go to and where to enjoy the night before a well-deserved rest.   Travel tips: enjoy a full City Tour and read our tips to travel safely to Rio de Janeiro for a successful trip!  

By: Gonzalo Ramirez, author of the GonTraveler travel blog