Hotels near Ipanema Beach and Arpoador

Ipanema picks up where Copacabana leaves off, on the far side of the Arpoador headland. The mood is calmer, the water is often clearer, and the postos again mark the tribes: Posto 9 for the young crowd, Posto 8 at Rua Farme de Amoedo for the LGBTQ+ scene, the Leblon end for families. Behind the sand, Rua Visconde de Piraja is the main shopping street, and the Feira Hippie de Ipanema fills Praca General Osorio every Sunday.

Arpoador is the rock at the eastern end and the best free viewpoint in the South Zone. People climb it in the last hour of daylight, watch the sun drop behind the Dois Irmaos peaks, and applaud when it goes. Surfers work the break below all year. The climb takes four minutes on a paved path from Praca Garota de Ipanema and costs nothing.

Pro Tip: Get onto Arpoador rock 40 minutes before sunset to claim a flat spot, then come down with the crowd rather than after it. The path is unlit once the light goes.