The Burle Marx promenade
Black and white waves.
Gustavo Facci from Argentina — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Donatas Dabravolskas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wilfredor — CC0 · Yas.Iwamoto — CC BY 3.0
Copacabana is Rio's most famous beach, a curve of white sand about four kilometres long between Leme and Fort Copacabana, marked out by numbered lifeguard towers, the postos, which people use as meeting points. Along it runs a promenade of black and white stone in a wave pattern, laid out by the landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx in 1970 on a Portuguese paving design that goes back to the 1930s. The beach is the heart of the neighbourhood: sport on the sand in the morning, stalls selling coconut water and renting chairs, and walkers, runners and cyclists on the promenade. On New Year's Eve millions gather here for fireworks over the sea. The surf can be strong, so swim near the lifeguard towers. Take little with you, as petty theft is common on the sand, and never leave your things unattended. The promenade is busy and fairly safe by day; at night stick to the lit, crowded stretches.
Black and white waves.
Fireworks over the sea.
The beach's numbered markers.
Avenida Atlântica, Copacabana
Mesquita da Luz is at 77 Rua Gonzaga Bastos in Tijuca; Syrian and Lebanese immigrants founded it in 1951, and the Friday sermon starts around 12:30. Halal restaurants are few: one or two Arab restaurants in Copacabana serve halal meat, so ask before ordering, as most Lebanese restaurants in Rio are not halal.