The Mureta
Sunset nearby.
Halley Pacheco de Oliveira — CC BY-SA 3.0 · TMbux — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paulo Pereira Rio — CC BY-SA 3.0 · TMbux — CC BY-SA 3.0
Urca beach is a small strip of sand on the side of the Urca district facing Guanabara Bay and Botafogo, beside the old Urca casino building, which after gambling was banned housed TV Tupi and later the European Design Institute. Quiet and far from the big beaches' bustle, it draws locals more than visitors. Urca itself is one of Rio's oldest corners: at its tip the Portuguese founded the city's first settlement in 1565, and today it holds the Federal University of Rio, military schools, the Earth Sciences Museum and the São João fort. From the beach you see Botafogo and the city's mountains, with Urca hill and Sugarloaf rising behind. The water is calm inside the bay, but its quality varies and is often unfit for swimming, so check the bulletins. It is best combined with a sunset stroll along the «Mureta» sea wall and a ride up Sugarloaf from the nearby cable-car station.
Sunset nearby.
Behind the beach.
First settlement, 1565.
Avenida João Luís Alves, Urca, Rio de Janeiro
Sugarloaf MountainSugarloaf Mountain, Pão de Açúcar in Portuguese, is a granite peak that rises 396 minutes walk4.8
Praia Vermelha and the Cláudio Coutinho TrailPraia Vermelha, «Red Beach», is a small beach in the quiet Urca district at the 10 minutes walk4.6
UrcaUrca is a quiet residential district of nearly 7,000 people squeezed between Sug10 minutes walk
Praia de BotafogoBotafogo Bay is one of Brazil's most famous views: a calm arc of sand and water 23 minutes walk4.6The water is calm but its quality varies and is often unfit, so check the bulletins first.