Top 20 most beautiful beaches in Brazil2026 ranking

Barra da Lagoa is known as a very beautiful and authentic beach. This fishing village is located on the east coast of Santa Catarina, about 20 km from Florianopolis. What makes it special is that it sits right at the mouth of the channel from the Lagoa da Conceição. It is such a charming and peaceful beach. You can go swimming in its natural pool or try stand-up paddleboarding near the channel, and then go surfing a bit further down on the exposed part of the beach.

Before discovering this beach, the longest in Rio de Janeiro (18 km) with some Brazilian friends, I had never heard of it. It is located after Tijuca Park and the Rocinha favela, so it is a bit out of the way to the west. And yet, it is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city. This beach is perfectly suited for surfers because of its big waves. It is also much quieter than Copacabana or Ipanema, but it is not ideal for young children...

Praia Vermelha or "Red Beach" is located at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro. Before or after taking the cable car up to that wonderful viewpoint, you can jump in for a quick swim. But this tiny beach gets crowded fast. It reminds me a bit of the small beach right in the heart of Marseille. Personally, I find Ipanema and Copacabana much more pleasant.

In my opinion, Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro is prettier than Copacabana, which is the more famous one. It has a bike and pedestrian path running along it, and there are more trees than in Copacabana, which is located right next to a very busy road. In Ipanema, the surrounding restaurants and bars are also classier, and the neighborhood in general has a better crowd. Go for a walk at the Garota de Ipanema rock for an unbeatable view of both beaches.

To the south of the beach, a small trail lets you discover the remains of rock paintings dating back to the Sambaquis period. The hike continues all the way to the stunning Moçambique beach. You can then head back to Santinho via another path through the shaded dunes.

Facing north, it is a very sunny beach. Although it is crowded with tourists and a bit polluted by motorboats, it is interesting because it is located at the foot of the city and the dunes. On the east point, there are historical remains dating back to the Sambaquís period, a hunter-gatherer people who left behind polished stone objects and shell mounds. There is also a small museum about underwater archaeology with a few pieces recovered from a shipwreck excavation.

Barra da Lagoa has the advantage of being pretty central, so you can explore both the north and south of the island from there. Plus, there are beaches right nearby, like Moçambique beach which stretches for 13 km, and Prainha, which you can get to by taking a small path after the pedestrian bridge. The path then continues toward some rocks that form natural pools. You can see seals there that really like to snatch their loot from the fish traps.

Since this is where all the shuttles arrive for the island, the water is not very clean. And these shuttles vomit out waves of tourists in flip-flops and bikinis at intervals that are a bit too regular for me.

You can get there on foot from Abraão, but it is already a bit more out of the way. You can really rest in peace there, and the dark color of the sand goes well with the setting sun. Ideal for cooling off after climbing to the island's summit.

This is the ideal spot to catch the sunset in Rio. Most of the beaches face East, but this one faces due South and the Punta do Arpoador even offers a few rocks facing West. Just a heads up, expect a massive crowd (unless it is raining, I guess).