from parque da cidade, which is best reachable via car or taxi, some of the most spectacular views of the guanabara bay and of rio de janeiro can be enjoyed.

while this beach is normally not acessed by first time rio visitors, we highly recommend it, as it offers an interesting alternative to the more famous ipanema and copacabana beaches.

in a way, são francisco beach gathers the most famous bars and restaurant franchises present in ipanema, and places them near the water similarly to how the kiosks are placed in copacabana - offering patrons best of both worlds.