from rio's zona sul, praça xv is easily reachable via taxi in 15 minutes, or via several buses routing along copacabana and ipanema -  the metrô station estação carioca is about a 10 minute-walk away from praça xv.

this link shows prainha de piratininga  on a wikimapia - the link as we present it is best seen using google chrome, as it might not open correctly with other browsers.

on this link, the institudo estadual do ambiente - inea, provides the bathing suitability of several beaches in niterói, including praia de piratininga, that can be used to guess water quality at the adjacent prainha de piratininga.