right from the beach sunbathers can enjoy lovely views of rio de janeiro - the formations of ponta da santa cruz and the ponta de manguinhos can easily be appreciated, as well as the morro do matoso.

right across the guanabara bay, it is possible to see catalão island and a great angle of rio's skyline.  

the nossa senhora da penha church, built in 1635 and located on top of a cliff, can also be seen from praia da bica as well as the rio - niterói bridge - one of the largest and most impressive bridges in the world. 

praia da bica is also home to new year's eve celebrations, with 18 minutes of fireworks and several music performances that start on december 30th.