Búzios
Peninsula Resort Town East Of Rio De Janeiro With More Than Twenty Beaches, Made Famous By Brigitte Bardot In 1964 · Armação dos Búzios, Rio de Janeiro
Búzios is a resort on a small peninsula about three hours east of Rio de Janeiro, a fishing village turned chic seaside town after the French actress Brigitte Bardot stayed in 1964 and made it famous. A bronze statue of her sits on the waterfront promenade now named after her. The peninsula has more than twenty beaches in a small space, facing in every direction, so there is always a sheltered one: calm, clear coves like João Fernandes and Azeda, the surf beach of Geribá, and the horseshoe bay of Ferradura. Schooner trips tour several of them in a day. The Rua das Pedras, the stone-paved main street, fills at night with restaurants, bars and boutiques. Búzios is especially loved by Argentines, who come in such numbers in summer that Spanish is heard everywhere, and by Cariocas escaping the city at weekends. It is polished, pricey and busy in high season, and the water is noticeably colder than further north because of an upwelling of cold currents along this stretch of coast.
Rua das Pedras, Centro, Armação dos Búzios, RJ, Armação dos Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A town with public beaches, open at all hours. Schooner and taxi-boat trips leave from the pier in the centre through the day, with the main schooner departures in the late morning and early afternoon; in high season the popular times fill, so buy the day before. Beach kiosks and beach clubs open for the daylight hours and many close early or shut entirely on weekdays in winter. The Rua das Pedras comes alive late, with restaurants busiest well after dark and bars running past midnight in summer. December to February, New Year and Carnival are peak season, and the Argentine holiday weeks in January are the most crowded of all. Friday evening and Sunday afternoon traffic on the road from Rio is the trap that ruins long weekends; leave early or midweek.