Copacabana & Leme
Copacabana and Leme: the Palace and the promenade
Neighbourhood guide
About Copacabana and Leme: the Palace and the promenade
Copacabana is Rio’s most famous beach, a long curve from Leme at the foot of the Morro do Leme to the Forte de Copacabana at Posto 6, with the black-and-white wave pavement of the Avenida Atlântica running its whole length. Behind it is a dense, lively neighbourhood of apartment blocks, juice bars and botecos.
Sights
Copacabana beach and its promenade, the Forte de Copacabana at Posto 6, and the walk round to the Pedra do Arpoador.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Gabriel Heusi/Brasil2016.gov.br · CC BY 3.0 br via Wikimedia CommonsEating
Mee at the Copacabana Palace (One MICHELIN Star), and Marine Restô at the Fairmont (in the 2026 MICHELIN selection).
Walk the promenade early, before the heat, and come back for jazz at night.
Staying
The Copacabana Palace, the Fairmont and the Emiliano, with the Dior Spa, Spa Santapele and Blue Note Rio between them.
Our advice: on New Year’s Eve, the whole city comes to this beach: book months ahead and wear white.
Why it's on our list
- Sights
- Eating
- Staying
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Copacabana and Leme: the Palace and the promenade before you go.
What’s nearby
Distances from Copacabana and Leme: the Palace and the promenade are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest metro stations
- Siqueira CamposLine 1600 m8 min walk
- Cardeal ArcoverdeLine 1950 m12 min walk
- CantagaloLine 11.1 km14 min walk
Key sights
- Copacabana Beach500 mWalk 6 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 7 min
- Ipanema Beach2.5 kmWalk 31 minCycle 12 minCar or taxi 13 min
- The Sugarloaf cable car2.7 kmWalk 34 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 14 min
- Christ the Redeemer3.5 kmWalk 44 minCycle 17 minCar or taxi 17 min
- The Theatro Municipal7.0 kmCycle 35 minCar or taxi 28 min
- Santos Dumont Airport7.1 kmCycle 36 minCar or taxi 29 min
- The Museu do Amanhã8.7 kmCycle 43 minCar or taxi 34 min
- Galeão Airport19 kmCar or taxi 70 min