The last few years Ipanema has entered the guidebooks as one of the best neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro to stay. The obvious reason is of course the fantastic beach that is considered to be one of the best in the world. But there is collection lot more to Ipanema than that, here is a guide to some of the other highlights.

The Markets

There are four markets every week. On Sundays you have the so called Hippie Fair on Pça General Osório. Starting around 9AM in the morning you can find jewelry, bags, furniture, art and lots of touristy things. An excellent way to spend a few lazy Sunday hours. The market closes around 5PM. There are also three farmers markets where you can buy fruits, vegetables and fish. The selection you get in these markets is a lot better than you get in the supermarkets. They start as early as 7AM and close around midday, the best variety is earlier and the best prices later. Here are the addresses:

Mondays: R. Henrique Dumont
Tuesdays: Pca General Osório
Fridays: Pca Nossa Senhora da Paz

Amsterdam Sauer and H Stern

There are two exclusive jewelry shops that have adjoining museums. They are both located next to each other on the corner of R. Garcia D´Ávila with R. Visconde de Pirajá. The first one has a small replica of a mine and is not that impressive. H Stern on the other hand offer a tour where you learn what precious stones are extracted in Brazil and through thick bullet proof glass you can actually see how the artisans cut stones and make the jewelry. In the end you will be offered to make purchases. Both museums have free entrance.

Sunset on the Rocks

On of the best spots to catch the sunset in Rio is from the rock in Arpoador, for most part of the year it´s not possible anywhere else in Ipanema. It´s also a great place to watch the many surfers that catch the waves that break of the rock. Unfortunately it´s not a good idea to bring a camera there since the risk of getting mugged is quite high.

Lagoa Rodrigo Freitas

The lake that is located on one side of Ipanema is a great place. Many people run or bicycle the 7800 meters around the lake. Another great tip is to rent a pedal boat, they are available on the South Eastern end. If you are here during December you have a great big Christmas tree on a float, the light show attracts thousands of people every evening. On the Eastern side you have so called quiosques open in the evening, they are small restaurants that many times offer live music, very chilled.

Shopping

If you like boutique shopping Ipanema is a great place. Along the main street you have hundreds of stores that offer all you could ask for. In general the prices go up the closer to Leblon you get. There are also many small galerias or shopping centers you can enter, most of the time they have several floors.

Eating

There is a multitude of restaurants, it would be hard to find anything cheap but if you´re ready to spend a bit you have some great options. Porcão on R. Barao da Torre 218 is by many considered to be the best barbeque business in the world. Zaza Bistro Tropical on R. Joana Angelica 40 you can eat great contemporary food in a really cool setting. There are many more.

Nightlife

When it comes to bars you have the biggest concentration on the street R. Farme de Amoedo. Devassa and To nem aí are two of them. Charming places to have a nice cold beer on after a hot day on the beach. When it comes to nightclubs there are only two I think worth mentioning. The upper scale Baronetti on R. Barao da Torre 354 has long been a place for the jet set in Rio, hard to get in and of course expensive. A more laid back option with great dance music is Dama da Ferro on R. Vinicius de Moraes 288, it is actually a gay club but the crowd is normally very mixed, normally lots of good House!

Enjoy!

Hakan Almerfors is Swedish and has been living in Rio de Janeiro since 2003. He has been working with tourists ever since, in 2007 he created the Rio travel information site Gringo-Rio.com

If you want more information about the neighbourhood Ipanema you can visit this page on his site: Ipanema