Volleyball And Historic Sights At Copacabana Beach
Posted On December 17, 2009
The Copacabana Beach is perhaps one of the most happening places in Brazil as well as the world, with luxury hotels, nightclubs, bars and restaurants lined up there. It is certainly one of the top most attractive beached of the world.
Location
Stretching over 4 kilometers in the region of Copacabana in the southern zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is the Copacabana Beach. At one end of it is a 700 foot Pao De Acucar or the Sugarloaf of Mountain and the old Copacabana Fort on the other end.
The beach is located between Avoca Beach and MacMasters Beach, north of the mouth of Cokrane Lagoon.
When to visit
The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro because of its location almost on the Tropic of Capricorn, the city has a southern hemisphere tropical climate. Summers last from December to March and are hot and humid, with the average temperatures ranging from 32 degree Celsius to 38 degree Celsius. There are frequent heavy rains that bring the temperatures down. The evening temperatures are about 24 degree Celsius.
The winter months are from June to September and are dry. The temperatures in this season averages around 26 degree Celsius during the day and about 18 degree Celsius at nights. The rains are light and less frequent.
How to reach
The airport of Rio de Janeiro is well connected with national and international destinations. The most convenient of them is to fly from London to Miami and then to Rio de Janeiro. From here and even other places, there are buses as well as minibuses that are a good mode of transport.
You can hire cars as well once you are in the city. The metro is an efficient system here, especially helpful during the Carnival.
What to do
There is plenty to see and do while you are at Copacabana Beach. Around the beach are some fine examples of architecture. The beach is located right in front of the black and white wavy mosaics on Avenida Atlantica, designed by 
Burle Max. Among the fine examples of Art Deco architecture is the Copacabana Palace Hotel that was built in 1923. At one end of the beach is Copacabana Fort, built in 1914 to defend Guanabara Bay. The Bairro Peixoto is a landmark art-deco district in the centre of the city.
The Lido between, Copacabana Palace and Avenue Princesa Isabel, features a number of landmark art- nouveau and neoclassical buildings.
Of course, there are water activities that you can enjoy like sailing, surfing etc along with a game of volleyball, including the foot volleyball and is also a good place for partying. In fact, the New Year celebrations held here at the Copacabana Beach are known world wide. Called the Revellion celebrations, The New Year Eve’s celebration is held all over the city of Rio de Janeiro, but the Copacabana Beach is the place you should be in. The Rio de Janeiro Carnival too pulls crowd to the beach for celebrations.
Besides these energetic activities, the Copacabana Beach is good for simple sunbathing and lazing around as well. Besides, there are several islands in the bay that you can visit by ferries.
Pao De Acucar or the Sugarloaf of Mountain that is at one end of the sea is a major attraction for tourists here. It stands in the bay 395 meters above the sea level and guards the entrance to the city. The Cristo Redentor or the Christ Redeemer Statue too is equally famous here, atop Corcovado Mountain, built in 1931. It is 125 meters high.
This sight is accessed by a 2 stage cable car that makes it all the more interesting, with it offering a sweep taking views of Copacabana Beach and the Ipanema Beach to the west and the Greater Rio to the east.
The other attractions close to the beach in the city are the 400 square miles Tijuca Forest National Park, which has an Atlantic coastal rain forest or “Mata Atlantica”. There are vans that take you on a tour of this park.
The Jardim Botanico or the Botanical Gardens, created by Prince Regent Dom Joao in 1808, is spread in about half a square mile with its tropical gardens. Famous for its royal palms, the orchid house, the Japanese gardens and the Amazon section, is a short taxi ride from both the Copacabana Beach and the Ipanema Beach and definitely deserves a day of visit.
Santa Teresa with its old mansions now converted to hotels and restaurants is worth a visit too, well connected by tram.
The city centre of Rio de Janeiro has a number of Baroque churches, museums and buildings from the colonial era that are worth a look. Some of the museums are the National History Museum, the Fine Arts Museum and the Imperial Palace Museum.
Other than these, there are some off track sights that can be visited if you have time. Urca neighbourhood, beaches to the south west of Rio de Janeiro such as the Barra da Tijuca, Recreio de Bandeirantes, Prainga and Grumari beaches, which can be reached in a hours drive from the coast of Rio de Janeiro, the Morro do Leme or the Leme Mountain and Fort that is at the end of Copacabana Beach and the Forte Copacabana at a short distance form anywhere in Copacabana are some of the sights that you can visit as a break from being at the sea.
The Copacabana Beach of Rio De Janeiro has some brilliant tourist attractions. Of course, there is the beach with all the attractions that a good beach should have. There are water sports as well as other games like volleyball that you can enjoy here. The place is apt for just lazing out as well, though you might not get an alone time here.
To say it in simple words, if you have a weakness for beaches and you are a complete water freak, or if you want to enjoy the sea shore that gives you renewed refreshment even after you have visited hundreds of beaches before, Copacabana Beach of Brazil is where you should head to.
