Rio's beaches are not just places to swim -- they are the city's living rooms, gyms, social clubs and stages. Each beach and each posto (lifeguard station) along it draws a different crowd: families, surfers, footballers, bodybuilders, or the gay community all have their regular stretches of sand.
Copacabana is the most famous, a four-kilometre arc of sand lined with the distinctive Portuguese wave-pattern pavement. Ipanema next door is slightly more upscale and arguably more beautiful, with the twin peaks of Dois Irmaos framing its western end. Leblon continues where Ipanema ends -- quieter, more residential, favoured by families.
Further west, Barra da Tijuca has kilometres of wide open sand and bigger waves. For a wilder experience, head to Prainha, a small surfer's beach hemmed in by green hills, or Joatinga, a hidden cove accessible only through a gated residential area.