The Enseada de Botafogo is the crescent of bay that gives the neighbourhood its most famous image: Sugarloaf Mountain rising as a perfect cone across the water, with the masts of the yacht club in the foreground and the whole scene mirrored in the calm bay at dusk. It is not a swimming beach — the water of Guanabara Bay is too polluted — but the seafront walk is one of the best in the city in the late afternoon.
Come for the view rather than the sand: stroll the promenade as the light goes gold and the Sugarloaf cable car traces its line up the rock. It pairs naturally with a sunset drink before heading into Botafogo's bar streets behind the waterfront.