Ferradura — "horseshoe" in Portuguese — is exactly the shape its name implies: a crescent of pale sand enclosed by rocky headlands that shelter it from the Atlantic swell. The result is unusually calm, flat water even when the rest of the coast is rough, which makes it the best beach in Búzios for families with young children.
The beach is on the western side of the peninsula, facing a calm bay rather than the open ocean. The water is warm and the depth increases gradually. Several restaurants and barracas line the shore.
Ferradura is one of the few beaches in Búzios where you can also anchor a boat and swim from it — the water is clear enough to see the bottom. Jet ski and banana boat rentals operate here in high season.