Brazil
Buzios
Búzios: Twenty-Three Beaches on a Peninsula East of Rio
Búzios is a resort town on a small peninsula about 173 km east of Rio de Janeiro, with 23 beaches and a fishing-village past that changed after Brigitte Bardot stayed here in 1964. Your ship will not tie up alongside, so allow time at both ends of the day for getting ashore and back.
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Good to know
Coming Ashore
Ships anchor off Búzios, and passengers land at one of two piers, the Centro pier in town or the pier at Porto Veleiro. Your cruise line will tell you which one your call uses.
- Praia da Armação, in the center, has the pier where sightseeing boats leave.
- The seafront promenade along Praia da Armação is the Orla Bardot, named for the actress.
- Rua das Pedras, the main street, has most of the shops and restaurants.
- The cruise season runs from late October to April.
- Búzios is about 173 km east of the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Búzios on Your Own
The center of Búzios is small, with the seafront promenade, the whaling-era chapel and the main street close together. A boat trip or a short ride reaches the beaches beyond town.
- Orla Bardot: The seafront promenade was rebuilt in 1999 with stone paving and trees, and has a bronze statue of Brigitte Bardot by the sculptor Christina Motta. Fishing boats still moor off the beach.
- Sant'Anna church: The church on the hill between Praia dos Ossos and Praia da Armação was built around 1743 with stone, lime and a mortar mixed with whale oil. It is the only building left from the whaling era, and the old slave cemetery lies behind it.
- Praia dos Ossos: The beach is named for the whale bones that once littered its sand, and its old fishermen's houses have been restored.
- Boat trips: Schooners leave from the long pier in town for trips around the beaches, often stopping for a swim.
- Valuables: Keep valuables close, as thefts happen on busy beaches.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Carry ID: Carry a copy of your passport and, if you have one, another form of photo ID.
Tipping in Brazil
Restaurants in Brazil add a 10 percent service charge to the bill, and this is generally the only tip people pay. It is not mandatory. The currency is the Brazilian real.
- Taxi drivers do not usually expect a tip, though people sometimes round up the fare.
- Porters and parking attendants are given a few reais.
A Brief History
Before the Portuguese, the peninsula belonged to the Tupinambá, who traded brazilwood with French smugglers. Búzios later became a whaling station and a landing place for enslaved Africans, then a fishing village, and only in the 1960s a resort.
- The Tupinambá: In the 16th century, when the first Europeans arrived, the Tupinambá fished, hunted and grew cassava here, and traded brazilwood and pepper with French privateers.
- Vespucci, 1503: Amerigo Vespucci is said to have landed at Praia das Caravelas in 1503, which gave the beach its name.
- The Portuguese take over: The Portuguese defeated the French in 1575 and, with their Goitacá allies, drove them from the peninsula for good in 1617, wiping out the Tupinambá.
- Whaling, 18th century: In the mid-1700s a whaling station worked on Praia da Armação, and whales were cut up on the beach next door, Praia dos Ossos. Whale oil lit the city of Rio de Janeiro.
- The slave trade: Enslaved Africans were landed here for the plantations. After Brazil banned the trade in 1850, landings went on in secret, and the British navy put marines ashore at Búzios. After abolition in 1888, freed people founded a settlement at Rasa, where a quilombo already stood.
- Bardot, 1964: Brigitte Bardot's stay in 1964 drew the world's press to the fishing village, and tourism became the main business. Until 1973 the village was linked to Cabo Frio only by a narrow dirt road.
- A town of its own, 1995: Búzios was a district of Cabo Frio until it became a separate municipality in 1995.
- To learn more ashore: The Museu Histórico Marítimo on Rua das Pedras covers the town's seafaring past. Check its opening hours before you go.
Búzios with Children
Búzios works for families because its sheltered coves and surf beaches sit close together on one small peninsula.
- Younger children: The enclosed coves such as Ferradura and Forno are suited to swimming rather than surfing.
- School age: A schooner trip around the beaches, with a swim stop, is an easy half day.
- Teenagers: Geribá, on the open-sea side, has surf schools that teach all ages.
Beaches
The 23 beaches of Búzios split into two kinds: calm, clear coves on the western side and open, wilder beaches facing the Atlantic on the eastern side. The water on the northern side is warmer than on the southern side, which a cold current reaches.
- Calm coves: Forno, Olho de Boi, Ferradura and Ferradurinha are enclosed bays suited to swimming.
- Surf: Geribá and Brava face the open sea and are the surf beaches.
- Most visited: Azeda, Ferradura, João Fernandes and Armação are among the most visited beaches.
- Naturist: Olho de Boi is set aside for naturism.
- Safety: Strong currents can be a danger off some beaches, so get local advice, watch the flags and swim where lifeguards are present.
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