Best beaches a few hours south/west of Rio de Janeiro

February 1, 2023 9:00 AM

We're leaving for Rio de Janeiro this Saturday (yay). We're spending a few days in Rio, then want to spend 4 or 5 days in a small beach town south of the city. Which?

We're looking for a beach nearish to Rio (not more than 3 or 4 hours). We've looked into some between the city and Angra dos Reis, but are confused. We're also considering Paraty but it seems a bit far.
We're laid back, not interested in any sort of party scene, don't do any watersports, and do like to walk to cafes and restaurants.
We've been to Brazil and Rio before. The last time, we went to Búzios, and loved it. We want to go south/west this time for variety's sake.
We are 2 adults and a 15yo. We all enjoy long drives and will probably rent a car. We already rented a car on a previous trip to go from Sao Paulo to Ilhabela, and enjoyed the experience, except for the speeding tickets.

posted by signal to Travel & Transportation around Brazil (3 answers total)

I've heard of Praia Escondida, near Recreio. Hope the spelling is correct. Have fun. On preview: Can't find it on a map, but there are several nice beaches around Recreio.
posted by JimN2TAW at 12:59 PM on February 1, 2023

Best answer: I would encourage you to reconsider Paraty, it really is a special place. My one concern would be trying to book a place at this late date.
posted by msali at 9:14 PM on February 1, 2023

Response by poster: We ended up going to Paraty. It truly is amazing.
posted by signal at 1:57 PM on February 17, 2023