Arraial do Cabo Guide: Tips for planning your trip
I've been dying to review this article on Arraial do Cabo for some time, the original was written in early 2017, when the city was exploding on instagram, and it became one of the most desired destinations in Brazil.
Some things have changed since then, my opinion practically hasn't changed about the city but I thought it necessary to review some important things for you to plan your trip even better.
Being the good carioca that I am, I don't even need to say that, as far back as I can remember, I've spent a lot of vacations in Lagos Region, a little place blessed with incredible beaches and super nice to know, in fact, in addition to Arraial, you can include the neighboring ones in the package Cabo Frio and Búzios which also has beautiful beaches and is super worth visiting!
Arraial do Cabo is a municipality that forms part of the north coast of the Rio de Janeiro state, is about 2h30 from the capital, emancipated from Cabo Frio in 1985 and is considered one of the best places to practice diving in Brazil, after all, it is not for nothing that it is known as the Brazilian Caribbean.
Its turquoise blue sea and its soft, white sand have always won over Cariocas and also people who enjoy diving all over the country, but for some time now the city has become hype for the large population and today is one of the most coveted summer destinations in Brazil!!
HOW TO GET ?
Arraial do Cabo is located 164km from Rio de Janeiro and the easiest way to get there is by car or bus 🇧🇷 The journey by car takes on average 2:30 am and by bus 3:30 am but in high season it is quite common to see a large flow and traffic jams on the roads, especially on weekends and don't be alarmed if by chance you are unlucky enough to catch 8 hours of traffic, it is not so common anymore but still super possible.
Leaving by car from Rio de Janeiro you should head towards Rio-Nitero Bridgei (if you don't know, take the opportunity to take pictures because the view of the Bridge is beautiful!), get access to BR 101 and then output to Via Lagos (RJ 124) , toll road but well maintained and signposted. Leaving Via Lagos you will pass through the cities of São Pedro d'Aldeia, Cabo Frio and finally Arraial. It is a very quiet trip and with good road conditions.
Already from bus the only difference is that it takes longer to arrive but the route is exactly the same. Buses leave from Novo Rio Bus Station or da Niterói Bus Station and are operated by the company 1001🇧🇷 I even think that other companies do this route too but I've never used it and I don't even know which ones they are. For Cabo Frio, which is the 13km from Arraial, buses leave every hour from the bus stations. If you don't find a good time to go directly to Arraial, an alternative is to go to Cabo Frio and from there take the intercity bus to finish the journey.
The other alternative is to arrive from plane, however I never used it, and I believe that there are still few flights to the Cabo Frio airport. The flights are operated by the airline. Blue and most of them leave from the airport of confines in Belo Horizonte. They tend to be expensive flights but it doesn't hurt to do a search before closing something.
WHERE TO STAY?
That was one of the reasons for me to rewrite this article about Arraial. Although I have never stayed in the city – I’ll tell you why later – the offers have increased and improved considerably, I even removed a controversial sentence from the text that made this one of the most read posts on the blog to date hahahaha but I will try to be more polite this time turn.
So… I never felt like staying in Arraial because I always thought the city was UGLY, without any structure for tourists and the only thing really AMAZING and without comparison is its sea.
Arraial is a very small city, after it emancipated itself from Cabo Frio, it grew very disorganized, it is full of alleys, alleys, it has chaotic traffic in the summer… understand, it is not a simple and rustic city, it is extremely disorganized and visually nothing really beautiful, and with that, until a while ago, accommodation there was very simple, few options with more comfort and the strength of the city were the rent of houses (mostly simple too). It is also not possible to find resorts or well-known hotel chains.
For these reasons, I always preferred to stay in Cabo Frio or Búzios, neighboring cities, and I thought that a day trip was more than enough. Being very honest, I still have the same thought… the city of Arraial, until today, does not attract me in absolutely anything other than its beaches and I still do not stay there.
As the city continues to be very popular and has received more and more tourists from all over the country, some houses for the season began to be built with a proposal for more demanding tourists, good structure and always with an incredible view of the sea, some several apartments were renovated and more modern ones have emerged in recent years. It's still not a city for those looking for luxury accommodation or resorts but let's say it has improved A LOT!!
The first inns that bet on a differential for this new wave of tourists that were arriving in the city were the Pousada da Prainha and the Timoneiro's Inn, and until today they are the two best known and best evaluated in the city. The good part is that inspired by these, several other inns appeared, and today Booking has several options that seem to be very good and are very well evaluated.
For those who want more economical accommodation, rest assured, because Arraial continues to have many simple accommodations at good prices, in addition to several hostels that have appeared in the city.
For those who go in groups of friends or family, renting houses has always been one of the most popular and well-known options there – I only suggest (FOR REALLY) that you, in addition to seeing the photos, also read the opinions of those who have already stayed and, preferably, see the exact location of the house on Google Maps, because as I said above, Arraial do Cabo is a place full of alleys and uninviting places, especially for those who don't know the city. Some places that I find interesting to stay are Praia dos Anjos, Prainha and Praia Grande.
HOW TO MOVE ?
The easiest, most comfortable and most practical way, without a doubt, is to car🇧🇷 As the city is small, it is even possible to visit one beach or another on foot, it is also possible to walk throughout the center on foot, but the most beautiful beaches, which are located in Pontal do Atalaia, are only accessible by car or boat (they are also accessible by trail but it is a walk of almost 1 hour of steep climbs). I don't know how buses work in the city but I know that crowding is very common among residents (ordinary passenger car, clandestine, which passes from point to point and basically takes the route of the buses) and that makes me come to the conclusion that the bus must not be a very effective means of transport in the city, lol.
To move between the beaches, as this is the main attraction of the city, we have the following options.
little beach (the first beach as soon as you arrive in the city), Praia do Anjos (where the boat trips depart from) and Big beach are easily accessible. going from car, all three have parking that are a few steps from the beach and arriving on foot there is no problem either (and no trail to be traveled).
THE Praia do Forno access from Praia dos Anjos and from there you need to do a trail about 15 minutes, a little steep but easy to access and the view from the top of the hill makes up for any climb. Another option is to go from taxi boat which also departs from Praia dos Anjos, it should take a maximum of 5 minutes to get to Forno.
THE lighthouse beach is only accessible from boat, good thing, because it is the most beautiful and well preserved of all!! Seriously, if you don't have the slightest intention of taking a boat trip in Arraial, do it, just to visit Praia do Farol, it's sooo worth it and only authorized boats can enter the beach and everyone has a time limit.
At Prainhas do Pontal do Atalaia are my second favorites, after the Lighthouse, and can be accessed both from car, such as on foot or by sea... I never went on foot (nor will I go) but by car it was total terror and panic, the road was terrible, super narrow and there was endless congestion. Today, there is inspection at the beginning of the road and only one car is allowed at a time (if I'm not mistaken, there are 200 cars). Needless to say, in high season you need to arrive around 7 am to hopefully make it up. Since they put this limit on the number of cars circulating (which I thought was GREAT!) I was never able to hit the open road again but ok, I'm not complaining, I really prefer this minimum of organization.
On foot, the Prainhas are accessible by a trail from Praia dos Anjos and the journey takes around 1 hour. By car, you can only get by Pontal do Atalaia, which is beautiful and worth visiting, it has several incredible viewpoints, in fact, the sunset there is sensational !!! Getting to the beach, it wasn't a very easy task as I just said, in fact it was chaos, but today, with this inspection I believe it has improved a lot, even so, if you go during the very high season, have be careful, as it is very common, theft in cars, avoid leaving anything apparent inside the car. Avoid unnecessary headaches.
If you still haven't associated the name with the scenery, the Prainhas are those on the staircase that appear in any and all photos of Arraial on instagram. The descent, despite being steep, is super easy, the ascent is 225 steps of pure disposition hahahaha but it's good, if you get tired, stop, look back and take the opportunity to take several pictures of the view !! I've been to this beach before there were these stairs, it was a pretty steep little trail, so you can bet these stairs are mara!!!
Of boat It is an option that I like the most, I think it is more beautiful and much more practical and pleasant to get there. I've already taken a tour with Arraial VIP Turismo and I loved the tour along the beaches, and I've also taken trips with those boats that leave from Praia dos Anjos, I arrived, chose one on the spot and paid, the tour was great too.
THE Praia Brava is the only one that is really difficult to access, it is also accessed by Pontal do Atalaia but it only works arrive by trail. I have never done this trail but I know that it is very hidden and requires physical preparation. Needless to say, the easiest and most practical way is to get to know the boat ride, LOL.
Arraial is a very nice city for those who enjoy ecotourism, after all, there is no lack of trails and stunning landscapes along the way, but for those seek more convenience I highly recommend getting to know the beaches in one boat ride than simply going by car.
WHEN TO GO ?
Ahhhh the summer… run away from it hahahahaha. You know that picture up there?? Obviously not mine because I have siricutic just looking at this crowded beach like that hahahaha. So, the paradise of crystal clear waters and very white sand becomes this pile of tents and people in high season... I don't know about you, but I'm terrified of going to the beach in a place where my foot ends and the other's head begins and I think Arraial loses A LOT of beauty and vibe amazing what it has when it's crowded like this.
Despite the fact that the city is super fashionable, most of the tourists who visit and have always visited in the summer, are not educated, leave garbage on the beach, do not know the modernity called headphones and compete with those who listen to music louder on the sands, it is a Voco Voco of children running on top of her yoke, the friend on the side browning her hair with that incredible smell of ammonia in her nose, the other smoking marijuana… in short, I think TERROR AND PANIC is at its peak and I don't think it's a good time to go, especially for those going for the first time.
Ahhhhh, not to mention the traffic… most of the streets in Arraial are very narrow and there is no one going the wrong way, you enter where your car fits and good luck with the people who will curse you along the way. Not quite what you were expecting to hear, is it?! Well, I bring truths, lol.
Oh, did I mention the water?? So, the probability of a lack of water in the high season is very high there too!!!! (but this is not just a problem in Arraial, the entire Lagos Region suffers from this problem in the summer, some places more, others less).
With that, I don't even need to tell you to cross off your list the possibility of visiting Arraial do Cabo in the New Year's Eve, Carnival or Holy Week, huh?! Unless you enjoy all this turmoil, then it's all right !!
The best time to visit the city is after the January holidays, that is, in any time other than New Year's Eve and Holy Week and preferably in any season other than summer. Any sunny weekend there already makes the city very crowded but, without a doubt, much less crowded than in high season.
If you have availability, prefer to visit Arraial do Cabo during the week. The beaches are quieter and depending on the time of year almost deserted. The climate in the Lagos Region is great all year round, just like in Rio, there are few days of cold and rain and even in cloudy weather this color of the sea is incredible!!
If you don't give up visiting her in the summer, don't forget the tip… prefer weekdays, preferably from Monday to Wednesday.
WHAT IS UNMISSSIBLE?
- lighthouse beach – the most beautiful beach in Arraial do Cabo!! You can't go to the city and not know it. As it is only accessible by boat, remember to arrange a tour in advance.
- Sunset at Pontal do Atalaia – actually there are two places that I think are unmissable to watch the sunset, at Pontal do Atalaia and at Praia Grande.
- Boat ride – As I said, it is possible to arrive at Praia dos Anjos and hire a tour right away, if you prefer a more comfortable boat, I highly recommend Arraial Vip Turismo, (click on the post because the whole itinerary is explained in detail and I think it's really worth visiting the beaches by the sea, not to mention that the tour goes through some beautiful caves too).
- Prainhas Staircase – you didn't go to Arraial if you didn't take a picture on the stairs, right?! haha ha. The staircase became a tourist spot but it really has a beautiful view of the beach and looks beautiful in the photos.
- Viewpoint of Praia do Forno – It's not actually a lookout, it's just a rock on top of the hill that has the most beautiful view on the beach, sit for a few minutes and contemplate the landscape, that's priceless!!