Barra da Tijuca is a 30-minute taxi ride away from Copacabana Beach (without traffic).
Barra da Tijuca is quite safe at day time in busy areas such as the beach as well as at night at restaurant rows such as Condado de Caiscais.
By the way, Barra has excellent dining options. Most tourists — foreigners and Brazilians alike — should not miss dining, for example, at Porcao, which is the most famous Brazilian steakhouse in Rio de Janeiro (and there is a Porcao restaurant in Barra).
Barra (as it is popularly called) has many malls, which are all very safe inside. Barra Shopping is the largest one in South America, with more than 600 stores. On the other hand, Village Mall is much smaller but upscale. If you like shopping mid-range or upscale, Barra has plenty to offer.
Barra da Tijuca Beach seen from Recreio dos Bandeirantes Beach
Most tourists who stay in Barra are on business — in general attending a conference, or visiting or participating in a trade show at Rio Centro, which is the largest exhibition center in Rio de Janeiro, and located in Barra da Tijuca.
The most popular hotels in Barra are Sheraton Barra, Windsor Barra, Promenade Barra First, and Hilton Barra (the latter is still under construction as of this writing).
Sheraton Barra Hotel in Barra da Tijuca neighborhood
One of the drawbacks of Barra da Tijuca is that it is a very spread out district. You will probably need a taxi to where ever you go in Barra (except maybe the beach, as some hotels are located along the coast).
However, taking a taxi in Rio de Janeiro is quite safe and not a problem as there are more than 33,000 cabs. Taxi drivers are generally honest and friendly.
In Barra da Tijuca is beeing built the Olympic City.
São Conrado is the neighborhood before Barra da Tijuca. The area has not much to offer to tourists except the beach (good for surfing and bodyboarding).
View of Sao Conrado Beach in Rio de Janeiro
Apart from the beach, the highlights are the upscale Sao Conrado Mall as well as the hangliding and paragliding landing area.
Sao Conrado is quite safe, despite of its proximity to Rocinha Favela. Transportation-wise the best way to get out of the area is by taxi. However, that will change in 2016 when the first subway station in the neighborhood will be inaugurated.
Bear in mind that Sao Conrado is a bit isolated if compared to the beach neighborhoods Leblon, Ipanema, Arpoador, Copacabana, and Leme.
In addtion, Sao Conrado (as well as Barra da Tijuca) are actually quite far from Lapa, which is the trendy nightlife area where there is plenty of live samba concerts.
If you want to enjoy Rio’s nightlife night after night then São Conrado is definitely not the neighborhood to stay.
By the way, Royal Tulip Sao Conrado Beach Hotel Rio de Janeiro is basically the only hotel in the area.
The bottom line is Barra da Tijuca and Sao Conrado are quite safe neighborhoods. To increase your safety, walk on busy streets at day time and prefer taxis at night.
Hang gliding instructor and passenger landing on Sao Conrado Beach (tandem flight)
Visiting Rio de Janeiro soon? So, get your copy of My Rio Travel Guide to explore the best of Rio the safe way — Christ the Redemeer statue (Corcovado), Sugar Loaf, a game at Maracana Stadium, a dine out at a typical local café, and much more.
Click below to have an unforgettable time in Brazil!
