1 Hiking through tropi-cal rainforest, enjoying stunning views from rocky lookouts and recovering be-neath cool waterfalls in the Floresta da Tijuca (p156). 2 Basking on the wide golden sands of Praia da Barra da Tijuca (p153).

3 Exploring the lushly decadent gardens of Sítio Burle Marx (p153). 4 Delving into Brazil’s rich folk art traditions at the impressive Casa do Pontal (p153).

5 Looking for wildlife walking the peaceful trails of the Parque Ecológico Chico Mendes (p153).

Neighborhood Top Five

For more detail of this area see Map p252 A

Barra da Tijuca & Western Rio

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5 Best Places to Eat

¨ Don Pascual (p156)

¨ Barreado (p157)

¨ Bira (p157)

For reviews, see p156 A

1 Best Places to Walk

¨ Floresta da Tijuca (p156)

¨ Bosque da Barra (p153)

¨ Parque Ecológico Chico Mendes (p153)

For reviews, see p153 A

7 Best Places to Shop

¨ The Village (p157)

¨ Fashion Mall (p157)

¨ Barra Shopping (p157)

For reviews, see p157 A

Explore Barra da Tijuca & Western RioThe Miami of Rio, Barra – as it’s known locally – is a sprawling suburb with huge malls and entertainment complexes, long traffic corridors and very little pedes-trian movement. The beach here is the real attraction, a wide and lovely 15km-long stretch of shoreline.

The commercial area feels quite different from other parts of Rio, as Barra’s development happened relatively recently. The middle classes first began moving here in the 1970s, when cariocas (residents of Rio) fled crowded, crime-ridden streets to live on an unpopulated stretch of beachfront. Today, the influx of new residents has cre-ated crowded, problematic conditions once again.

While first-time visitors to Rio don’t always make it to Barra da Tijuca, there are some intriguing sights here aside from the beach. The Sítio Burle Marx (p153) con-tains some of the city’s most picturesque gardens, while the Casa do Pontal (p153) houses a fascinating collection of folk art.

Once you get beyond the development of Barra, the region gets less and less urban, and you’ll soon feel like you’re deep in the tropics. Some of Rio’s best beaches lie out this way. There are also some great restaurants in idyllic settings – feast on seafood while watching crash-ing waves – all of which seems a far cry from busy down-town Rio.

Local Life ¨ Hangouts Even party people from the Zona Sul will

make the trip out to Nuth (p157), one of Rio’s loveliest nightclubs.

¨ Beaches The western beaches are quite stunning, particularly Joatinga, Prainha and Grumari.

¨ Arts Barra’s brand-new Cidade das Artes (p157) is the go-to destination for concerts and performances.

Getting There & Away ¨ Bus Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon (308 & 523);

Flamengo, Centro (308 & 309) ¨ Metrô na SuperfícieThe Barra Expresso metro bus

connects Ipanema/General Osório metro station with points along Barra.

¨ Metrô The planned Linha 4 expansion, due for completion by 2016, will finally connect Barra da Tijuca to Ipanema and Leblon.

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