Tourists that prefer to bathe in the hot Brazilian sun are advised to head straight to the Copacabana Beach. The area is also home to the famous Copacabana Hotel, and surrounded by restaurants, shops, hotels and bars. Rio de Janeiro is one of the few cities in the world that can boast of having a pristine sand beach right at its center, however this is not an ideal place for laying on the sand and relaxing as it is quite crowded. There's a lot to see along this 2.5-mile long promenade, at all times of the day or night - football games, runners, beach volleyball, vendors, surfing, live musical performances and more.