Orla Bardot Walk in Buzios

One of the best days while we were in Buzios Brazil, before any of the wedding events that we had, was the day we walked the Orla Bardot into downtown Buzios. 

Walking Orla Bardot

Where we stayed was on a different beach and therefore a different bay in Buzios. That being said it was a very easy walk to get from Joao Fernandes beach were our hotel was situated. I will be doing another post all about our hotel (the Rio Buzios Beach Hotel) so that you can a feel for that as well!

From Joao Fernandes beach you simply walk up the hill and take the first right, that street will take you back to the water where you can pick up the Orla Bardot Boardwalk.

Because our walk started in a different beach we got to walk a bit though the neighbourhoods before we made it to Orla Bardot. We were in a small group so I felt safe to walk and there were many others out doing the same thing even though we were visiting in the off season. There was a strong police presence in the area as well which seemed to be a deterrent against any petty crime. That is the feeling I got anyways.

The houses in this area were quite beautiful built into the hills and overlooking the ocean.

The houses in Buzios, as well as Rio for that matter, were either part of a gated community or have high walls and a gate around the house. Definitely not something we are used to here in Canada but sometimes the gates were more ornate and beautiful than the homes inside. It adds a bit of elegance and mystery to the homes.

In addition to the gated homes there was also a small shopping area. Since it is off from the main downtown and the beach areas it was actually a bit cheaper for some of the things that were being sold elsewhere like bikinis and hammocks.

Once we got through the little shopping area we made it to the Orla Bardot which follows along Armacao Beach. At the begining it was largely elegent hill side homes, then it transitioned to seaside restaurants and bars before making our way into the downtown of Buzios and Rua das Pedras.

Armaco Beach is a cruise port and in the high season you will often see more than one Cruise ship dock here. We visited in North American Spring which means it was Fall (almost Winter) when we were there in May, as a result there were no Cruise ships in port while we were there. But there were still many fishing boats and local excursion boats that would take you on a tour of the many beaches of Buzios.

What you are seeing above isn’t fisherman working in the bay but a statue! There are a few different ones along the boardwalk including one of Bridget Bardot which inspired the name Orla Bardot.

Restaurants in Buzios

We took the Orla Bardot and then wandered in along Rua das Pedras. Downtown Buzios is bustling even in the off season. I can’t imagine how busy it is when the Cruise ships stop here! There is plenty of shopping and restaurants to keep you wandering these sheets all day.

This particular day we had lunch at Mr. Brad, a fun Mexican restaurant with free wifi and a fun atmosphere. We had also stopped for a free Caipirinha (the drink of Brazil) the night before but out group wanted to have dinner somewhere else that night. Like many of the restaurants there was also live music certain nights. The food was alright at Mr. Brad, more of pub food with alot of Mexican inspired dishes.

One of the best meals we had in downtown Buzios was at Lorenzo. I was surprised to see so many Italian food restaurants in a Portugese speaking country but there is actually a sizable Italian immigrant population in Brazil so I guess it isn’t so surprising after all. Lorenzo had amazing wood oven pizza I would highly recommend trying it out if you are in Buzios.

On one of our last nights all together with the group we ate at Noi which is a brew pub with many of their own beers. Ask to sit on the balcony to watch the world go by! We had the Chicken Parmigiana which was excellent.

When ordering dinners in Brazil many come for a party of two, and really could be shared 3 ways. The meat portions are enormous! The meals often come with two starches (plain rice and french fries). Noi was one of the few places where the salads were really worth ordering.

Ask for the sampler (we were lucky to have a Brazilian in our group that negotiated 3 samples for free!) to get a feel for what beers of theirs you will like.

Shopping in Buzios

After our lunch at Mr. Brad we continued walking through town. There are many boutiques that range from high end, to the Brazilian equivalent of American Eagle.

There were two Havanias stores and many little shops dedicated to bikinis. As much as there was a lot of shopping here I didn’t buy anything. Either the shops were extremely expensive or they were very touristy. It is worth picking up a pair of Havanias here as they are half the price they are in Canada. Unfortunately the styles that I was interested in picking up were out in my size!

I would have liked to see some great shoe stores as opposed to so many shops with touristy tees, but it is a tourist area.

After we had our fill of the cobblestone streets we wandered back to our hotel along the  Orla Badot. If you are in Buzios I highly recommend this walk as you get to see so much of the area and the views are majestic.

 

Have you been to Buzios? Have you walked the Orla Bardot?