What to do in Búzios?
This city on the north coast of Rio de Janeiro (in an area known as Região dos Lagos) brings together beautiful beaches and excellent hotel and restaurant infrastructure. It is one of our favorite destinations in Brazil, as it combines nature and sophistication.

This is a perfect city for a short trip to take on weekends or holidays

Armação dos Búzios is located on the north coast of Rio de Janeiro, next to Arraial do Cabo and Cabo Frio.

The region is known as Região dos Lagos, but the Secretary of Tourism of the State of Rio de Janeiro called the region Costa do Sol. It really is a name that defines this very sunny region.

Here are some tips on what to do in Búzios, how to get there, where to stay and when is the best time to visit the city. See also a daily itinerary and the unmissable sights in the city.

Buzios

Originally, the Lakes Region was occupied by Tupinambás and Tamoios indigenous peoples. After 1720, the region began to be occupied by farms.

Whale fishing was also very relevant in the 17th and 18th centuries. The name “Armação” (from the beach and the city) comes from a structure used in whale fishing.

A curiosity is that one of the farms in the region was involved in the slave trade. A part of the enslaved blacks fled and formed quilombos in the surroundings. The Quilombola Community of Baía Formosa exists to this day and even offers tours and experiences in the region (one of the trails includes Ponta do Pai Vitório, see link at the end of this article).

Until January 1964, Armação dos Búzios was a small and quiet fishing village that was part of the municipality of Cabo Frio (it was emancipated in 1995).

It was then that the city received a visit from the French actress Brigitte Bardot, who at the time was looking for a quiet place to escape the harassment of the press. At the time, the actress was a sex symbol and protagonist of French films such as “And God Created Woman” (Et Dieu… créa la femme, 1956).

After his arrival, Búzios became internationally famous and stopped being a quiet village. When she returned the following year, staying in a house on Rua das Pedras (where the Restaurant Cigalon now operates), she no longer found the same peace.