A cultural and culinary route turns Rio’s waterfront into a showcase for Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, Aug 1 (EFE).- A multisensory journey combining Brazilian culture and cuisine with the scenic backdrop of Rio de Janeiro’s most iconic beaches is the latest tourism initiative aimed at turning the city into a showcase for the entire country.

The new route begins at Leme Beach, winds through Copacabana, and ends in Ipanema. It highlights traditional coastal Brazilian fare while paying tribute to celebrated figures in the country’s music and literature.

“Rio is known for its natural beauty. But it also has a rich history full of music, literature, and flavors, like those found at beach kiosks and in the botecos (bars), which are the heart of Rio’s gastronomy,” Marcelo Freixo, president of the Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion (Embratur), told EFE in an interview.

In addition to sun, sand, and striking landscapes, Rio’s beaches offer a cultural and historical narrative of Brazil that provides tourists with “more democratic access” to the country, Freixo noted.

“And since the Rio waterfront is the city’s most iconic image,” he added, “there’s no better place to host this kind of multisensory experience.”

A feast of literature, music, and flavor

The route includes stops at five kiosks along the Orla do Rio boardwalk, which lines the city’s main beaches. Each stop features a unique menu inspired by regional cuisines from across Brazil.

At every point along the route, visitors can learn about a legendary figure in Brazilian music or literature—memorialized in statues—and enjoy a dish that “tells a piece of Brazil’s story.”

From the boardwalk’s wave-patterned promenade designed by renowned Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx to the introspective prose of Clarice Lispector, the experience is a journey into the soul of Brazil.

The route also pays tribute to samba, one of Brazil’s most emblematic cultural expressions, honoring Martinho da Vila—a Rio icon of the genre—and Moacyr Luz, whose lyrics and voice have shaped Brazilian popular music.

Other cultural highlights include Tom Jobim’s bossa nova, immortalized in The Girl from Ipanema; the tropicalismo of Dorival Caymmi, whose songs celebrate Bahia’s coastal traditions; and the modernist poetry of Carlos Drummond de Andrade.

As for the flavors, visitors will sample dishes, drinks, and desserts that blend traditional coastal recipes with contemporary culinary influences. Many of these were featured in the annual Sabores da Orla (Flavors of the Boardwalk) competition.

The Embratur Route begins at Mureta do Leme, continues through the Coisas de Bamba and Tropik kiosks in Copacabana, and concludes with Quase Nove and Sel D’Ipanema in Ipanema.

Tourism surge

Embratur hopes the new route will further boost Brazil’s record-setting international tourism numbers. In 2024, the country welcomed 6.8 million foreign visitors, who spent $7.3 billion.

Rio de Janeiro hosted 1.5 million of those visitors, making it the most visited state after São Paulo. Tourism in Rio alone generated $1.3 billion in public revenue.

Brazil is on track to welcome 8.1 million international tourists in 2025, though that figure could be even higher. In just the first half of the year, 5.3 million foreign travelers had already arrived. EFE

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 EFE created this content with support from Embratur.

The president of the Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion (Embratur), Marcelo Freixo, speaks during an interview with EFE on July 31, 2025, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. EFE/André Coelho

Photograph of a dish called Explosão do Leme from the Mureta do Leme kiosk, one of the stops on Sabores da Orla, a route that combines cuisine and culture along the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. EFE/André Coelho

Photograph of the Sandubamba sandwich from the Coisa de Bamba kiosk, one of the stops on the Sabores da Orla route in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. EFE/André Coelho
 

Photograph of a dish from the Mureta do Leme kiosk, one of the stops on the Sabores da Orla route in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. EFE/André Coelho