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Cabo Frio
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During the summer months, and especially at weekends,
CABO FRIO
is at a pitch of holiday excitement, generated by the out-of-towners who come here to relax in the fresh sea breezes. The town was founded in the late sixteenth century, but it was only really in the twentieth century that it developed, thanks to the salt and tourist industries. Cabo Frio is built around sand dunes and there are
beaches
everywhere: indeed, this is the only attraction, since the town is both ugly and poorly planned, but it's a relaxed place and the bars are full of happy holiday-makers at night.
The closest beaches to town are the small Praia do Forte , near the centre, with its fort of SA?o Mateus (daily 8am-6pm) built by the French in 1616 for protection against pirates, and the larger, more popular Praia da Barra . The best beaches, though, all lie outside Cabo Frio, a taxi ride or decent walk away on the route to Arraial do Cabo, another small town a few kilometres to the south. Six kilometres north in the direction of BA?zios, near Ogivas, lies Praia do PerA? , a good surfing spot, peaceful and deserted on weekdays, and further on is the small Praia das Conchas , with its sand dunes and clear, calm, blue waters.
On arrival, it's a three-kilometre walk in from the
bus station
to the centre, along Avenida JA?lia Kubitschek. There are excellent bus connections to and from Rio, SA?o Paulo, Belo Horizonte and PetrA?polis as well as up and down the coast. PraA§a Porto Rocha, the location of the telephone office and a branch of Banco do Brasil, marks the centre of town. Alongside the square is one of the town's very few buildings of note, the church of
Nossa Senhora da AssunA§A?o
, built in 1615 by the Jesuits, which has been perfectly preserved. One block west of here, at Largo de Santo AntA?nio 55, is the post office. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Brazil,
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