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• Rio is rocking!

Two songs wrestle for domination in my head as I step into the morning heat to walk the beachfront of Rio’s Zona Sul.

On one mental radio station, Barry Manilow’s anthem Copacabana (admittedly about a New York nightclub, but impossible not to connect with this sun-blessed city); on the other, Astrud and Joao Gilberto’s bossa nova classic Garota De Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema).

But both songs are drowned out by the sound of drums, samba, singing and millions of revellers taking part in the Rio Carnival (February 16 to 21; rio-carnival.net). The seafront that comprises Copacabana and Ipanema beaches is busy at the best of times – beach life is an integral part of Carioca culture. Rich and poor, young and old flood down from their homes at any given opportunity.

I’m on Manilow’s turf first. I meet my guide, Guilherme, at the Windsor Hotel (windsorhoteis. com.br) on Avenida Atlantica, which marks the start of Copacabana Beach. The pavement of the promenade is decorated in Calcada Portuguesa, the Portuguese-style black and white mosaic waves, a tribute to the ocean off Copacabana. It’s not quite as glamorous as its heyday, but this 4km strip of sand continues to heave with sun-seekers.

We follow the avenue west for a short distance, then turn right at Rua Duvivier, where Guilherme points out Beco das Garrafas (Bottles Alley). “It’s empty now except for that strip club,” he says. “But there used to be bars here where musicians started bossa nova in the 1960s.”

On the corner is Bossanova & Companhia (bossanovaecompanhia.com.br), a small music shop selling bossa nova, samba and other Brazilian music. There are books on Brazil’s major players too, including Vinicius de Moraes and Antonio Carlos Jobim who, respectively, wrote the lyrics and music of Garota De Ipanema.

We walk back to Avenida Atlantica, then take another right on to Rua Rodolfo Dantas, next to the gleaming white Copacabana Palace Hotel, where we pass Mud Bug (mudbug.com.br).

Barman Elvaraldo is just opening up. It is empty now, but Guilherme says the bar is always lively at night. “And full of beautiful women,” Elvaraldo winks. He claims to make the best caipirinha (Brazil’s national cocktail of cachaca, cane sugar and lime) in Copacabana.

Back on Avenida Atlantica’s beach side, we’re accompanied by rollerskaters, cyclists and skateboarders. There are stand-up paddle boarders out on the ocean, and skilled young men and women playing futevolei (volleyball using head, chest, feet, but no hands) on the beach.

At the end of Copacabana Beach we take a detour to Forte de Copacabana (fortedecopacabana.com). The legend Si vis pacem para bellum is above the main archway, which Guilherme translates as: “If you want peace, be ready for war.”

The military history is interesting enough, but this is a peaceful place now. From the fort we can see across to the opposite side from Copacabana to Arpoador Beach, which seeps into Ipanema.

To get there, we pass through the Girl from Ipanema park. The outer wall is covered with graffiti, but the park itself is peaceful and cool. On Rua Francisco Otaviano, Guilherme shows me a small arcade of boutiques. This is where locals shop for rollerskates, skateboards, surfboards and beachwear. It also contains a shop dedicated solely to the Ramones (joeyramoneplacerio.com).

“Music and fashion were always the passion,” sang Manilow about Copacabana, but that’s more true of Ipanema Beach and neighbouring Leblon now. The beaches feel younger, livelier, and are filled with beautiful people.

We head towards the twin peaks of Dos Irmaos (Two Brothers) at the end of Leblon Beach, past the swanky Fasano hotel.

Rainbow flags mark out the gay section of the beach around Lifeguard station 9.

We turn right at Rua Vinicius de Moraes and stop by Garota de Ipanema which has the music and lyrics of the song writ large on the white exterior. “Vinicius de Moraes used to hang around here. He saw the girl from Ipanema, Helo Pinheiro, passing by, on her way to and from the beach,” says Guilherme. The bar is now a restaurant.

Next door is another venue called Garota de Ipanema (garotadeipanemashop.com.br), though this boutique has more right to use the title than most. It is owned by Pinheiro. She’s now 64 and living in Sao Paulo, according to the women who run the shop.

Back on the beachfront, we continue towards the Canal Jardim de Ala, which connects Lagoon Rodrigo de Freitas with the Atlantic. It’s taken three hours to get here from Copacabana. The canal marks the end of Ipanema and the start of Leblon, though the change is almost imperceptible.

Here too, there’s the thwack of volleyballs, the crash of the tide and the yelps of people playing in the sand and the sea – the real soundtrack of Rio. – Sunday Independent

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