Corcovado above the district, Sugarloaf and the bay beyond

Matthias Bethke / CC BY-SA 4.0

Where to stay in Botafogo & Flamengo

The bay side, between the beaches and the centre: Botafogo, Flamengo, Catete, Glória, Laranjeiras and Urca, with Sugarloaf at the end of the last of them. This is where cariocas live rather than visit — a metro line running the whole length, Flamengo's park along the water, and the best-value eating in the city in Botafogo's side streets. The water here is the bay, which is for looking at rather than swimming in.

Price level · Mid-range

Rio de Janeiro

Area scorecard

Scored 0–10 by Where Stay Guide. No overall total: every traveller weights these differently.

Sightseeing: 7.5
Walkability: 7.5
Transport: 9.0
Food: 8.5
Nightlife: 7.5
Quietness: 6.5
Families: 6.5
Value: 8.5
Airport / station: 8.0
First trip: 7.0

Best for

A second visit, or a first one with time in it
Travellers who want the city rather than the postcard
Anyone watching what they spend without leaving the south

Choose elsewhere if

You came to swim
This is three days and the beach is the point
You want the room to be the holiday

Our picks in Botafogo & Flamengo

Best for the metro and the rate

Windsor Florida

Our pick for the bay side because it is on a residential street in Flamengo, minutes from the metro that runs the length of this area and from the park along the water — which is what you come to this side for.