What to Do in Búzios at Night

Búzios is located on the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro, in the Região dos Lagos, alongside Arraial do Cabo and Cabo Frio. The region has beaches with beautifully colored water, plus great hotel and restaurant infrastructure, earning it the nickname “Brazilian Saint-Tropez.”

The town has beautiful beaches in the morning and a charming stone street to stroll in the late afternoon, which will absolutely win you over!

We went to Arraial do Cabo over a holiday, and unfortunately, we got hit with a lot of rain. Because of that, we weren’t able to see or enjoy all the beaches we’d wanted to. So someday we’ll go back to explore the region again.

We only made it to Búzios for a late afternoon, and we happened to catch the Búzios Food Festival. It was an incredible experience, and we’ll tell you all about it!

Restaurants in Búzios

Fun Facts About Búzios

The name “Armação” (for both the beach and the town) comes from a structure used in whale hunting, which took place during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Until January 1964, though, Armação dos Búzios was a fishing village that was part of the municipality of Cabo Frio (it gained independence in 1995).

That’s when everything changed, when the town was visited by the French actress and sex symbol of the era, Brigitte Bardot, who was looking for a peaceful spot to escape the press.

After her visit, the place became internationally known, and unexpectedly, Brigitte Bardot and Búzios became forever linked.

In her honor, the town named its waterfront after her, calling it Orla Bardot, home to a statue of the actress, where everyone stops to take a photo!

Statue of Brigitte Bardot

How to Get to Búzios

Bus

Buses run from both Rio de Janeiro, with several daily departures, and São Paulo, though covering longer distances. The carrier is Viação 1001. Check departure times ahead of time.

From São Paulo to Búzios, there’s only 1 weekly departure, Friday night, averaging around R$200.00.

One option is to stop in Rio de Janeiro and continue from there, which works out cheaper.

From Rio de Janeiro, buses leave from Terminal Novo Rio to Búzios frequently, practically every hour. There’s also an option through Cabo Frio.

Plane

A second option is flying into the capital, Rio de Janeiro, and taking a bus from there to Búzios:

• Galeão Airport has direct buses to Búzios, 5 times a day.
• From Santos Dumont, you’ll need to get to the Terminal Rodoviário Novo Rio.

Or you can rent a car at the airport, which is what we chose, since we planned to use the car to explore the region.

Car

After arriving at Galeão International Airport or Santos Dumont, or from the city of Rio de Janeiro itself, follow BR-101, known locally as Avenida Brasil, then take the Rio-Niterói Bridge, followed by RJ-124, the Via Lagos, until you reach your destination. Along the way, there are two tolls: one at the Rio-Niterói Bridge, and another at km 22 of Via Lagos.

When to Go to Búzios

Summer and holidays are a great time for sun and warmth, but it’s considered peak season, so prices run much higher than usual.

In winter, you might catch no rain at all, and the ocean water runs slightly less cold than usual. Yes, you read that right: the water is less cold, since regardless of season, it’s always chilly there, and the factor behind this is upwelling, which makes the water less cold in winter and colder in summer.

During off-season, you’ll find better prices, both at hotels and even promotions at restaurants.

The town also hosts two important events to draw more visitors during the off-season: the Búzios Food Festival, held in July (though this year it ran in October because of the pandemic), and Wine in Búzios, held in September.

We took part in the food festival and loved it — we’ll share our experience further down!

What to Do in Búzios

Rua das Pedras

The most charming spot in the whole region — a pedestrian-only street, and despite the tricky cobblestones underfoot, it absolutely belongs on your list.

It’s packed with shops selling souvenirs, clothes, and accessories, plus restaurants for every taste.

Buildings here can’t exceed two stories, and nearly all of them still carry the look of an old fishing village.

Rua das Pedras

Orla Bardot

Orla Bardot is a seaside boardwalk, home to the famous bronze statue of Brigitte Bardot, the film actress who made Búzios famous.

Walking along the boardwalk is really pleasant both during the day and at night, though at night it can get crowded, with a line to take a photo at the statue.

Orla Bardot and its restaurants

The beach facing the boardwalk is Praia da Armação, dotted with colorful moored boats, making the scenery even more beautiful!

Praia da Armação

We loved walking the boardwalk and seeing the restaurants along it, which are beautiful and serve excellent food — and because of that, they tend to run a bit pricier, but it’s worth it for the combination of eating at a great restaurant, with good food, in a beautiful setting!

Búzios Food Festival

The Búzios Food Festival goes by the name “Degusta Búzios.” The event is sponsored by the city government, through the Culture and Historic Heritage and Tourism departments, in partnership with the Búzios Commercial and Business Association (ACEB).

Along the streets, you’d find standardized stalls set up in front of your restaurant of choice. Most of the restaurants were on Rua das Pedras, Rua Manoel Turíbio de Farias, Orla Bardot, Praça, and Lagoa dos Ossos.

The event features a wide range of flavors, with renowned chefs taking part. More than 100 bars and restaurants signed up for the event.

Every dish was priced at a flat R$28.00, and dessert at R$22.00.

It ran over the last three weeks of October, one week longer than previous editions, and it was a major success.

Our Experience

We loved it, and tried food from three different restaurants, and we all agreed each one was worth it! The variety of dishes at such a great price is genuinely nice, since it lets you get a taste of several restaurants in a single night.

We tried Estância Don Juan, serving the El Trio Don Juan, a mix of contrafilé, bandeirola, and sausage with egg-and-onion farofa — every cut of meat was delicious.

Bastidores Restobar was, for us, the best of the night, serving filet mignon flambéed in whiskey with two-root purée and crispy Parma ham, winning our vote for best presentation and best dish.

Pátio Michou served confit pork rib, melt-in-your-mouth tender, with a red berry sauce, served with calabresa potatoes with panko and fine herbs. This one we didn’t love quite as much, since we found the berry sauce a bit too sweet. But it was still good!

Degusta Búzios Food Festival, Búzios - RJ

So we think it’s always worth spending an evening in Búzios, and if you can time your visit around this festival, it’s even more worth it, to enjoy the town’s fine dining scene.