Rodrigo de Freitas Lake, Rio de Janeiro

Advantages: Calm, peaceful - lively at night - great amount of food stalls
Disadvantages: Sometimes have to face a lot of traffic when you leave

Lagoa De Freitas, as it is usually called, is a really cool place in Rio just to hang-out and chill. It is the Carioca equivalent to Central Park in New York. Getting there can not be easier - just follow any of the main roads from Copacanaba, Leblon or Ipanema. There are plenty of car parks around, which usually cost a flat-rate of R$2, and you can keep the ticket for the whole day, which means you can usually park somewhere else around the lake ...
...the vicinity. During the day you usually find people jogging, running, walking or cycling around the Lagoa, as it is a pleasant location for doing this if you do not want to bump into the tourists and sunbathers at the beach. Not all of the track around the lake is paved or suitable for everyone - however the more northern edges are better. Dotted along the Lagoa you will find many food vendors selling hotdogs, popcorn, coconuts, sweetcorn, sweets, ... Read review