Rio de Janeiro is full of beautiful spots I have never explored, despite being from here. So on my last birthday, way back in March, I decided to do some exploring and go have breakfast with my family at Fort Copacabana, located at the very end of Copacabana beach, with high expectations of beautiful sights and delicious food. I was not disappointed.
Although the day was quite cloudy, it was still a lovely day. The plan was to have breakfast at Confeitaria Colombo, an extremely traditional must-visit coffee house in Rio de Janeiro. The original location of Confeitaria Colombo is actually located in Rio's city center and is absolutely stunning and full of the most delicious pastries, so I figured such a place with an added view of Copacabana could not go wrong.
Unfortunately, though, once we got to the Fort, the waiting line for Confeitaria Colombo was already huge, with about 20 people listed. Main tourist tip of the post: get there early and not too desperate for food. Even on a cloudy day, it was full, I can only imagine what it's like on a sunny day. Since the Olympics officially start tomorrow, the place will certainly be packed all through August.
Considering we were starving and we became a family of hangries quickly, we decided to go for the other not-so-well-known-but-equally-adorable coffee place located there, Café 18 do Forte. There were only 3 people before us in line. Much better.
To be fair, the fact that it was cloudy made the day even more enjoyable, since Rio can get excessively hot when it's sunny. This way we could pleasantly eat our breakfasts sitting outside, enjoying the view of Copacabana beach, without feeling like we were melting.
Café 18 do Forte was lovely. If you ever visit and Confeitaria Colombo is too packed, don't feel sad if you end up at 18 do Forte. The food was delicious, I ordered a breakfast tray which came loaded with a hot drink, orange juice, pão de queijo, cheese, scrambled eggs, cream cheese and more.
After stuffing our bellies, it was time for the exploring part. The Fort has two main parts to visit, one is the Historical Army Museum and the other is the actual Fort. We went for the Fort. Inside it's possible to see how the Fort was originally used, taking a look at places such as the old soldier rooms, the infirmary and the canyon dome.
Once you go outside, though, comes the best surprise. Visitors can go on top of the Fort, where they get to view Copacabana beach, the Guanabara Bay and all the way down to Pedra do Arpoador. Perfect spot for pictures, meditating and staring in awe at how stunning this city can be.
