The Copacabana Palace, a Belmond hotel, is Rio de Janeiro’s most iconic luxury hotel, built in 1923 for the centennial of Brazilian independence and designed to rival grand European seaside hotels like the Carlton in Cannes. Its gleaming white Art Deco facade sits directly across from Copacabana Beach and has hosted celebrities, royalty, and heads of state for over a century.
A second ten-story wing was added in 1940, and the hotel has appeared in classic films including Flying Down to Rio, cementing its status as a symbol of old Rio glamour. It has been part of the Belmond luxury hotel collection since the 1990s, following decades under the Guinle family that originally built it.
Guests typically stay one or more nights, with rooms overlooking either the beach or the hotel’s central pool and gardens; non-guests can also visit for dining at the hotel’s restaurants or afternoon tea, and the beachfront terrace bar is a popular sunset spot even for those not staying overnight.
