Look at a street map of Leblon and you'll see three main parallel avenues running along the shore. Delfim Moreira is the beachfront avenue where we'll take our walking tour and this is the view of Leblon and Ipanema we will have at the end.

Traffic on Delfim Moreira runs both ways. We're walking about 11 blocks towards the west. Going east six blocks from our starting point, you would cross Avenida Borges de Medeiros and Avenida Epitácio Pessoa, which divide Leblon and Ipanema.

The first street running parallel with Delfim Moreira is Avenida General San Martin. Traffic on General San Martin runs west, away from Ipanema, where the street is called Rua Prudente de Morais.

The next parallel street is Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva, with one-way traffic running towards Ipanema, where it's called Rua Visconde de Pirajá. Jardim de Alah, a public garden between Borges de Medeiros and Epitácio Pessoa, is the reference for entering Ipanema when you're on Ataulfo de Paiva.

Of the three avenues, Ataulfo de Paiva is the one with the most restaurants and shops. About 15 streets, mainly residential and with plenty of shade, cross the three avenues, creating a grid.

Buses run on the three avenues, connecting Leblon to the greatest Rio attractions.