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Paraty is an easy win with children: warm shallow water, boats that feel like pirate ships, and a car-free town where they can roam ahead of you. A few local tricks make it even easier.
The calm beaches
The bay is naturally sheltered, so most beaches near town have lake-flat water. Our family shortlist:
- Jabaquara — a wide, shallow arc just north of the historic centre. The water stays knee-deep a long way out, the sand is soft, and kiosks handle snacks and água de coco. The default with small kids.
- Pontal — the town beach across the little bridge. Not the prettiest sand on the coast, but calm, close, and perfect for an hour between ice creams.
- Paraty-Mirim — twenty-odd minutes south: a quiet state-park beach with gentle water and a tiny colonial chapel behind it. Pairs with a short boat-taxi ride that children love. More in the quiet beaches guide.
- Cachadaço natural pool (Trindade) — a giant boulder ring enclosing still, clear water. Reached by boat-taxi from Trindade beach, which for most kids is half the fun. The trail alternative is rooty and slippery — take the boat with little ones.
The Tobogã warning
The famous Cachoeira do Tobogã — the natural rock waterslide on the Cunha road — is genuinely fun and genuinely worth seeing. But know this before you go: the smooth rock face is steep and fast, locals surf it standing up because they've done it their whole lives, and clinic visits happen every season when visitors copy them. With kids: watch the show, let confident swimmers slide seated on the gentler lower section if conditions are calm, and keep small children to the shallow pools at the bottom. The nearby Poço do Tarzan swimming hole is deep — its rope swing is for strong swimmers only.
Schooner tips that save the day
The classic bay cruise (full detail in boat days) is wonderful with children, with caveats:
- Sit shaded and central. Claim canopy space early; the middle of the boat moves least.
- Ask for floaties when you board. Every schooner carries noodles and vests, and the crews are relaxed about kids using them at every stop.
- Feed them before the boat. Lunch stops come late (1–2 pm); pack snacks.
- Half-day charters exist. Under-fives often hit a wall at hour four; a private lancha for a morning beats a nine-hour schooner loop.
- Seasickness is rare in the inner bay — it's genuinely calm — but bring tablets for the Ilha Grande crossing if you do it.
Town, with shorter legs
The historic centre works for kids in small doses: the cobbles are ankle-twisters (closed shoes, hold hands at dusk), but horse-cart rides, the little fort with cannons, and ice cream on the square fill an easy half-day. At spring tide the sea creeps up the lowest streets, which children find roughly as exciting as anything else on the trip.
The chalé part
Up the hill, the equation is simple: a pool with the best view on the coast, monkeys and toucans in the canopy below, and evenings where the only schedule is the sunset. One house rule — children at the infinity pool need an adult with them, the same as any pool with an edge and a view.