Within a short distance of the town center are the beaches of Armação (with the Rua das Pedras), Ossos, Canto, Amores and Virgens, with numerous pousadas and small guesthouses. From the first three of these beaches there are boats to the islands of Ancora, Gravatá, Branca, Rasa and Feia. On a low hill at Ossos Beach is the church of Sant'Ana.

Many of Armação dos Búzios' most exclusive shops and top-class restaurants are on Avenida José Bento Ribeiro Dantas, also called Rua das Pedras ("Street of Stones"). All the buildings in the street follow the pattern of the old fishermen's houses - two- or three-storey buildings, painted blue or white, with colonial-style roofs and sash windows.