Sights in Brazil
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Instituto Moreira Salles
This beautiful cultural center is next to Parque da Cidade and contains an archive of more than 80,000 photographs, many portraying old streets of Rio as well as the urban development of other Brazilian cities over the last two centuries. It also hosts impressive exhibitions, often showcasing the works of some of Brazil's best photographers and artists. Check its website for details of what's on when you're in town.
The gardens, complete with artificial lake and flowing river, were designed by Brazilian landscape architect Burle Marx. There's also a craft shop and a quaint café here that serves lunch or afternoon tea.
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Casa das Onze Janelas
Once the home of a sugar baron, then a military hospital, the Casa das Onze Janelas now houses an excellent art gallery and one of Belém’s finest restaurants, Boteco das Onze. The medium-sized gallery contains a mix of classical and modern artwork, plus a good photography exhibit upstairs. The café in back has a view of the mouth of the Amazon.
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Parque das Aves
This 5-hectare bird park, located 300m from the entrance to Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, is home to 800-plus species of birds, including red ibis, bare-throated bellbird, and flamingos galore. They live in 8m-high aviaries that are constructed right in the forest. Other exhibits are devoted to snakes, butterflies and other species.
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Forte Duque de Caxias
More commonly known as Forte do Leme, this military base is open to the public on weekends, when visitors can access the forested trail skirting up to the top of Morro de Leme. The short but steep trail passes through Atlantic rain forest and by the ruins of an earlier 18th-century fort that stood here. The views from the top are magnificent.
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Money Museum
Numismatists will also be interested in a visit to the money museum in the Banco Central do Brasil opposite Caixa Federal. Cash from around the world is on show, as well as a complete set of Brazilian currency, including a 1,000,000 Cruzeiro note. You’ll need to show your passport to get in – they take no chances.
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Santuário Dom Bosco
Santuário Dom Bosco is made of 80 concrete columns that support 7500 pieces of illuminated Murano glass symbolizing a starry sky, and which cast a blue submarine glow over the pews. The central chandelier weighs 2.5 tonnes and adds an amazing 435 light bulbs’ worth of energy to the monthly electricity bill.
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Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
Reopened in 1989, the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB) is housed in a beautifully restored 1906 building. It's one of Brazil's best cultural centers, with more than 120,000 visitors per month. Facilities include a cinema, two theaters and a permanent display of the evolution of currency in Brazil. CCBB hosts excellent exhibitions that are among the city's best. A recent display of African art garnered international attention.
There is always something going on at the CCBB, from exhibitions, lunchtime and evening concerts, to film screenings, so look at O Globo's entertainment listings before you go. Don't miss this place, even if you only pass through the lobby while…
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Instituto Ricardo Brennand
From Tuesday to Friday afternoons, you can visit the scenic Instituto Ricardo Brennand, Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand's cousin’s museum. This contains a massive collection of European and Brazilian art, swords, armor and historical artifacts in a fake medieval castle on lovely grounds.
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Museu Histórico Abílio Barreto
The free Museu Histórico Abílio Barreto, southwest of Savassi, features a renovated colonial farmhouse, the solitary remnant of Curral del Rey, the rural village destroyed in the 1890s to make room for Belo. There are some fascinating historical photos and other bric-a-brac.
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Jardim Botânico
This exotic 137-hectare garden, with over 8000 plant species, was designed by order of the Prince Regent Dom João (later to become Dom João VI) in 1808. The garden is quiet and serene on weekdays and blossoms with families and music on weekends. Highlights of a visit here include the row of palms (planted when the garden first opened), the Amazonas section, the lake containing the huge Vitória Régia water lilies and the enclosed orquidário, home to 600 species of orchids. Also on-site is the Museu do Meio Ambiente, which opened in 2008 and houses temporary environmentally focused exhibits. English-language tours can be arranged by appointment. A pleasant outdoor café…
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Parque Municipal
One of Belo's most appealing spots is Parque Municipal, an enormous sea of tropical greenery with artificial lakes and winding pathways, just 10 minutes southeast of the bus station along Av Afonso Pena. It's especially fun on Sunday, when everyone's out strolling and socializing.
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Parque Nacional do Iguaçu
You can’t miss the shiny entrance to the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, which houses bathrooms, ATMs, lockers, souvenir shops and vast parking facilities. Once you buy your ticket, you will be directed to board a free double-decker bus.
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Mina do Chico-Rei
Mina do Chico-Rei, or Encardadeira, is an abandoned mine. There’s little to see as you stoop through the low passageways, but it’s the perfect place to meditate on the fascinating story of Chico-Rei.
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Centro
Rio's bustling commercial district, Centro is a blend of high-rise office buildings with remnants of its grand past still present in looming baroque churches, wide plazas and cobblestone streets.
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Praia de Ponta Verde
The most popular and beautiful of the city beaches is Praia de Ponta Verde. Protected by an offshore coral reef, Maceió's ocean waters are calm and a deep emerald color.
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Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
The Igreja de São Francisco de Assis is an architectural delight and the paintings by Portinari are beautiful.
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Cidade Alta
Salvador's Cidade Alta (High City) lives up to its name, being in the elevated part of town, with - depending where you're standing - sweeping views over the bay. Many of the city's main landmarks are located here, including the famous Elevador Lacerda, the Praça Municipal, the Terreiro de Jesus and the charming colonial Pelourinho district. Nowhere else will you experience Salvador's unique vibrancy and alegria to such an inspiring degree.
The Praça Municipal was the political seat of colonial Brazil for more than 200 years. Now it's a fantastic place to have an icecream and enjoy a panoramic view of the bay. The stunning Palácio Rio Branco is here too, as well as the…
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Lago Verde
This huge three-fingered lake is surrounded by forest, and has places to swim, snorkel, and spot birds and animals (including a resident family of monkeys). Tour operators offer enjoyable boat tours; if you go in the afternoon, the tour usually ends at Ponta de Cururú, a good spot to see the sunset and river dolphins. Freelance boatmen on the waterfront do the same for cheaper, but typically don't have the same service or equipment that agencies do.
You can also rent a kayak at the waterfront and explore the lagoon on your own; just be alert to for strong waves and currents. Stingrays are a concern in shallow areas of Ilha do Amor, Lago Verde and in the river. One of…
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Parque do Mindú
Believe it or not, Manaus has its own endemic primate: the tiny Sanguinus bicolor, better known as the pied bare-faced tamarin. The species is critically endangered, with no known groups in the open forest – they seem to have evolved to thrive only in areas of secondary growth – yet notoriously difficult to breed in captivity. The best place to observe this curious and vanishing creature is Parque do Mindú, a 33-hectare park in a residential area of Manaus about 6km from the center. The park has a system of eight intersecting trails, including sections of elevated walkways and an orchid house. Volunteer guides can help visitors locate the tamarins (early morning and…
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Ilha do Campeche
The Ilha do Campeche is like the Ilha de Santa Catarina in miniature - tangled dark green Atlantic forest, secluded coves and great hiking and snorkelling opportunities. Hiring the Vento Sul (South Wind) is the way to get there in style.
Located off the south-eastern coast of the main island is this lush emerald-green islet, a protected ecological reserve. Forests of native logwood (the resource that first brought Europeans here) cover much of the island, while stunning beaches of fine-grained sand, clear, gentle waters and the remains of indigenous civilisation complete the picture. The presence of petroglyphs (carved stones) left by the island's original inhabitants…
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Beaches
In general, the southern beaches are trickier to get to, but they're prettier and have better surf. The northern beaches are more sheltered and closer to the towns.
Going counterclockwise from south of Manguinhos, the first beaches are Geribá and Ferradurinha (Little Horseshoe). These are beautiful beaches with good surf, but the Búzios Beach Club has built condos here. Next on the coast is Ferradura, which is large enough for windsurfing and Lagoinha, a rocky beach with rough water. Praia da Foca and Praia do Forno have colder water than the other beaches. Praia Olho de Boi (Bull's Eye) is the area's only nude beach. It's reached by a little trail from the long, clean…
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Beaches
A good sandy beach, Praia do Cajuiero, faces the Rio Tapajós on the west side of the village. Beaches further afield are best reached in a car, including Pindobal (8km), Cajutuba (16km), Aramanai (26km) and Ponta de Pedras (28km). Tour operators in town also offer day trips that include stopping at isolated no-name beaches along the main channel.
Stingrays are a concern in shallow areas of Ilha do Amor, Lago Verde and in the river. One of their nicknames is 'Wish-You-Were-Dead Fish' if that's any indication of the painfulness of their sting. Fortunately, rays are very skittish and prefer muddy areas over sandy ones, which means they're fairly uncommon in busy areas of…
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Igreja NS do Bonfim
If you've ever wondered where Pelourinho vendors get their fitas (colored ribbons), look no further than the 18th-century Igreja NS do Bonfim. Fitas are a souvenir of the church and have come to symbolize Bahia itself. Bonfim's fame derives from its power to effect miraculous cures, which has transformed it from a rather ordinary church into a popular shrine.
In the Sala dos Milagres (Room of Miracles) on the right side of the church, devotees leave photos, letters and ex votos - wax replicas of body parts representing those that were cured or need curing.
Due to Candomblistas' syncretization of Jesus Christ (Nosso Senhor do Bonfim) with Oxalá, their highest deity, Bonfim…
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Museu Victor Meirelles
Victor Meirelles is not only an important figure in the history of Brazil's art, but in the development of its historical consciousness. His renderings of key moments in Brazilian history, many on display in this small museum, have been highly influential.
Victor Meirelles, acclaimed by some as the leading Brazilian artist of the 19th century, was raised in this modest colonial house on the street that now bears his name. Born into a Florianópolis merchant family in 1832, he studied art in Paris, returning to 'document' Brazilian history in paintings that celebrated the emergence of the nation and seminal moments in its history. In the 1920s and 30s, Brazilian…
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Fernando de Noronha
With its crystalline water, rich marine life and spectacular tropical landscapes, this archipelago is one of the most stunning places in Brazil. Guia Quatro Rodas Praias, Brazil's 'Beach Bible', awards five stars to just four beaches in the whole country - and three of them are right here.
The marine and coastal environment is well preserved, thanks largely to the Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park and conservation projects based here.
Although Noronha used to be the domain of regulated package tours, it's now easy for independent travelers to visit. Give yourself plenty of time because Noronha is addictive. It's a wonderful place for doing things both water-based…
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