Things to do in Brasília
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Memorial JK
The tomb of JK (President Juscelino Kubitschek) lies underneath eerily beautiful stained glass by French artist Marianne Peretti inside the Memorial JK. The museum houses JK’s 3000-book-strong personal library as well as a pictorial history of Brasília. Don’t miss his 1973 Ford Galaxie just outside the back door.
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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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Quitinete
This chic deli-restaurant-bakery serves exquisite desserts (try the tartellete de limão; lemon tart) and the best coffee in the city (roasted in-house). Delivery available.
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Lagash
A mix of Moroccan, Lebanese and Syrian cuisine earns this sparsely decorated restaurant top Middle Eastern food in town year after year. Anything with lamb is delightful.
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Praça dos Trés Poderes
Down in the cockpit, you'll find the most interesting buildings surrounding the Praça dos Trés Poderes. It's a synthesis of the ideas of architects Niemeyer and Costa, combining various monuments, museums and federal buildings. The space includes striking sculptures including Bruno Giorgi's Os Candangos, Alfredo Ceschiatti's A Justiça and Niemeyer's O Pombal.
If you're lucky enough to visit on the first Sunday of the month, the military pulls out all stops for the ceremonial changing of Brasília's tallest and largest flag, a 286-sq-m banner on a flagpole conceived by Sergio Bernardes, the only edifice in the square not designed by Niemeyer.
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Templo da Boa Vontade
The Templo da Boa Vontade was created by the Legion of Goodwill in 1989 as a symbol of universal solidarity. It incorporates seven pyramids, joined to form a cone that is topped with the biggest raw crystal you will ever see (it weighs in at 21kg). To view it, you must take off your shoes and walk along the spiraling inner circle via the black path. You must return on the white path (do not screw this up). It’s all a bit dizzying. There is also an interesting Egyptian room for meditation (R$2) that will make you feel like King Tut (of course, they take all of this very seriously, so let’s keep these jokes between us). Get there on bus 105 or 107 from the city bus station.…
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Congresso Nacional
Featuring the photogenic ‘dishes’ and twin towers, the congress building, Congresso Nacional, is one of the more interesting buildings on the inside as well. In addition to the color-coded chambers of the Senate (blue) and House of Representatives (green) – so ’60s gauche – there is an architecturally interesting ‘Tunnel of Time’ and an exhibit of antique Senate benches and microphones from 1867. The convex dome on the roof of the House of Representatives is supposed to signify that membership is open to all ideologies.
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Palácio do Planalto
The president's office, the Palácio do Planalto, is another Niemeyer design that's worth seeing, both inside and out. From the curved lines of the exterior to the lustrous columns and sweeping curved ramp inside, it's one of the best examples of architectural Modernism in the world. On the tour, which is only available on Sundays, you can even peek into the President's office.
There is a ceremonial changing of the guards outside the gates every hour on weekends and every two hours during the week.
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Cidade Ecléctica
About 63km west of Brasília, near the town of Santo Antônio do Descoberto (Goiás), is the Cidade Ecléctica. Founded in 1956 by Yokanam, who was once an airline pilot, the group’s aim is to unify all religions on the planet through fraternity and equality. You’re welcome to attend its ceremonies, but there are strict dress regulations. Women cannot wear long pants (skirts only) and men cannot wear shorts. If you’re not dressed suitably, you’ll be given a special tunic to wear.
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Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
Brasília’s most important contemporary museum, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil is in a giant building in the South Sports Club Sector. It houses fascinating exhibitions in two galleries, an indie cinema, a café and a bookstore. The monthly cultural program is posted online at twitter.com/CCBB_DF (in Portuguese). There is a free bus every 90 minutes (from 11am to 11pm) that runs along the Eixo Monumental (look for the painted bus that says CCBB).
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Parque Nacional de Brasília
In the northern reaches of the city limits, the 30-sq-km Parque Nacional de Brasília is a good place to relax. It has natural swimming pools and is home to a number of threatened animals, including deer, anteaters, giant armadillos and maned wolves. The park is very popular on weekends and there’s a visitors’ center where you can get information. Bus 128.1 from the city bus station goes past the front gate.
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Catedral Metropolitana
With its 16 curved columns and its wavy stained-glass interior, the Catedral Metropolitana is heavenly viewing. At the entrance are the haunting Four Disciples statues carved by Ceschiatti, who also made the aluminum angels hanging inside. Visitors who bemoaned the number of broken stained-glass panels will be glad to hear that they were undergoing a thorough repair at the time of research.
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Palácio do Itamaraty
Palácio do Itamaraty is home to the Foreign Ministry and one of the most impressive buildings – a series of arches towering over a reflecting pool and floating gardens landscaped by Burle Marx. Outside, the Bruno Giorgi sculpture Meteor consists of five marble blocks, each representing a continent. Call in advance to schedule your tour of the interior.
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Bar Beirute
This Brasília institution has a massive outdoor patio packed with an edgier crowd than most spots. It’s a GLS point – the clever Brazilian acronym for gays, lesbians and sympathetics – but it’s really a free-for-all. There’s no better spot for a cold Antarctica – except maybe the South Pole! You can get Middle Eastern food here as well (dishes R$5 to R$24).
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O Paraíba
Indigenous art lines the walls at this upscale tapiocaria where quesadilla-like dishes are made from tapioca, a specialty of the Northeast. Try the signature dish, queijo coahlo (cured white cheese) and carne de sol (salted and grilled meat with beans, rice and vegetables) served with homemade butter from the countryside.
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Arena Futebol Clube
It’s well worth the taxi fare to the Setor de Clubes Esportivos Sul, southwest of Praça dos Trés Poderes, for this live-music mecca that takes over the football (soccer) club on weekends. Daughters of ministers and politicos sweat out to hip-shaking forró (popular Northeastern music), samba and samba-funk. The best we’ve seen outside Rio.
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ZUU a.Z.d.Z
The city’s hottest contemporary table honors the slow food tradition in an exotic atmosphere that highlights fresh produce from Amazonas and Pará. Chef Mara Alcamim, who trained in New York and Italy, is Brasília’s chef du moment. Her grilled shrimp in apricot chutney, served alongside Brie risotto, is cause for genuflecting.
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Bar Brasília
In the same vein as the classic bars from Rio and São Paulo, complete with a hardwood bar relocated from a pharmacy in 1928, and antique tiled floors. It’s great for draft beer, but note that staff will keep bringing you beer whether you ask them to or not. Don’t be afraid to tell them to stop. You can buy dishes (R$20 to R$35) here.
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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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Mormaii Surf Bar
Locals park themselves on the outdoor lakeside patio every afternoon for tasty sandwiches and the house specialt, açaí na tigela, a refreshing sorbetlike meal of blended palmberries, guaraná syrup, bananas and honey. On weekends, the waterfront location (located in the Pontão) attracts a roaring nightlife crowd as well.
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Museu dos Povos Indígenas
In a Niemeyer building inspired by the circular form of the indigenous Yanomani hut, is the Museu dos Povos Indígenas, a small but colorful display of indigenous artifacts put together by anthropologists Darcy and Berta Ribeiro and Eduardo Galvão. A sandy central courtyard is still used for tribal rituals.
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Bar Brahma Brasília
The capital’s newest hot spot in the former location of the historic Bar Monumental. As Brahma’s plan for world domination of the beer market chugs along nicely, Bar Brahma Brasília is the first step towards a nationwide chain of bars promoting the brand. Live music most nights; check the website for upcoming events.
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Bar do Calaf
Though technically a Spanish restaurant, the food is an afterthought to the wildly mixed crowd, all of whom rate the excellent live samba, pagode (popular samba) and choro (improvised samba) over the paella. Monday is the biggest draw for samba-funk. Located in the Ed Empire Center office complex.
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Caixa Federal
In the lobby of the Caixa Federal is a small museum of financial bits and pieces, ranging from old lottery tickets through to wooden safes. The exhibits themselves are of only passing interest, but the gorgeous stained-glass murals, each one representing a Brazilian state, make it worth the visit.
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Pizza à Bessa
The rodízio (all-you-can-eat) option here is implausibly cheap and the best way to try some inventive ingredients like pureed pumpkin, broccoli, and an outrageous dessert pizza with a huge scoop of ice cream. The queijo coalho and rapadura (dried sugarcane juice) pizza is a masterpiece.
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