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Brazil Brick by Brick

In this architecture themed tour, uncover most of Brazil's famous buildings from modernism to colonial styled churches. Start in Sao Paulo staying in the Avenida Paulista, the busiest avenue in the city with many activities available. Then follow on to Brasilia, the capital entirely designed by Niemeyer as a futurist and organized city, chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your trip continues in the state of Minas Gerais where you'll discover among others the city of Ouro Preto, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its outstanding Baroque architecture. Next stop: Rio de Janeiro, fabulous city where nature and concrete meet to form the Cidade Maravilhosa. Take a walk in Santa Teresa, the artists neighborhood of the city before stopping in Niteroi, the city on the other side of the Guanabara Bay where Niemeyer left his impressive Contemporary Art Museum in its saucer-shaped modernist structure.

Map

Itinerary

  • Day 1: São Paulo - Avenida Paulista
  • Day 2: São Paulo - Avenida Paulista
  • Day 3: São Paulo - Avenida Paulista
  • Day 4: São Paulo - Brasília
  • Day 5: Brasília
  • Day 6: Brasília - Belo Horizonte
  • Day 7: Belo Horizonte - Inhotim - Ouro Preto
  • Day 8: Ouro Preto
  • Day 9: Ouro Preto - Tiradentes
  • Day 10: Tiradentes - Petrópolis
  • Day 11: Petrópolis - Rio De Janeiro - Santa Teresa
  • Day 12: Rio De Janeiro - Corcovado - Santa Teresa - Sugarloaf Mountain - Santa Teresa
  • Day 13: Rio De Janeiro - Historical Center - Santa Teresa
  • Day 14: Niterói - Rio De Janeiro

TRAVEL BOOK

Day 1: São Paulo - Avenida Paulista

Pick up at the airport and transfer to the hotel.

Night at the Pestana São Paulo hotel (breakfast included).
Luxury room.
Included : transfer arrival, room & breakfast

Day 2: São Paulo - Avenida Paulista

At 09:00am, meet with your English speaking guide who will take you to discover this megalopolis of over 20 million people. Sao Paulo is the economic, cultural and gastronomic capital of Brasil. The visits will be split between Day 2 and Day 3.

Among the site you can visit (you choose and your guide will organize everything) are:
- Avenue Paulista
- MASP (Museu de Arte de São Paulo) / Lina Bo Bardi / 1957-68
- Garden of Banco Safra / Roberto Burle Marx / 1982
- Brazilian sculpture museum (MUBE) / Paulo Mendes da Rocha / 1995
- Ibirapuera Park and architecture / Oscar Niemeyer / 1950-51
- Banespa Building / 1947
- Martinelli Building / 1922-34
- São Bento Monastery / 1860
- Farmer's market / 1933
- Patio do colegio / 1554
- Solar da Marquesa / Late 18th Century
- Sé Square
- Municipal theater / Ramos de Azevedo / 1911
- COPAN Building / Oscar Niemeyer / 1950
- Italia Building / Adolf Franz Heep / 1953
- Luz Square and surroundings
- Luz Station / 1867
- The State's Art Gallery / Ramos de Azevedo / 1900
- The Museum of Sacred Art (Luz Monastery) / 1970
- SESC Pompeia / Lina Bo Bardi / 1977
- The Latin America Memorial / Oscar Niemeyer / 1988-92
- Pacaembu Stadium / Ramos de Azevedo / 1944
- FAU - USP (Architecture and Urbanism University - University of São Paulo) / Villanova Artigas / 1969


Entry pass to museums and sites not included.

Back at the hotel at around 06:00pm.



Night at the Pestana São Paulo hotel (breakfast included).
Luxury room.
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 3: São Paulo - Avenida Paulista

At 09:00am, meet with your English speaking guide who will take you to discover this megalopolis of over 20 million people. Sao Paulo is the economic, cultural and gastronomic capital of Brasil. The visits will be split between Day 2 and Day 3.

Among the site you can visit (you choose and your guide will organize everything) are:
- Avenue Paulista
- MASP (Museu de Arte de São Paulo) / Lina Bo Bardi / 1957-68
- Garden of Banco Safra / Roberto Burle Marx / 1982
- Brazilian sculpture museum (MUBE) / Paulo Mendes da Rocha / 1995
- Ibirapuera Park and architecture / Oscar Niemeyer / 1950-51
- Banespa Building / 1947
- Martinelli Building / 1922-34
- São Bento Monastery / 1860
- Farmer's market / 1933
- Patio do colegio / 1554
- Solar da Marquesa / Late 18th Century
- Sé Square
- Municipal theater / Ramos de Azevedo / 1911
- COPAN Building / Oscar Niemeyer / 1950
- Italia Building / Adolf Franz Heep / 1953
- Luz Square and surroundings
- Luz Station / 1867
- The State's Art Gallery / Ramos de Azevedo / 1900
- The Museum of Sacred Art (Luz Monastery) / 1970
- SESC Pompeia / Lina Bo Bardi / 1977
- The Latin America Memorial / Oscar Niemeyer / 1988-92
- Pacaembu Stadium / Ramos de Azevedo / 1944
- FAU - USP (Architecture and Urbanism University - University of São Paulo) / Villanova Artigas / 1969


Entry pass to museums and sites not included.

Back at the hotel at around 06:00pm.



Night at the Pestana São Paulo hotel (breakfast included).
Luxury room.
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 4: São Paulo - Brasília


Private transport to the airport leaving 3 hours prior to departure. Flight from São Paulo (arrival airport, flight time and number to be confirmed).


Pick up at the airport and transfer to the hotel.



Private visit (3 hours) with a local guide – transport by comfortable minibus. "Candango" is the name given to the thousands Brazilians who flocked (principally from the Nordeste of Brazil) to Brasilia to participate in the enormous work necessary to its construction. Visit of the History and Geography Institute where the true saga of the transfer of the capital to Brasilia is presented. Then visit of the living museum of the Candanga culture, dedicated to the daily life of the pioneers who erected Brasilia. Finally visit of the Palacio de Catetinho, temporary residence of Juscelino Kubitschek, today an interactive museum.

Entrance fees not included.

At the end of the day, return to the hotel.

Night at the Brasília Palace hotel (breakfast included). Standard room.
Included : transfer departure, transfer arrival, reception with english-speaking guide, local guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 5: Brasília

Meet with your local guide at the hotel at 09:00am for a guided visit of the town, to discover the principal touristic sites of the capital:
- the small church of Fátima dating from 1958
- the residential complex of the South
- the History and the Institute of Geography of Brazilia (only Monday mornings)
- the Sanctuary of Dom Bosco (superb stained glasses exhibiting 12 different shades of blue)
- the television tower (a metallic structure of 224 meters in height with a belvedere of 75 meters)
- the Ayrton Senna sport center (one of the best equipped in the country)
- the Buriti palace (seat of the federal government)
- the JK Memorial (in commemoration of President Kubitschek – entrance fee not included – closed on Mondays)
- the army’s headquarters (from outside only), the Cathedral Nossa Senhora Aparecida
- the ministry esplanade (17 identical buildings except the one of the ministry of Justice and of Foreign Affairs)
- the Congress (ensemble of 2 towers in the shape of an H, master piece of Niemeyer)
- the plaza of Three Powers
- the Lucio Costa Space (with a 13 m by 13 m miniature of Brasilia)
- the Alvorada Palace (from outside only)
- the official residence of the Brazilian President and the JK bridge (2003 award winner of the most beautiful bridge in the world – only on Mondays).

Entrance fees not included.

At the end of the day, return to the hotel.

Night at the Brasília Palace hotel (breakfast included). Standard room.
Included : local guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 6: Brasília - Belo Horizonte


Transfer by private vehicle to the airport 2-3 hours prior to departure. Flight from Brasília (flight time and number to be confirmed).
Pick up at the airport and transfer to the hotel.
Panoramic visit of the monuments designed by Niemeyer in Pampulha:
- The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
- Pampulha Art Museum
- Casa del Baile.

4 hour tour.

Night at the hotel Belo Horizonte Plaza (breaksfast included).
Included : transfer departure, transfer arrival, reception with english-speaking guide, english speaking guide, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 7: Belo Horizonte - Inhotim - Ouro Preto

Meet with your guide at 08:00am at the reception of the hotel. You'll then take the road to the south of Belo Horizontem near Brumadinho, to visit Inhotim. Founded in 2005, Inhotim is like "a site that produces knowledge and in which the environment and the art cohabit, making up the starting point for applying sociol-educative means to various fields." In various suburban houses located at the heart of a vast green park, you can enjoy a great collection of contemporary art (paintings, photographs, videos, installations...), as well as the impressive botanical garden (hundreds of different species, some of which are especially rare). Transfer to Ouro Preto at the end of the day.



Night at the Pouso do Chico Rei (breakfast included).
Superior room.
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 8: Ouro Preto

In the morning, a short trip (6km) will take you to the mine of Passagem, halfway on the sinuous road between Ouro Preto and Mariana. Visit of this gigantic old gold mine, preserved nowadays like a testimony of the gold rush which made the area busy during the 18th century. A little cart will take you to a few hundred meters below the ground in the large caverns dug by slaves a few centuries ago.

Nearby, you can also visit an open pit Imperial Topaz mine where dozens of Brazilians are still trying, with hope as their only motivation. You will drive a few more kilometers to reach Mariana. First town established in the Minas Gerais area by the Portuguese after the discovery of the gold and diamond deposits, Mariana, unchanged since the conquistadors, is surrounded with mountains. Mariana will instantly charm you with its particular character, the paved streets, the churches and the peacefulness of its inhabitants.

Town visit: Arquidiocesano museum, churches of Do Carmo and of São Francisco and Cathedral da Sé where you can admire a German organ Arp Schnitger (Hamburg) from 1701. Offered in 1753 by the king of Portugal Dom José 1er for the creation of the diocese of Mariana, it constitutes the only existing model nowadays outside Europe. It is still in use twice a week, during baroque music concerts organized on Fridays at 11:00am and on Sundays at noon.

Return to Ouro Preto, around midday, to finish your visit of town.

Night at the Pouso do Chico Rei (breakfast included).
Superior room.
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 9: Ouro Preto - Tiradentes

With your English-speaking guide go the main auriferous city, São João del Rei. Visit of the church of São Francisco de Assis before going to Tiradentes, 20 minutes away from São João, which you will reach at the end of the day. This small city is certainly the most romantic visit of all the colonial cities of Minas Gerais. The simplest is to let yourself wander freely in the narrow and steep streets, from a shop to a church, a church to a garden, in a definitely baroque setting. The atmospher is tropical due to the opulent fertile mata vegetation which can be found around town, at the base of the cliffs in Serra de Sao José. The "Matriz" church of Antônio de Tiradentes is one of the most beautiful piece of Brazilian baroque art.

Night at the pousada Villa Allegra (breaksfast included).
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 10: Tiradentes - Petrópolis

Departure from Tiradentes at 09:00am, for a 280 km journey through a continental decor of rolling hills filled with history (about 3-hour drive). At almost 1000 meters above sea level, you will discover the favorite holiday destination of the Brazilian Imperial family: Petrópolis. The Imperial museum, the former summer palace, is the most visited site.

You will find there the Scepter and the Crown of the Emperor Don Pedro II, some historical documents (notably the original of the lei Aurea, the decree of abolition of slavery from 1888), jewelry and art pieces which belonged to the Imperial family. You will also visit many colonial mansions and Palaces (home of the baron of Mauá, of Santos Dumont, of princess Isabel, of Stefan Zweig, Amarelo palace, the Presidents Palace), museums, churches (cathedral of São Pedro de Alcântara) and finally the Cristal palace.

Night at the Casablanca Imperial hotel (breakfast included).
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 11: Petrópolis - Rio De Janeiro - Santa Teresa

Start at the time you wish. The road going from Rio down to Petropolis is well worth it. With bridges over wonderful valleys, it meanders between the mountains of the Serra dos Orgaos. It is a one hour journey to arrive to the cidade maravilhosa.

Night at Casa Amarelo hotel. Junior Suite or Chalet.
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 12: Rio De Janeiro - Corcovado - Santa Teresa - Sugarloaf Mountain - Santa Teresa

At 09:00am start a city tour with your English-speaking guide, firstly going up to the Corcovado (el. 700 m.a.s.l.), worldly known symbol of Rio. Once up there, take the time to appreciate the unique and amazing panoramic view of the "cidade maravilhosa" (wonderful city).


Then way back down via Santa Teresa, which used to be one of the wealthiest residential neighborhoods of Rio, when the town was the capital of Brazil and all the principal institutions were located there. Surrounded by the agglomeration, the neighborhood has lost its former character, and the wealth of the area has moved to the Southwest of Rio, to Barra da Tijuca. Santa Teresa now shelters a diverse population in the bohemian quarter of the modern Rio. Walk through this area to get a taste of its quaint and old atmosphere. During the trip to Lapa, visit the colored stairs or "Escadaria do Convento da Santa Teresa", decorated by Jorge Selarón.


Later, take the cable cart to the summit of the Sugarloaf (el. 400 m.a.s.l.), another symbol of Rio which marks the entrance of the Guanabara Bay. Return to the hotel at 05:00pm.


Option: Helicopter flight of a few minutes from the mirador of Sugar Loaf (book on site).


Night at Casa Amarelo hotel. Junior Suite or Chalet.
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, entrance fees, room & breakfast

Day 13: Rio De Janeiro - Historical Center - Santa Teresa

At 09:00am you will meet your English-speaking guide for a private visit of Rio’s city center, from a colossal avenue framed by imposing glass buildings to quaint, small streets and their little affordable shops. Many styles, one spirit, is the best definition to describe the architectural cocktail of the center, where past and modernism coexist in harmony.


Among the possible visits (to be coordinated with the guide depending on opening times, your centers of interest, or eventual manifestations organized that day): Imperial Municipal (replicate of the Opera Garnier in France), foundation Banco do Brasil, casa da França (old custom house), national History museum, largo da Carioca, convento Santo Antônio, metropolitan cathedral, plaza Tiradentes...


Return to the hotel at 05:00pm.


Note 1: Entrance fees in the city center not included.

Note 2: For the visit of the center, avoid Sundays and bank holidays.



Night at Casa Amarelo hotel. Junior Suite or Chalet.
Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Day 14: Niterói - Rio De Janeiro

At 09:00am, your English-speaking guide will meet you at the hotel. After crossing the President Costa e Silva bridge (over 13 km in length) linking Rio to Niteroi, you will start the visit by a walk near the fort, from where you can enjoy a great view of the Guanabara Bay and the Sugarloaf, its colossal guardian.

Visit of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), famous for its original architecture (the work of Oscar Niemeyer, emblematic architect of Brazil since his implication in the construction of Brasilia). Permanent and varied exhibitions, but always… surprising. Finish in beauty with a walk in the Park da Cidade to enjoy the outstanding view of Rio de Janeiro, on the other side of the Bay.

Return to the hotel at 01:00pm.

Note: excursion of 3 to 4 hours best recommended in the morning.

Recommended for lunch: Jurujuba. In this little fishing village, near the fort of Santa Cruz, you will find many typical restaurants. Fish and seafood are of course the specialty.


Transfer to the airport 3 hours prior to departure. Flight from Rio de Janeiro (time and number to be confirmed).


Included : english speaking guide, entrance fees, private transport, transfer departure

Hotel Pestana São Paulo   Avenida Paulista

Level : 3*
Included : room & breakfast

Option : Luxury room - Hotel Pestana São Paulo

Hotel Brasília Palace   Brasília

Level : 3*
Included : room & breakfast

Hotel Belo Horizonte Plaza   Belo Horizonte

Level : 3*
Included : room & breakfast

Pouso do Chico Rei   Ouro Preto

Level : 3*
Included : room & breakfast

Option : Superior room - Pouso do Chico Rei

Pousada Villa Allegra   Tiradentes

Level : 3*
Included : room & breakfast

Hotel Casablanca Imperial   Petrópolis

Level : 3*
Included : room & breakfast

Hotel Casa Amarelo   Santa Teresa

Level : 3*
Included : room & breakfast

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