Brazil Travel itinerary

Since there are already articles about these cities, I would like to introduce you to other destinations I visited during my last trip to my home country.

The Federative Republic of Brazil has 27 units (26 states and the Federal District), divided into 5 regions:

• North (7 states);
• Northeast (9 states);
• Central-West (3 states and the Federal District);
• South-East (4 states);
• South (3 states).

These regions were classified according to the socio-cultural and geographical similarities of their states.

During this trip, we passed through cities located in 4 regions:

• São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Ouro Preto, Mariana and Montes Claros (South-East region);
• Recife, Olinda, Porto de Galinhas and Fernando de Noronha (North-East region);
• Manaus (Northern region);
• Curitiba (Southern Region).

Leaving Quebec City in winter is always stressful because of the weather, which can sometimes lead to flight cancellations. Fortunately, we did not have any problem.

Contrary to Air Canada’s bad reputation regarding official languages, for French of course, the crew members spoke six languages on the flight from Toronto to São Paulo, including French and Portuguese.

After the direct flight of about ten hours from Toronto (YYZ) to São Paulo (the airport is located in the city of Guarulhos) (GRU), we took a flight to Recife (REC), in the North-East of the country.

Since we had a few hours wait at the airport in São Paulo, I asked someone from the family to come and meet us. This allowed us to spend time with my family, set up a local SIM card, eat and drop off our four 32kg suitcases in his car, so we could leave with only a backpack.

A few weeks later we met in Belo Horizonte, my home town, as this person was going there for the holidays.

The Boa Viagem area is the best and most affluent in the city, with good dining and accommodation options. The typical cuisine of the North-East region is very rich, so it’s a good opportunity to try new stuff. Many restaurants offer free shuttles, so we don’t have to walk around in the evening, as this is not recommended.

The historical center of Recife is very beautiful, although poorly maintained. Renovations would do it a lot of good. For those who love colonial architecture, this is a great visit. You can discover the historic center by yourself. We went there one day by taxi and another day on a guided tour. Keep an eye on your belongings, especially cell phones and wallets.

We took a lovely catamaran tour where we passed under bridges in Recife (which is called the Brazilian Venice), while the guide explained the history of the area.

We left Recife to spend a few days in the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. On our return, we stayed at the Jangadeiro hotel, located in front of the sea, still at Boa Viagem beach.

This time, we visited two interesting museums:

• Ricardo Brennand Institute: The BRI has the world’s largest collection of the Dutch painter Frans Post, the first landscape painter of the Americas and the first Brazilian landscape painter. It also houses one of the largest collections of swords in the world, with more than 3,000 pieces, including 27 complete medieval armours.
• Oficina Ceramica Francisco Brennand: This is a monumental complex – museum and workshop – with about 2,000 works, including sculptures, murals, panels, paintings, drawings and ceramic objects. The main theme of Francisco Brennand’s work is the origin of life and the eternity of things, with a subtle erotic touch.

Olinda is located a few kilometers from Recife, a bit like Quebec City-Lévis. You can go there by taxi, Uber or guided tour. Some people prefer to stay there, instead of staying in Recife. Olinda is a beautiful city of colonial architecture, located by the sea. Walking through its cobbled streets is like taking a trip back in time.

The Olinda Carnival is very popular, as is the one in Recife.

*As I don’t like big cities, I prefer to visit them when there are no big events.

Porto de Galinhas means “port of chickens”. This beach, located in the municipality of Ipojuca, has been voted the best in Brazil more than 10 times by tourism magazines.

Today, the area attracts millions of tourists annually to visit the beautiful beaches and natural pools formed by the coral reef.

Upon arrival, we booked our dinner, before leaving for a jangada (raft) ride to see the natural pools and swim with the fish, and a buggy tour to visit other beautiful beaches in the area, such as Maracaípe, Muro Alto and Cupe. After the visits, we ate at the restaurant and visited the village shops.

This region deserves more than one day. Next time, I will stay at least a week, to practice la dolce vita, idleness (you can choose the name you want)!

The Sancho beach has been voted several times as the most beautiful in the world by TripAdvisor. This beach is located at the bottom of a cliff and people with reduced mobility cannot access it, as to get there they have to climb down ladders and stairs installed on the rocks. However, for those who stay above, trails to the lookouts are accessible. The alternative to the ladders/staircases would be a boat trip, to see the beach from a distance.

After the lookout forS ancho beach, there is a lookout to see the two rocks in the sea (known as the Two Brothers), which are the symbol of the archipelago. This lookout, designed to view them from the top of the cliff, is often very busy.

Leão Beach (Lion Beach) has been part of the national park network for two years. This is an area where turtles lay their eggs. It is possible to see them, but visits are controlled.

Sueste beach is also part of the national park network. It is a large beach where we could see many animals including rays, turtles, sharks and baby sharks as well as fishing birds. At 4pm everyone has to get out of the water because it is dinner time for the sharks and turtles, and human presence can disturb them.

The beaches of Cachorro (Dog Beach) and Conceição are linked by a path.

Other beaches, such as Boldró, Americano, Bode, Cacimba do Padre, Atalaia, are also worth visiting and can be reached by different paths. Some of these trails can only be accessed if a booking was made in advance, sometimes several days beforehand.

At the public beach of the port of Santo Antônio, people can bathe for free and that where the boat excursions leave from.

We went on an excursion to admire the most famous places on the island: the rocks of the Two Brothers, the mount of the Peak, several beaches, a pierced rock and many others. We stopped for a swim, where we saw the Sancho beach and the Two Brothers from a distance. For several minutes, our boat was followed by dolphins that seemed to have fun following us.

• Path to see the Sancho Beach and the rocks of the Two Brothers

• Pointe d’Air France: at the tip of the island, the inner sea (towards Brazil) and the outer sea (towards Africa) meet. This is a historic area where the French settled in the 1920s to support the air force. It is not a swimming area as it is very dangerous. You can see the secondary islands, including that of São José, which houses the only fortification located outside the main island: the Fort of São José do Morro.

• Capela de São Pedro dos Pescadores (Chapel of Saint Peter the Fisherman). Small and simple, this chapel is isolated on top of a hill with a large cross next to it and close to the beach of Pointe d’Air France. It was built around 1930 when the French occupied the island as an air force support point. The chapel could not have been named in honour of anyone else but the patron saint of the fishermen who lived from tourism in the waters near the archipelago. This chapel often hosts wedding ceremonies and photo shoots, one of which we were able to observe.

• Fort of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (Fort of Our Lady of Remedies). Asserting a dominant position on the bay of Santo Antônio, it was the main defence structure of the island and the archipelago.

• Fort of Boldró. On top of a hill, it offers a beautiful view of the beach of Boldró and the Two Brothers.

• The fabulous Amazonas Theatre: built with materials from Europe and Brazil, it is the postcard of Manaus and one of the most important theatres in the country .
• We had the opportunity to take a guided tour and also the chance to get tickets for a samba show.
• The church of São Sebastião
• São Sebastião Square and the Monument to the opening of the Amazonas ports to world trade
• The former courthouse, now a cultural center
• Eduardo Ribeiro Museum-House
• Dom Bosco School
• Dom Pedro II Square
• The Palace of Liberty (Museum of the city of Manaus)
• The Rio Branco Palace
• The Metropolitan Cathedral of Manaus Our Lady of Conception and the XV November Square
• The town clock
• The old customs building
• The Port of Manaus
• The Adolpho Lisboa Municipal Market (where we ate some typical dishes)
• The Provincial Palace
• The Amazonense Dom Pedro II School

We used Uber to get to the Mercure Hotel to enjoy the pool a bit before dinner and the show at the Amazonas Theatre. The next day we took a boat trip to see and do several interesting things:

• see the new 4 km Phelippe Daou (or simply Negro River bridge) bridge linking Manaus to communities that previously depended on boats;
• see botos (pink freshwater dolphins) roaming in the Negro River;
• visit the Dessana tribe (we saw their dance, the sacred fire, and we tasted the roasted ants. At the end, I encouraged them by buying some handicrafts);
• dinner at the floating restaurant Reine de la Jungle;
• climb a platform in the Janauari National Park to see monkeys and Vitórias-Regias (Giant Water Lilies);
• see the incredible view of where rivers Negro and Solimões meet. The waters of these rivers do not mix because of their different temperatures, densities and speeds, which makes the trip interesting. However, the meeting of the two rivers can be seen much more clearly from the air.

In the evening we went to the Manauara shopping center to eat at the famous Cachaçaria do Dedé.

This part of the trip was only done to visit some of my family, so I’ll leave it here only for the chronology.

After seeing some of my family in the city of Montes Claros, in the north of the state of Minas Gerais, we flew to my home city, Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state.

As we had already visited this city before, we dedicated these few days to family and friends.

• The Pampulha lake complex
• The Mineirão soccer stadium
• São Francisco de Assis Church
• The Savassi and Santa Teresa districts (Belo Horizonte is considered the bar capital of the country)
• The Mangabeiras district’s lookout, which offers a magnificent view of the city
• The Pope’s square (where Pope John Paul II celebrated a mass in 1980)
• The Liberty Square
• The old government palace and the former ministries (all of which have moved near the international airport, 45 km from the city centre) The old buildings, in neoclassical style, which now house museums
• The Central Market

The Inhotim Institute (60 km from Belo Horizonte, in the town of Brumadinho)

The Inhotim Institute has one of the most important collections of contemporary art in Brazil and is considered the largest open-air museum in the world. It occupies an area of about 1000 hectares, of which about 10% is open to the public.

This institute is a beautiful mixture of park, botanical garden and museum. It has a research center, restaurants, shops and a hotel.

The historical colonial cities of Congonhas, Mariana and Ouro Preto (100 km from Belo Horizonte).

I like Ouro Preto so much that I decided to go there again (I don’t remember how many times I went there).

We drove with friends to Ouro Preto, and this time we added to our visit the nearby town of Mariana, where I had never been. Once in Ouro Preto, we took the tourist train that runs the 18 km between the two cities for an hour.

This old railway, built in 1883, has been revitalized by acompany called Vale. The trip on the little train is very interesting. We spent part of the day in Mariana before taking the train back to Ouro Preto for the rest of the day.

• Mariana

The city of Mariana, founded in 1696, is the oldest in the state of Minas Gerais. This was a time when the area attracted many gold miners. The city’s economy is primarily mining, which accounts for 80% of its gross domestic product. It is part of the iron-ore quadrilateral, which accounts for 60% of Brazil’s iron ore production. The region is also rich in precious stones and metals.

With its numerous baroque buildings, it is also a tourist city which is part of the Royal Route (Estrada Real), a tourist route linking places that were important during the gold rush.

Mariana was the first capital of the state, before being replaced by Ouro Preto.

• The train station of Mariana
• The old town hall
• The old prison
• The church of Saint Francis of Assisi
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
• The pillory (post where slaves were tied and whipped in the public square)
• Gomes Freire Square
• The São Francisco Fountain

• Ouro Preto

The beautiful city of Ouro Preto (then called Vila Rica) was founded in 1711, following the discovery by pioneers of gold in the rivers of Minas Gerais in the late 17th century. Several gold seekers, followed by merchants, came there to make their fortune. This city quickly became prosperous and very important.

Around 1750, it had more inhabitants than the cities of Rio de Janeiro or New York. Its wealth allowed it to build a multitude of baroque churches, many of which were decorated by the architect-sculptor “Aleijadinho”, nicknamed “the little cripple” because he was disabled. His work is magnificent and deserves to be admired. Ouro Preto is without a doubt the most famous and important colonial city in Brazil.

It was the first historical city in the country to be protected by UNESCO and the second capital of the state, before being replaced by Belo Horizonte.
Built on several hills with steep slopes and cobblestone streets, it is highly recommended to have good shoes to make the visit more enjoyable.

• The train station
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
• The municipal theatre
• The Museum of the Conjuration (Inconfidência) – former prison
• The pillory (also the place where the head of Tiradentes, the martyr of independence, was exposed)
• Tiradentes Square

We visited fewer places in Ouro Preto since we had already visited it. However, there is much to discover in this picturesque and mysterious historic city.

This city has 18 churches, 12 museums, the municipal theatre, the university, the public library, the train station, the soapstone handicraft market, old mines, several hotels and restaurants as well as many other sites. It is possible to stay a few days in these cities because there are so many things to see. Sometimes certain areas are blocked off and inaccessible for an inside visit.

Despite the tragic past linked to slavery and Portuguese domination, the historical cities of Minas Gerais, especially Ouro Preto, have contributed to literature, science and especially to the movements towards Brazilian independence.

• Congonhas

Congonhas is about 80 km from Belo Horizonte. Its main attraction is the Sanctuary of the Good Jesus of Matosinhos, which was created in the eighteenth century by Aleijadinho and is considered one of the greatest Baroque works in the world. The UNESCO-protected shrine includes a church, stairs, a terrace, twelve soapstone sculptures of Old Testament prophets and seven chapels.

Other historical cities worth visiting in the state of Minas Gerais are Tiradentes, São João Del Rey and Diamantina.

The airport of Belo Horizonte is located about 45 km from the city centre, in the town of Confins. Once at the airport, it only takes an hour to fly from Belo Horizonte to São Paulo’s Congonhas airport, which is much closer than Guarulhos. We stayed a few days in São Paulo to see the family since we had already visited the city.

For more travel ideas, you can read Caroline’s article.

However, I recommend you to visit:

• the center the city
• the Municipal Theatre
• the observatory of the Altino Arantes building (Farol Santander)
• the cathedral of the Sé
• the São Paulo Museum (MASP)
• Paulista Avenue (São Paulo State)
• the Vila Madalena district
• the Beco do Batman (Batman’s alley) (see the graffiti)
• the Japanese district of Liberdade
• the Eataly branch
• the resort of La Luz
• the São Paulo Pinacoteca
• Ibirapuera Park
• 25 de Março Street (March 25), to see the madness of a popular shopping street
• the Mercado Municipal (municipal market), to eat a big pastel

• Visit the beaches of Santos, São Vicente or Guarujá
• Riding the cable car in São Vicente (small chairs, I was afraid! hahaha!)

As São Paulo is a large, densely populated city with a lot of traffic (more than 9,000,000 cars, motorcycles, buses and trucks), travel time can be greatly affected.

Before returning to Quebec, we decided to spend a few days in another city and our choice was Curitiba, an hour’s flight from São Paulo. It is the capital of the state of Paraná, the Ecological Capital of Brazil and the largest city in the southern region.

The southern region is known for its cold climate and its population of European origin. For example, in Curitiba, there are residents of Ukrainian, Italian, Polish and German origin. The city is known worldwide for its green projects and for the creation of the Bus Rapid Transit system in the 1970s, which has inspired many cities around the world.

To visit the city on foot, we chose a hotel near the city centre. To visit the other attractions, all you had to do was buy a ticket for the Linha Turismo double-decker bus, which passes by all the city’s attractions. It is possible to disembark everywhere on the route and get back on the bus back 5 times (not enough, in my opinion, but hey… When attractions were close, we walked or used Uber services to take the bus back a bit further).

• The Botanical Garden (with its glass greenhouse and several examples of Araucárias, the Brazilian pines)
• Rua das Flores (Flowers Street)
• Downtown
• The Passeio Público park
• The Arab Memorial
• The town hall
• The Polish Gateway
• The John Paul II Woodland and the Polish Immigration Memorial
• Curitiba is the second largest Polish diaspora in the world, after Chicago. Polish immigrants began arriving in 1871.
• The Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON or Museum of the Eye)
• The Bosque alemão (German Woodland), the Hansel and Gretel trail and the Philosophers’ Tower
• German immigrants began arriving between 1828 and 1833.
• The Ópera de Arame (Wire Opera), a magnificent cultural space
• Tanguá Park
• The Ukrainian Memorial – Tingui Park
• Ukrainian immigrants began arriving in 1895.
• The Italian Gateway
• The Santa Felicidade district (Italian quarter)
• Italian immigrants began arriving in 1878.
• The restaurant Novo Madalosso. Inaugurated in 1970, it offers 4,645 seats on a surface of 7,671 square meters. These figures made possible its inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest restaurant in the Americas. It has free parking for 900 cars, and employs 70 cooks and 160 servers. In this restaurant, we pay for the food per person and the waiters keep serving us, until we ask for the bill.
• The Durigan vineyard
• The parish of São José and Santa Felicidade
• The historic district – Garibaldi Palace
• Garibaldi square and the flower clock
• The Fountain of Memory and the Drooling Horse
• The church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Saint Benedict
• The first independent presbyterian church in Curitiba
• The Hoffmann house
• Largo da Ordem (square in the center)
• The church of the Third Order of Saint Francis of Chagas
• The minor basilica cathedral of Our Lady of Light
• Tiradentes Square
• The XV de Novembro street (XV November)
• Generoso Marques Square
• The Freedom Palace – cultural center
• Avenida Palace – Bradesco Theatre
• The 24-hour street
• Hard Rock Cafe Curitiba
• The Batel district and the Patio Batel shopping center
• The Paiol Theatre
• The Oi Panoramic Tower
• The ruins of São Francisco
• The Municipal Market
• The railway museum and the Estação shopping center (train station)
• The Guaíra Theatre
• The Federal University of Paraná (UFPR)

Not all of these places are essential for a visit to the city. However, as we had tickets for two days with the Linha Turismo bus, these are the places we visited, some of them more than once.

If you are lucky, you will see a capybara (capivara) in one of the parks. It is the largest rodent in the world, weighing up to 91 kg and measuring up to 1.2 m in length and 60 cm in height. It looks like a giant guinea pig and is the town’s mascot.