Things to Do in Brazil

The Flamengo district of Rio de Janeiro offers a comfortable, middle class, downtown alternative to trendy beaches and resorts. Far less crowded than Rio hot spots like Copacabana or Ipanema, Flamengo is still located close enough to be a short cab ride away. The neighborhood’s main highlight is Flamengo Park, a grassy section of reclaimed shoreline that faces Guanabara Bay. The water here isn’t safe for swimming, but the walking trails throughout the park are packed with joggers, walkers, and locals in the morning and late afternoon, not to mention that the Flamengo beach offers sweeping views of Guanabara Bay, Sugar Loaf Mountain, and Christ the Redeemer. There’s also a wide selection of local restaurants and steak houses for a leisurely lunch or dinner on the town. A benefit of the neighborhood’s location is that late night venues are a cab ride away if you want to party all night—yet the neighborhood itself is quiet enough if you’d prefer a mellower night.

This Catholic church in the heart of Paraty’s Historic Center is not only the largest in the town—it is also the most popular. Travelers flock to this impressive example of colonial architecture that stretches over an entire block and was built on donated land. Despite it’s beauty, the bell towers and temple of Our Lady of the Remedies remain incomplete. In addition to exploring the chapels, visitors can partake in local festivals during Holy Week and wander the halls of upstairs art galleries year round.

This elegant example of neo-Gothic architecture, easily Brazil's finest, might seem more at home in Medieval France than the rainforests of the New World. But the graceful symphony of peaked arches and delicately rendered 82m (169ft) towers, built between 1928 and 1932, is right here in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Sao Joao Batista, which overlooks the pretty parks and fountains of popular Getúlio Vargas Square, offers a pale pastel interpretation of classic Gothic aesthetics; the interior murals and lovely stained glass seem to invite light and cheer into the imposing structure. It is considered one of the most beautiful cathedrals in South America.

The cathedral is only one of this mid-sized city's attractions. The Autodromo Internacional de Santa Cruz do Sul hosts popular racing events year-round. The crowds multiply in late September, when Santa Cruz, founded in the 1840s by German settlers, begins its outrageous and world-famous Octoberfest celebration.



Photo courtesy of Klaus with a K via Wikimedia Commons

The city of Manaus lies at the confluence of two great rivers, the Solimões and the Black. Although borders on water are typically impossible to see, that is not the case in Manaus. Because of the different colors of the two rivers, it's possible to see precisely where they meet - which is what makes the "Meeting of Waters," or Encontro das Aguas, a checklist must-do for visitors to Manaus.

The Black River, or Rio Negro, gets its name from the color of the water. The Solimões River in Manaus is a sandy brownish color. This means you can see exactly where the two rivers come together. Not only that, each river on its own is a different temperature and run at a different speed, so when they come together the water doesn't just mix to create a muddy soup - instead, the rivers essentially run alongside one another.

The river "borders" are constantly moving and changing as the water flows, but a clear delineation between the two rivers is visible well beyond where they actually meet. In fact, you would need to travel for nearly four miles downstream before you saw the Solimões River and Black River finally starting to blend. When the two rivers do actually come together, they form the Amazon River.

Situated in a sleek, chic modernist house in Santa Teresa, Rio’s bohemian quarter, the Chacara do Ceu Museum houses part of the vast art collection of the late Brazilian industrialist and aesthete, Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya. Over the course of his 74-year lifespan, Castro Maya amassed over 22,000 works of art, a large portion of which is displayed at the museum (the others are showcased at the affiliated Museu do Açude, Castro Maya’s other house).

The Chacara do Ceu itself is a work of art, built amidst lush gardens in 1954 with a 360-degree panoramic view of Rio and the surrounding area. The name of the house and museum means “Country House of the Sky,” and the views of both the city and the artworks are heavenly.

The museum features the works of Brazilian and international painters, sculptors, and engravers--from contemporary artist Candido Portinari to French Impressionist master Henri Matisse. Sadly, a Matisse, a Picasso, a Dalí, and a Monet were stolen from the museum in 2006 and never recovered. Still, the remaining items in the collection more than make up for the lost pieces, and the insanely low admission price ensures that art is accessible to the Brazilian public, to whom Castro Maya bequeathed his collection upon his death in 1968.