Things to Do in Southeast Brazil

Whether you’re looking for the surf, the golden sands or to soar in the skies above, visiting Sao Conrado Beach is a highlight of Rio de Janeiro. Here in this affluent, oceanfront neighborhood that’s sometimes called Praia Pepino, visitors will find an eclectic combo of people, many of whom are surfers or paragliders. The juxtaposition of social classes is evident out on the streets—yet everyone seems to equally enjoy the combo of sunshine and surf.

Don’t let the name fool you—Ruins Park, or Parque das Ruinas in Portuguese—isn’t just some abandoned relic of a bygone era. Well, the venue had been the mansion of a well-known Rio socialite, Laurinda Santos Lobo, whose early 20th-century balls were legendary. After her death in 1946, the house fell into disrepair, only to be salvaged by the city government in the 1990s and turned into this increasingly popular exhibition space and live music venue, complete with an al fresco café and one of the best views in the city.

Perched high atop one of the quieter hillsides of Santa Teresa, the restored complex features a beguiling mash-up of 19th- and 20th-century architecture, with an exposed brick façade and colonnaded veranda standing warmly next to Modernist metal and glass accents. During the summer, the outdoor concert series includes local jazz and samba bands, as well as children’s performances that add a decidedly familial air to an otherwise romantic ambiance. Be sure not to miss the marvelous weekend brunch served up with a stunning panorama of the marvelous city.

Sono Beach, nestled on the Atlantic Ocean just south of Paraty, is not your typical coastal destination. Visitors to the somewhat secluded shores of this remote beach need to be up for more than just lazily lounging on sun-kissed sand while sipping frosty tropical drinks. That’s because Sono is accessible only by boat or bus, and travelers who opt for the latter also commit to an hour-long hike through the overgrown rainforest that stands between the main road and the shores of Sono Beach. Visitors rave about the scenic views, which are best from the hilltops where hikers ascend, and travelers love that the shores—and the handful of local restaurants that dot the coast—are never crowded.

Keeping a watchful eye over the people of Rio de Janeiro, the iconic Statue of Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) sits atop Corcovado Mountain at 2,300 feet (700 meters) above the city. Unveiled in 1931 and voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, this impressive monument is often credited as the most iconic site in Brazil.

From the outside, the Sao Bento Monastery and the Church of Nossa Senhora de Montserrat appear to be unassuming and even a bit austere, a nod to 16th century Roman Catholic chastity. Once inside, however, visitors can see how the elaborate nave, filigreed altar, and rococo wooden carvings speak to 16th century Roman Catholic fabulousness. Founded by a group of Benedictine monks—Sao Bento means Saint Benedict—that relocated from Salvador da Bahia in 1590, the current monastery and church complex was constructed by slaves over several decades, and who completed the work in 1671. Several of the sculptors and painters who worked on the intricate details of the church’s interior were monks as well.

Despite the overall architecture of the church and monastery being finished at the end of the 17th century, the monks continued to touch up the interior of the complex, most notably with the addition of enormous silver chandeliers weighing over 200 pounds each. Currently, the church offers guided tours, though only men may enter the monastery, and only at certain times. Conservative attire is required.

Situated at the heart of Zona Sul and all but completely separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the upscale district of Ipanema, Rodrigo de Freitas Lake has been among Rio’s most distinguishing natural landmarks since the city was first established in the 16th century. In the shadow of Corcovado and covering nearly a square mile in surface area, the lagoon lends its name to the adjacent garden district of Lagoa and serves as a recreational area and beauty spot for local residents, with nearly 3 miles of bike and jogging trails, boathouses for rowing, and several exclusive social clubs located along the edge of the lagoon.

Named for a young Portuguese army official who lived in the area in the early 1700s, the history behind the glassy lagoon wasn’t always placid. The first Portuguese settler in the area, Rio governor Antonio Salema, slaughtered the indigenous Temoio Indians with smallpox-infected clothing when he arrived on the scene in 1575 to build a sugar mill. Subsequent conquests have been as recent as the 1960s, when residents of a favela built on a neighboring hillside were forcibly removed and the hill, along with the ramshackle dwellings, was flattened to make way for some of the high-class high-rises that exist today.  

Having reopened in 2010 after an exhaustive $35 million renovation, the stunning Teatro Municipal in downtown Rio de Janeiro looks as well-crafted and intricately designed as a Carnival float. Golden statues on the roof sparkle in the tropical sunshine while stately neoclassical columns buttress the façade. Inside, grand spectator suites and elegant balconies offer superb views of the stage where Sarah Bernhardt, Maria Callas, and Igor Stravinsky once captivated the audiences of the Brazilian capital, and where Brazilian presidents Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, and U.S. president Barack Obama more recently captivated audiences worldwide.

Inspired by the Paris Opera and inaugurated in 1909 as the most expensive theater ever built outside of Europe at the time, the Teatro Municipal hosted international orchestra and ballet performances for its first two decades, featuring French and Italian theater companies almost exclusively. Only in 1931 was Brazilian talent organized into the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theatre Orchestra, which focused on international as well as domestic works, including a grand production of the seminal Brazilian opera O Guarani, a melodramatic love story between a Guarani Indian warrior and the daughter of a wealthy Portuguese landowner in Brazil, based on a novel written in 1854 that was the first mainstream Brazilian work of literature to feature an indigenous protagonist.

Stationed between the electric metropolis of Sau Paulo and the lively city of Rio de Janeiro lies the 260,000 acres of rural forest and mountain peaks that makes up Serra da Bocaina National Park. This precious preserve is home to natural Atlantic Forest vegetation and some of the most diverse flora and fauna in the region.

Ecotourism and outdoor adventure prove the main attractions at Serra da Bocaina, which attracts avid hikers from across the globe. Travelers can embark on a 16-kilometer hike to Bacia Peak and enjoy incredible views of the Paraiba Valley from atop the second tallest mountain in the range.  The slightly shorter, but equally popular, Cliff Trail winds through Enchanted Wood, passing hundreds of different indigenous plants, and ends at the Paredao’s Waterfall, where weary legs can cool off in chilly waters. The Stone House ruins, which were originally built in 1914 to house a visiting French doctor, lend a bit of interest to an otherwise easy trail marked by small river crossings and equally epic views (but without all the work).

Lording over the heart of the city, the immense Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption—abbreviated to Catedral da Sé in reference to its status as the seat of the local Roman Catholic archbishop—almost seems out of place with its mid-century Modernist neighbors. In fact, the current neo-Gothic structure is the third incarnation of the cathedral, the first church having been established in 1589. Designed by German architect Maximilian Hehl in 1912, construction on the current church began the following year, only coming to full completion in 1967, a full 50 years after Hehl himself died and 13 years after the cathedral was inaugurated for São Paulo’s 400th anniversary in 1954.

One of the largest neo-Gothic structures in the world and certainly the largest in Brazil, the cathedral’s massive dimensions include a length of 364 feet, a 98-foot dome, and a height of 301 feet from ground level to the tip of the twin spires. The 12,000-pipe organ is among the largest in South America and the church houses a vast number of religious artworks, including colorful mosaics and stained glass windows depicting biblical scenes. With capacity for 8,000 parishioners, there is plenty of room for the devout and the curious.