I wasn’t too impressed with Fortaleza, the fifth largest city in Brazil. It’s very modern, doesn’t have much to see, but it has beautiful urban beaches. The fact it has beaches doesn’t exactly warrant a visit to this city in the northeast. Also, the humidity was terrible, at least for me. It didn’t bother my friend Mike at all.
The title says it all. It’s not that São Paulo is short on things to see, it’s just that the quality of things to see isn’t that great. I was expecting a whole lot more for a city so big. Granted, I didn’t visit Parque Iberapuera, one of the main attractions, but I don’t think that would’ve swayed me into liking São Paulo. Should you skip São Paulo? No, but don’t spend too much time here. Two days is more than enough to cover everything of note.
While visiting the UNESCO World Heritage city of Paraty, the attraction is the old town itself. There are no must-sees and must-dos. Just walking up and down the cobblestone streets past colorful colonial buildings is enough to satisfy your senses. But watch your step! It’s easy to slip off the stones or get your feet caught between them.
Every May for three days, the UNESCO World Heritage city of Paraty turns into the jazz capital of the world. The Bourbon Festival is an international music festival featuring jazz, blues, R&B, and soul artists from all over the world. All concerts are completely free, and street musicians perform all over town.
As a football fan, I’ve been on a lot of stadium tours, but none have given me chills like I had walking onto the field at Estádio do Maracanã. This historic stadium in football-crazy Rio de Janeiro is the Mecca of football. I’ve been on BETTER stadium tours in more beautiful stadiums, but none in a place as significant as Maracanã.
“Don’t go to a favela, they’re too dangerous”. “Favelas are full of crime and drugs”. “Didn’t you see City of God? The people in the favela will murder you!”
Just outside of Rio de Janeiro city center is the Sambadrome. It’s converted into one of the most important areas of the city for a few days a year.
The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading (Real Gabinete Português de Leitura), one of the most magnificent libraries in the world, is located in Rio de Janeiro’s city center.
Lapa is one of the more interesting neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. While typically known for nightlife, it has a few points of interest, including one of the city’s most visited sights.
Most people come to Rio de Janeiro for the beaches, scenery, and nightlife, but there is plenty to see in the historic city center, including the heart of the city, Largo da Carioca.