On a small hill just outside of the historic town of Paraty sits Fort Perpetual Defender (Forte Defensor Perpétuo), the site of a 19th century fort. The road to the fort is a dirt path that’s a short, pleasant walk through a forest. The walk to the fort provides decent views of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Paraty.
An important square to visit in Rio de Janeiro’s city center is Cinelândia. The official name of the square is Floriano Peixoto Square (Praça Floriano Peixoto), named after a Brazilian soldier and politician who has a monument dedicated to him in the center of the square.
On the south end of Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro is Fort Copacabana (Forte de Copacabana). It’s a working military fort open to visitors.
About a ten minute walk from El Caminito is an icon of La Boca, Estadio Alberto J. Armando, or more commonly known as La Bombonera (The Chocolate Box). This is the home of the Boca Juniors football team whose blue and yellow colors influence a lot of the color schemes in La Boca in Buenos Aires.
The city of Colonia del Sacramento is an old colony founded by the Portuguese in 1680. It changed hands several times, between Spain, Portugal, and Brazil. It has been a part of Uruguay since 1828. Colonia makes for an easy and popular day trip from Buenos Aires by ferry.
Most people come to the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires to explore the cemetery, but the area around the cemetery is a good place to explore as well. Recoleta is one of the wealthiest areas of the city and has many points of interest.
San Telmo is a bohemian area of Buenos Aires. After a yellow fever epidemic in 1871 caused an exodus of the middle and upper class, it became home to the working class and immigrants. Most of the attractions I found in San Telmo are either on or within a block or two of Calle Defensa.
On a rainy day, I started my exploration of the Buenos Aires neighborhood of San Telmo at its southern end. I took the Subte to Constitution Station (Estación Constitución) and walked about six blocks to Parque Lezama. Let me tell you – not the brightest idea. The streets and park were almost completely empty and I encountered a few shady characters along the way.
Retiro is centered around Plaza San Martín, an impeccably landscaped park just to the north of the city center of Buenos Aires. The plaza is a great place to sit and people watch under the shade of tall trees.
North of Palermo is the barrio of Belgrano. It’s famous as a footnote in Argentinian history for being the capital of Argentina for a few weeks in 1880, until Buenos Aires was officially declared the capital. Today, it’s a mainly a residential district with high-rise condos and not much to see.