Belo Horizonte

5 days / 4 nights, with breakfast.
Airport/ Hotel round trip transfers included.
Tours under request.

Belo Horizonte founded in 1897, was the first Brazilian city to use urban planning.
Brazil’s 3rd largest city, it is the home of 2.5 million inhabitants that contribute to its fast industrial development as the country’s leading export in mineral ore, precious stones, diamonds, nickel and the plant of FIAT automobile manufacture.
Belo Horizonte’s main attraction is the Pampulha residential district that surrounds a lake. Juscelino Kubitschek, mayor of Belo Horizonte (president of Brazil, developed this area in the 50\'s in the 60’s - who built Brasília).
Pampulha holds testimony to the first essays of 3 men who achieved world renown: Oscar Niemeyer, Roberto Burle Marx and Candido Portinari. Oscar Niemeyer, after this project dedicated his time to design Brasília and many other international projects.
Roberto Burle Marx, a landscape artist, has several projects that are known by the public, such as the Copacabana sidewalks made of colored granite stones and Rio de Janeiro’s Flamengo Park as well as several other landscape projects in Europe and private homes.
Candido Portinari, a painter is recognized as one of Brazil’s top artists and his contribution to public buildings, like the former Culture Ministry building in Rio de Janeiro - decorated tile panels at the entrance portico.

7 de Setembro Square
Sete de Setembro Square is the main reference point of the downtown area. The buildings and constructions of the very center of Belo Horizonte have several different architectural styles. Afonso Pena Avenue serves as a showcase of the progression of styles throughout the decades. The Court of Justice at 1420 Afonso Pena Avenue dating 1911 in the neoclassical style, as well as The Music School of the University of Minas Gerais at 1534 Afonso Pena Avenue, decorated with Corinthian columns. The elegant and luxurious Automóvel Clube at 1394 Afonso Pena Avenue was built in the 1920's as meeting point for the elite of Minas Gerais Society. From the 1940's, City Hall of Belo Horizonte, at 1212 Afonso Pena Avenue, has a geometric design with the Art-deco characteristics in its facade. The Acaiaca Building at 867 Afonso Pena Avenue, inaugurated in 1943 in the Art-deco style with Marajoara influence, has 29 floors and is a landmark of the verticalism of the city.

Abílio Barreto Museum
The Museum, an old colonial mansion, built in 1883 is the only remaining building of "Curral Del-Rey" Village. The museum houses has a valuable historical collection of the early days of Belo Horizonte. It exhibits collections of painting, furniture, sculptures, sacred works of art, decorative objects, documents, photographic and iconographic material. The model of the old "Curral Del-Rey" can be seen in this building.

Amendoim Street
Actually, the name of the street is Prof. Otávio Magalhães. This short street in the neighborhood of Mangabeiras and near Pope Square is part of the tourist folklore of the city. No one is really sure how, when or who found out about the curious optical phenomenon that occurs there with the cars going up while in neutral, instead of rolling down the slightly inclined track of asphalt.

Bandeira Square
Re-inaugurated in 1997, as part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Belo Horizonte, the Bandeira Square is an open and contemplative space that houses the Centennial Landmark. On every third Sunday of each month at 10h a.m., there's a ceremony for changing the National Flag .

Boa Viagem Church
The history of Cathedral of Boa Viagem is entwined with the history of Belo Horizonte. In the location, where the church is now, there use to be in XVIII century a small chape, made of wattle, a typical example of the Minas Gerais colonial architecture. The new cathedra,l which construction was only finished in 1932, substituted the old chapel. The Cathedral of Boa Viagem has a neogothic style and stained glass of great beauty and the main altar was worked in Carrara marble. Our Lady of Boa Viagem is the patron saint of the city.

Casa do Baile
The Ballroom House was dedicated in 1943. There was a popular dancing hall there. After the closure of the Casino in 1946, the Ballroom House had the same end when its doors were shut in 1948. The circular building that lies on an artificial island possesses a picturesque 11-meter long bridge and calls the attention for the sinuous shapes of its facade suggesting a quasi continuation of the lake.

Central Market
Open in 1929, it has a prime location in the downtown area. There are over 400 stores that carry everything from groceries of top quality to typical products like the local cheese, sweets and preserves, arts and crafts, medicinal herbs and roots, pet animals, and even lottery tickets. Many people usually stop by the most popular bars to taste the famous appetizers and drink a very cold beer. A mixture of tradition and memory with the aspects of modern life, the Central Marketplace is more than a big fair or supplies center: it's a relaxing and socializing space.

City of Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is a city that charms for its sites with a characteristic architectural style, one of the most beautiful in the country. Parks, squares, gardens, bazaars, museums and picturesque places complete the charm of the city. The diversity of expositions, exhibitions and cultural events that take place in Belo Horizonte can be appreciated in the several cultural centers of the city. All forms of artistic expression find space in this circuit. In downtown it is possible to get acquainted with part of the religious architecture that prevailed at the beginnings of the city foundation. The imponent neo gothic style with the wealth of the images and internal paintings. The history of Belo Horizonte, the value of the local sacred art, the evolution of the telephony, the works from modern and contemporary artists, natural history are some of the options provided by the museums of the city.

Culture Center
This building stands out as the city's only example of the neogothic style of Portuguese inspiration.Built in 1914 in order to house the first legislative assembly of the capital, the Deliberative Body as well as the public library, the has a magnificent internal and external decoration. After it was regarded as of historical interest,it was refurbished and rededicated in 1997 in order to house the Belo Horizonte Cultural Center

Estação Square
An old extension of the railroad was uesed to bring all the material used in the construction of the new capital of the state of Minas Gerais. In 1888, Belo Horizonte received its first public clock on the top of the railroad station tower. The construction of the square started in 1904 and two lions in marble, ordered from the Belgian artist Folini, still stand out in its gardens. Because of the fast growth of the city, a new railroad station was built in neoclassic style, and it was re-opened in 1922. There's also the "Monument to the Land Of Minas Gerais that pays homage to heroes of the independence called "Inconfidência Mineira". The rectangular building next door served as dormitories and offices of the Federal Railroad Network Inc. In the building of the railroad station there is a scale model of a railroad.

Federal University of Minas Gerais
It was created in 1989, in order to integrate university and society. It provides space for the diffusion of the most different cultural expressions. It is installed in the old building of the Engineering School.

Flowers
The Flower and Plant Market has become a unique attraction in the city. You can find different kinds of plants, including the Bonsai's. It has been steadily growing and has now 50 vendors, making it a must. It takes place under huge shady trees that give it a non-urban atmosphere.

Handcraft Fair
Conceived by a group of local artists and art critics, it started in 1969 at the Liberdade Square. Soon after it became a meeting point for different generations and attracted the attention of visitors and tourists because of the richness and diversity of the works displayed.In 1991,when the fair started going beyond the limits of the square it was transferred to Afonso Pena Avenue in 1991. Nowadays, there are around 3,000 vendors divided through 17 sectors.

Liberdade Palace
The Liberdade Palace was open in 1898. The construction reflects the influence of the French style in the local architecture of refined finishing. The iron stairway and the metallic structure were imported from Belgium. The roselike gardens by Paul Villon, the Louis XV style banquet room, the paintings in the noble hall that pays homage to the arts and the great painting by Antônio Parreira altogether standing out.

Liberty Square
The construction of the buildings and gardens of Liberdade Square began by the time of the foundation of the city (1895-1897). The first buildings of State Secretaries were established to hold the Public Administration departments, their buildings comply with the tendency of that time marked by an eclectic style with neoclassic elements. Throughout the years the place gained constructions of different architectonic styles. In the 1940's the Art Deco style with the sandstone external facade of the Cristo Rei Palace; in the 1950's and 60's the modern Niemeyer Building and Public Library were built up. In the 1980's, in a post-modern style, the Center of Tourist Support Tancredo Neves was inaugurated. The square is a meeting point of the city and has a bandstand and fountains.

Mangabeiras Park
Located on the slopes of Serra do Curral, the park was designed by the landscape gardener Burle Marx in 1982. It's one of the largest urban parks of the country with woods that range most part of its 2.3 million square meters. Besides functioning as a research center and environment education open to the entire community, it also has several leisure options. There are three options for hiking in the park: the Water Route, the Woods Route and the Sun Route. Right at the entrance there's multimedia room to orient the visitor about the attractions.

Minascentro
The Minascentro (Minas Gerais Promotion Center - Israel Pinheiro) is the largest convention center of Belo Horizonte. It has a total area of 30,164 square meters, divided into 3 floors with total capacity for 10,000 people. It was built in 1926 to be the Headquarters of the School of Excellence. In 1948, the State Secretary of Health moved to the building. It has a neoclassic style, which has been preserved despite all the restorations it has gone in order to become the convention center.

Mineirão Soccer Stadium
Dedicated in 1965, Mineirão, the second largest covered stadium of the world with a capacity for 130,000 people, has helped to take the state's soccer teams to a place of respect, offering the spectators an adequate space to watch the great show of professional soccer game.

Municipal Park
Settled in the former "Chácara do Sapo" where Aarão Reis, the engineer in charge of the project of the new capital resided,the park was inaugurated in 1897.It was the first leisure and contemplation area of the city. It was inspired upon the French parks of the La Belle Époque, with rosebushes and bandstand. In the midst of the green, there are 50 species of trees and several different leisure options. The space is also used nowadays for ecological education awareness. There are still other attractions in the park, such as the Orchid House, the Francisco Nunes Theater and the Palácio das Artes.

Museum of the Telephone
It was inaugurated in 1978, as part of the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the State Telecommunication Company - Telemig, with the purpose of rescuing, preserving and broadcasting the history of the telephone all over the world, ever since its invention until today, including the latest and most modern technologies used in this field. Pre-scheduled visits for students and adult groups are made in advance.

Palace of the Arts
Built within the area of the Municipal Park, the building was first initially designed by Niemeyer. The final plan was the work of Hélio Ferreira Pinto and it was inaugurated in 1971. The majestic and modern construction houses several spaces, such as: the Grand Gallery, a prime space for the visual arts, and three smaller galleries for artistic exhibitions, literary occasions and associated events. The foyer, the Arlinda Corrêa Lima and Genesco Murta rooms, the Humberto Mauro Movie Theater, and two more show spaces: the Grand Theater and the João Ceschiatti Arena theater. The Minas Gerais Handcraft center also functions in the same building.

Pampulha Musem
The building where the Pampulha Art Museum is was the first project by Oscar Niemeyer. It used to be a casino until gambling was prohibited all over the country in 1946. In 1957 the so-called Crystal Palace became the Museum of Art. Its conceptions were influenced by the principles of Le Corbusier. The landscaping gardens by Burle Marx are homage to tropical vegetation. Three sculptures by Ceschiatti, Zamioski and José Pedrosa decorate the gardens Remodeled in 1996, the Museum of Art now has new multimedia rooms, a library, a cafe bar, a gift shop and whole technical infrastructure in order to store the expressive collection of 1600 works.

Papa Square
What a beautiful horizon" Those were the words said by Pope John Paul II to express what he saw from the heights of the neighborhood of Mangabeiras, during his visit to the city back in 1980. Ever since, the former Israel Pinheiro Square, where he celebrated an open-air mass, has been called the Pope Square. In the center of the square an iron monument was erected in honor of his visit. Nowadays, it is the site of the main religious manifestations and musical events held in the city. The square is surrounded by mountain range named Serra do Curral that was chosen by the people as the symbol of Belo Horizonte. The Mangabeiras Park and Amendoim Street are also part of this tour.
São Francisco Church
A The church of São Francisco de Assis was dedicated in 1943. It has bold lines and shows mosaics on the side of the nave.The Stations of the Cross composed of 14 panels painted by Portinari are considered his most significante work. Burle Marx signs the landscape gardening.

São Jose Church
SÃO JOSÉ CHURCH Inaugurated in 1906, it was the first church of the new capital and soon became the religious meeting point of the society. It was delivered to the Redemptorist priests and was a project of the brothers Gregorio and Werenfrid with paintings by the German immigrant Schumacker.

Savassi Square
The Diogo Vasconcelos Square, widely known as Savassi Square, is located at the neighborhood that is unrestrictedly called the same name because of a famous bakery located there, owned by the Savassi family. In the 1940's, it was a meeting point for politicians and the high society. In time, it became one of the most sophisticated shopping areas in town and more recently a popular spot with the young people because of the great concentration of bars and restaurants.

Souza e Pinto Saw-mill
The Souza Pinto Sawmill was erected in 1912. It was one of the first constructions of the city to use metallic structure and now is a beautiful example of the industrial architecture of the beginning of the century. In 1981 it was made a historical monument by the State Historic and Artistic Patrimony Institute of Minas Gerais - IEPHA, and restored in 1997. Now it has become a space for shows, exhibitions, courses and congresses.

Tom Jobim Fair
It is a place of exhibitions and sale of antiques and small objects, with the attraction of typical foods and drinks from several different regions. In this open-air gastronomic festival you have the choice of international foods as well as typical dishes from Minas Gerais and Brazil. It has become a pleasant spot for the people to meet on Saturdays. There are 85 vendors.

Credits: Belotur Collection