Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Salvador
MINAS GERAIS
N
Brasília
Montes Claros
Itaobim
Araçuaí
GOIÁS
BAHIA
Diamantina
Serro
Curvelo
ESPÍRITO
SANTO
SERRA DO CIPÓ
NATIONAL PARK
Governador
Valadares
Conceição do
Mato Dentro
3
Sete Lagoas
MINAS GERAIS
Belo Horizonte
Sabará
Santa Bárbara
Manhuaçú
Ouro Preto
Mariana
Vitória
Congonhas
Alto do
Caparaó
Manhumirim
Ouro Branco
Tiradentes
São João del Rei
Barbacena
Trés Corações
Cambuquira
Caxambú
São Lourenço
Poços de Caldas
Juiz de Fora
Lambari
Pouso
Alegre
RIO DE JANEIRO
SÃO PAULO
Rio de Janeiro
0
250
kilometres
São Paulo
São Paulo
BELO HORIZONTE
Founded at the beginning of the
eighteenth century by
bandeirantes
in search of gold and gemstones,
BELO HORIZONTE
, capital of Minas
Gerais, nestles between the beautiful hills
of the Serra do Curral. The third-largest
urban area in Brazil may at first appear
daunting and uninspired, but what this
cosmopolitan metropolis lacks in
aesthetics it makes up for in traditional
Minas hospitality, and hidden treasures
like eclectic architecture and European-
style parks will soon have you enchanted.
Thanks to its proximity to the
Cidades
Históricas
, Belo Horizonte also serves as
a good base to explore the region.
foot. Heading south from the
rodoviária
,
walk to Praça Raul Soares and then take
Rua dos Guajajaras for the bustling
Mercado Central
(Mon-Sat 7am-6pm,
Sun 7am-1pm), which has more than
four hundred stalls and restaurants selling
anything from cheeses to bamboo
artefacts and bric-a-brac. Heading east
you reach Avenida Afonso Pena, home
to the striking
Parque Municipal
(Tues-Sun 6am-6pm). Inspired by the
Parisian Belle
Époque parks like the
beautiful gardens of the Palace of
Versailles, its pleasant shaded walkways,
lakes and greenery - including two
thousand species of tree - are especially
busy on Sunday afternoons.
If you are in town on a Sunday
morning, don't miss the
Feira das Artes
(Arts and Crafts Fair) on Avenida Afonso
Pena, the largest open-air fair in Latin
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
For all its size, the centre of Belo
Horizonte is fairly easy to explore on
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