Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 318

Heading up towards the rodoviária ,
on the northern side of the Eixo
Monumental, you'll reach the Te a t ro
Nacional (Mon-Fri 3-5pm). Built in the
form of an Aztec temple, this glass-covered
pyramid allows light into the lobby, where
there are often art exhibitions, while there
are three performance halls inside. Most
productions are in Portuguese but the
venues are also used for classical and
popular music concerts .

planalto . Highlights are the ceramic pots
of the Warao, beautifully adorned with
figures of birds and animals, and vivid,
delicate featherwork. Opening hours here
are sporadic; if the main entrance is shut,
go to the right of the ramp on ground
level and bang on the large metal door for
security to let you in - it's worth it.

Palácio da Alvorada
To complete your Niemeyer tour take
a short taxi or bus ride to the president's
official residence, the Palácio da Alvorada
(guided tours Wed only 3-5pm), about
3km away by the banks of Lake Paranoá
(bus #104 from Platform A at the
rodoviária ). Some consider this building,
with its brilliant-white exterior nestled
behind an emerald-green lawn and
carefully sculpted gardens, to be
Niemeyer's most beautiful - note the
distinctive slender buttresses and
blue-tinted glass. If you go by taxi,
make sure it waits for you.

Torre de Televisão
The landmark TV Tower, the Torre de
Televisão , makes a good place to start
a city exploration, 1km northeast of the
rodoviária (easily reached on foot or
by bus #131). The viewing platform
(Tues-Sun 9am-9pm; R$2) atop the
218m-high tower puts Brasília into
perspective, and there's no better spot
to watch the sunset. On weekends the
base of the tower is popular for its craft
market, the Feira de Artesanato - great
for clothing, souvenirs, and very cheap
street food like tapioca, sugar-cane juice
and pasteis .

3

Santuário Dom Bosco
Brasília attracts cults and New Agers
of all sorts. One of the prime reasons
for this is that in 1883 the canonized
Italian priest Don Bosco , founder of the
Salesians, foresaw the appearance of a
“great civilization” here between “Parallels
15° and 20° South”. Even if the doors of
perception thing isn't for you, the Don
Bosco Sanctuary (easily walkable at W-3
South, Bloco 702; Mon-Sat 7am-7pm),
built to honour him, is worth visiting for
the atmosphere created by brilliant blue
floor-to-ceiling stained glass.

JK Memorial and Memorial dos
Povos Indígenas
For the Juscelino Kubitschek (JK)
Memorial (Tues-Sun 9am-5.45pm;
R$10; T 61 3226 7860), another 1.5km
further out on the Eixo Monumental,
you'll need to take the bus - dozens head
up in this direction. Here, a Soviet-like
statue of Brasília's founder stands inside
a giant question mark, pointing towards
the heart of government. The museum
has many personal mementos and books
of Kubitschek, the extraordinary force
behind much of Brazil's twentieth-
century development, and features a
fascinating display on the construction of
the city. JK himself lies in state in a black
marble sarcophagus, backlit by purple,
violet and orange lights.
Across the road is another trademark
white Niemeyer building, the Memorial
dos Povos Indígenas (Tues-Fri 9am-6pm
and Sat-Sun 9am-5pm; R$2; T 61 3223
3760), which houses a good collection of
Brazilian indigenous art, much of it from
the inhabitants of the surrounding

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Brasília International Airport is about 12km
south of the city. Bus #102 runs from the airport to the
downtown rodoviária , hourly (R$3.80), with the #113
executivo service (every 30min; R$10) following the same
route and also going onwards to the Esplanada dos
Ministérios and the Setor Hoteleiro Norte e Sul (hotel
sectors north and south). A taxi from the airport to the
hotel sector costs around R$50. For the airport it's cheaper
to call Rádio Táxi Brasília ( T 61 3323 3030; 24hr), which
gives a 20 percent discount.
Destinations Belém (4 daily; 5hr 30min); Belo Horizonte (12
daily; 2hr); Campo Grande (3 daily; 3hr); Rio (12 daily; 3hr);
Salvador (4 daily; 4hr); São Paulo (15 daily; 3hr 30min).