Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
over from France in parts, which were then put together in Petrópolis, the Palácio was
designed to be used for exhibitions, which it still is. Even when empty though, it's the
town's prettiest building, and extremely photogenic.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
PETRÓPOLIS
By bus
The rodoviária is 10km south of town, connected
by local bus #100 to the municipal bus terminal (via Av
R. Silveira).
Destinations
Belo Horizonte (2 daily; 6hr); Rio (every
40min; 1hr 30min); São Paulo (1 daily; 6hr 30min);
Teresópolis (7 daily; 1hr 30min).
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist o
ce
Praça da Liberdade (daily 8.30am-5.30pm;
T
0800 024 1516). Other branches (same hours) at the
rodoviária
and Palácio de Cristal.
Hiking tours
Town attractions aside, Petrópolis has easy
access to some lovely hiking country - day- and longer hikes
at various scales of di
culty are organized by Serra Trekking
(
T
24 2242 2360,
W
serratrekking.com.br) and Trekking
Petrópolis (
T
24 2235 7607,
W
rioserra.com.br/trekking).
ACCOMMODATION
There are some good
hotels
near the city's historic sights. Most people stay out of the centre, where there are dozens of
attractive
pousadas
, usually with beautiful gardens, but only really practical if you have a car. Prices vary considerably
throughout the year, but discounts of about a third off our quoted rates are usually given for weekday stays.
Hotel Casablanca
Rua da Imperatriz 286
T
24 2242
6662,
W
casablancahotel.com.br.
This once-stylish hotel
next to the
Palácio Imperial
is somewhat institutional in
character. Nevertheless, the pool, central location and
clean, well-a
ppointe
d rooms make this a popular city-
centre choice.
R$242
Pousada 14 Bis
Rua Buenos Aires 192
T
24 2231 0946,
W
www.pousada14bis.com.br.
A lovely, centrally located
pousada
with jolly orange bedrooms (the superior upstairs
ones get more light), a nice garden and a collection of
memora
bilia re
lated to celebrated local aviator Santos
Dumont.
R$180
★
298, Corrêas
T
24 2221 1240,
W
www.pousada
daalcobaca.com.br.
A fairly simple yet extraordinarily
comfortable
pousada
located a few kilometres from the
entrance of the Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos. The
gardens, flowers (inside and out), superb meals (see
opposite) and the owners' warm welcome
make
this the
most delightful of Petrópolis's country inns.
R$385
Pousada Imperial Koeller
Av Koeller 99
T
24 2243
4330,
W
pousadaimperialkoeller.com.br.
A relatively
modest 1875 mansion on one of Petrópolis's grandest
avenues, a short walk from the city's historic sites.
Decorated in period style, the rooms are simple yet
comfortable, with the most attractive facing the avenue.
Pousada da Alcobaça
Rua Dr Agostinho Goulão
HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN PETRÓPOLIS
Other historic buildings in Petrópolis worth checking out include:
Casa Santos Dumont
Rua do Encanto 22.
An 1918
Alpine chalet, former home of a famous local aviator,
containing personal memorabilia; R$5.
Tues-Sun
9.30am-5pm.
Casa do Barão de Mauá
Praça da Confluência 3.
The 1854 home of a baron known for his role in
constructing Brazil's first railway; free.
Mon-Sat
9am-6.30pm, Sun 9am-5pm.
Cervejaria Bohemia
Rua Alfredo Pachá 166.
Brazil's oldest brewery, set up by German immigrants in
1853, stopped production in 1973 and now houses an
exhibition on the history of beer; R$19.50.
Wed-Fri
11am-4.30pm, Sat & Sun 11am-6.30pm.
Palácio Quitandinha
Av Joaquim Rolla 2,
Quitandinha, 5km south of town.
A grand casino (the
biggest in South America), which closed following a
gambling ban just five years after its 1941 construction;
R$6.
Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm.
Casa da Ipiranga
Av Ipiranga 716 (interior
currently closed pending restoration).
Virtually
unchanged since being built in 1884 for a wealthy
coffee merchant; set in a park designed by Emperor
Dom Pedro II's gardener; R$8.
Museu Casa do Colono
Rua Cristóvão Colombo 1034.
A simple house built in 1847, exhibiting possessions and
photos of Petrópolis's nineteenth-century German
immigrants; free.
Tues-Sun 8.30am-4pm.
Casa Stefan Zweig
Rua Gonçalves Dias 34
W
casastefanzweig.org.
Home of an Austrian writer and
refugee who committed suicide here in 1942 with his
young wife, Lotte; the house has an exhibition on refugees
from Nazism in Brazil; free.
Fri-Sun 11am-5pm.
