Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sete and Savassi, via Praça da Liberdade; Blue 1001: from
Av Afonso Pena (between Rua Espírito Santo and Rua
Tupis) to Praça da Savassi via Praça da Liberdade; Blue
1202: from Av Afonso Pena down Av Amazonas and out to
Pampulha airport; Blue 4001: from Av Afonso Pena to
Praça da Liberdade.
2229 (
T
313291 6111); Localiza at Av Bernardo Monteiro
1567 (
T
31 3247 7956); Locaralpha at Av Santa Rosa 100,
Pampulha (
T
31 3491 3833).
PAMPULHA
Getting to and around the Lagoa da Pampulha can be tricky
without your own transport; it's pleasant enough to walk
along the waterside path, but it's some 19km in all, and
unless it's mid-winter, it's often very hot. Buses and taxis
are unfortunately hard to come by; one possibility is to get
a taxi to the Niemeyer church, then walk back to the tourist
centre (2km) and get them to call another one. Getting to
the Museu de Arte is even trickier - it's a 1hr walk from the
tourist centre.
By bus/minibus
There a handful of useful local bus and
minibus routes around the Lagoa da Pampulha: bus #8550
runs from São Gabriel metro station along the southern
side of the lake to the zoo and back, but on Sundays and
holidays only (8.30am-4.30pm, every 30min; R$2.65); S51
circular minibus (Mon-Fri 5.25am-10pm; $2.65) runs 2-3
times an hour (every 30min Sat & Sun) around most of the
lake; bus #2004 (marked “Bandeirantes/Olhos d'Água”)
from Avenida Afonso Pena, between Avenida Amazonas
and Rua Tupinambás, runs along the south side of the lake.
BY METRO
The one-line city
metrô
(daily 5.15am-11pm; R$1.80/
ride) was built with workers rather than tourists in mind
and serves only to link the industrial suburbs with
the centre.
2
BY TAXI
With distances being short between most points of interest
in the centre, taxi rides (BH Táxi
T
31 3215 8081;
Coopertramo
T
31 3454 5757) are not very expensive; the
meter starts at R$4.10, so figure on up to R$12 for most
rides within the centre.
BY CAR
Car rental
Numerous options at the airports, plus; Hertz
at Av Prof. Magalhães Penido 101, Pampulha (
T
31 3492
1919); Alpina Serviços Automotivos at Rua dos Timbiras
INFORMATION
Tourist o
ces
Mercado Central, Av Augusto de Lima 744
(Mon 9.40am-6pm, Tues 8am-4.20pm, Wed-Sat
8am-6pm, Sun & holidays 8am-1pm
T
31 3277 4691);
Mercado das Flores, Parque Municipal, Av Afonso Pena
1055 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-6.30pm, Sat & Sun 8am-3pm;
T
31 3277 7666); Tancredo Neves (Confins) airport
(Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat & Sun 8am-6pm;
T
31 3689
2557); Pampulha airport (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat
8am-4pm, Sun 1-6pm;
T
31 3246 8015); at a small desk
at the rodoviária, Praça Rio Branco (daily 8am-6pm;
T
31 3277 6907) and at the tourist information centre on
the lake at Av Otacilio Negrao de Lima 855, Pampulha
(Tues-Sun 8am-5pm;
T
31 3277 9987).
Listings
The municipal Belotur organization
(
W
belohorizonte.mg.gov.br) publishes a free monthly
guide, the
Guia Turística
, which contains a good city map.
You'll find it in most hotels and in the tourist o
ces.
ACCOMMODATION
You don't need to stray far from the city centre for
accommodation
, as there are scores of hotels within easy reach of the
rodoviária. There are some good options in the pleasant
Savassi
area, an easy taxi or bus ride (or a 20min walk) from the
centre, and a few in
Funcionários
, midway between the two. For those on a tight budget, there are a couple of decent
youth hostels
to choose from.
Ginga Hostel
Rua Gabriel dos Santos 165, Serra
T
31 3586 6113,
W
gingahostel.com.br.
Fun, chilled out
hostel, outside the centre but easy to reach by city bus; the
bilingual staff are a mine of information, there's a shared
barbecue and the dorms are clean and cosy. Also
offer
s
two co
mfy en
-suite doubles. Free wi-fi. Dorms
R$40
;
doubles
R$90
Ibis Belo Horizonte Liberdade
Av João Pinheiro 602,
Centro
T
31 2111 1500,
W
accorhotels.com.br.
This
e
cient and ever-popular hotel on the edge of Funcionários
is typical of the chain (there are several branches in the city).
Located in an attractive renovated old mansion with a
modern tower building behind, the no-f
rills roo
ms are
small, but each has a shower and all are a/c.
R$160
Lá em Casa Hostel-Pousada
Rua Capitão Procópio
18F, Santa Tereza
T
31 3653 9566,
W
laemcasahostel
.com.
A smart HI-a
liated hostel in BH's bohemian
quarter, a 10min bus ride from the centre and with
numerous traditional
botecos
nearby. Dorms have five beds
and an excellent breakfast is included. Free
wi-fi. Rates fo
r
HI mem
bers are given i
n brackets. Dorms
R$40 (R$32)
;
doubles
R$120 (R$110)
Liberty Palace
Rua Paraíba 1465, Savassi
T
31 3282
0900,
W
libertypalace.com.br.
The most luxurious place
★
