Day 01
Historic Rio Centre and Street Art Walk
- We start at Cinelândia Square, the dream of "Time Square," with the beautiful Municipal Theater, the National Library, and the School of Fine Arts.
- Along the street opened at the beginning of the 19th century, we arrive at the 17th-century Santa Luzia Church, a landmark of resistance to significant transformations. We also pass the vast esplanade of the ministries of the former capital. The slope of Misericórdia is a relic of the slope that gave access to the hill where the city began to develop.
- See a panoramic view of Ilha Fiscal, a 19th-century customs post used to control goods imported and exported through the port of Rio, then the capital of the Empire. Conceived as a small "château" in Gothic-Provençal style, it was inspired by the ideas of the French architect Viollet-le-Duc and designed by Adolpho José Del Vecchio, highlighting medieval spires and battlements that adorn the building's silhouette.
- We continue to Praça XV de Novembro, where Queen Maria I of Portugal and her family disembarked. Here, you will see the palace and church where her son Dom João was consecrated King of Portugal, and where his successors Pedro I and Pedro II were consecrated Emperors of Brazil. You will also see the palace and convent of the Carmelites, where a walkway facilitated the queen's movement between the palace, the convent, and the church.
- The narrow 17th-century streets lead us to Casa França-Brasil, the former customs house. We also pass cultural centres and the largest church in the country. Back on the pedestrian boulevard, we continue from the monument of the Olympic flame and the Navy's war zone to Praça Mauá, where the beautiful Museum of Tomorrow harmoniously blends with Guanabara Bay, its islands, and the Rio-Niterói bridge.
- Still on the boulevard, we will appreciate various street art works. We end at the famous Eduardo Kobra Etnias mural, 180 metres wide by 17 metres high, the world's largest mural/graffiti. The magnitude of the work earned it the title of the most prominent graffiti in the world created by a team, according to Guinness World Records.
- Where we end our tour: return along Avenida Rio Branco to the nearest metro station.
