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Downtown, Rio de Janeiro

In the avant-garde Metropolitan Cathedral - Rio de Janeiro
In the avant-garde Metropolitan Cathedral
by csordila
Downtown tips and photos posted by real travelers and Rio de Janeiro locals.
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Downtown: Centro
  • Tip Rating:
    • MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on January 30, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by MM212
    • Centro, seen from Pão de Açucar - Rio de Janeiro
    Centro, seen from Pão de
    Açucar
    by MM212, 4 more photos
    Modern skyscrapers mix with colonial and imperial architecture in Centro, the business district of Rio. Centro is also the site of the first settlement of Rio de Janeiro and the old town with its numerous churches. Although much modified in the past century, Centro still preserves a great deal of its original architecture, albeit often left to decay. Tucked between those tower blocks are a few narrow alleys with the original sobrados (old townhouses) that allows the visitor to imagine what Rio must have been like before modernity took over. Rather unfortunate it is that the new aggressively displaced the old, for what is left for us to see are some magnificent Baroque churches and Belle Epoque masterpieces, typical of old Rio de Janeiro. Visitors to Rio rarely make it to Centro as most stay and remain in Copacabana and Ipanema where the beaches are located, but a day or an afternoon touring the centre is essential for a better understanding of the city and its history. Beware of pickpockets though, we were warned, but luckily I saw none.

  • Address: CENTRO
    • Not Helpful 1 2 3 4 5 Very Helpful

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    Downtown: Palácio Tiradentes
  • Tip Rating:
    • Jim_Eliason
  • Updated By Jim_Eliason on January 30, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by Jim_Eliason
    • Palácio Tiradentes - Rio de Janeiro
    Palácio Tiradentes
    by Jim_Eliason
    Former Imperial palace. Now, an exhibition center for travelling art exhibits.

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  • Address: Praça XV de Novembro, 48
  • Phone: 55 21 25334359
  • Directions: Downtown
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    Downtown: Praca 15 de Novembro
  • Tip Rating:
    • Jim_Eliason
  • Updated By Jim_Eliason on January 30, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by Jim_Eliason
    • Statute - Rio de Janeiro
    Statute
    by Jim_Eliason
    Statue of Dom Pedro in the center of the square. This commerates the time when Rio was the capital of the Portuguese empire.

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  • Directions: Centro
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    Downtown: Imperial Palace
  • Tip Rating:
    • Jim_Eliason
  • Updated By Jim_Eliason on January 30, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by Jim_Eliason
    • Imperial Palace - Rio de Janeiro
    Imperial Palace
    by Jim_Eliason
    Once the center of the Portuguese Empire when Napoleon drove the royal family out of Lisbon. This building is now used for temporary art exhibits.

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  • Address: Praca XV
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    Downtown: Arcos da Lapa
    MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on January 25, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by MM212
    • Arcos da Lapa - Rio de Janeiro
    Arcos da Lapa
    by MM212
    Considered an impressive engineering work, the Arcos da Lapa is an aqueduct that once carried fresh water from the Carioca River to the city of Rio de Janeiro. The arched aqueduct was built in 1750 as a replacement to an older water system. It was officially named aqueduto da Carioca, but later gained its popular name from the Lapa neighbourhood through which it runs. When the use of the aqueduct was no longer needed in the late 19th century, a tram was placed over it to carry passengers up to the hill of Santa Teresa, where the source of the river is located. The tram still functions to this day.

  • Address: Lapa, CENTRO
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    Downtown: Arco de Teles
    MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on January 29, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by MM212
    • Arco de Teles - Rio de Janeiro
    Arco de Teles
    by MM212
    Dating from 1757, this stone arch is all that remains from the old senate house which burnt down in 1790. The arch was incorporated into the construction of a later building and leads to the Travessa do Comércio, the much celebrated alley with preserved colonial architecture and many restaurants. Arco de Teles is located on Praça 15 de Novembre, the heart of downtown Rio.

  • Address: Praça 15 de Novembre - CENTRO
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    Downtown: Cinelândia
    MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on February 3, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by MM212
    • Pavement Design in Cinelândia - Rio de Janeiro
    Pavement Design in Cinelândia
    by MM212
    Legacy of a 1930's cinema that is no longer existent, the name Cinelândia refers to both the square and the area where it was located. The square is officially called Praça Marechal Floriano and boasts a collection of beautiful Belle Époque buildings that are a fading reminder of a bygone era, including the Biblioteca Nacional and Museu de Belas Artes. Another notable building is the sumptuous Theatro Municipal, which was unfortunately covered in scaffolding for resoration work during my visit in Dec 2008. Designed to resemble Opéra Garnier in Paris, Teatro Municipal was built in 1908 to become Rio's main opera house. Cinelândia has a distinctive tricolour pavement design with comedy and tragedy masks, a tribute to the opera house dominating the square.

  • Address: Praça Marechal Floriano, CENTRO
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    Downtown: Santo Antônio & São Francisco
    MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on January 26, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by MM212
    • Santo Antônio & São Francisco - Rio de Janeiro
    Santo Antônio & São Francisco
    by MM212
    Located on the hill Morro de Santo Antônio in Centro, the large Franciscan complex consists of Convento de Santo Antônio, its church and the adjacent church of Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco da Penitência (São Francisco da Penitência, for short). The convent is one of Rio's oldest structures, dating from 1609, but with many 18th century additions. The church of São Francisco was begun in 1657 and not inaugurated until 1736. During my visit to downtown Rio, I overlooked São Francisco due to time constraints and because it seemed rather plain on the outside. But as I later discovered, the church of São Francisco has one of the most impressive interiors among colonial churches in Rio and would have been worth the visit. Apparently, it contains more gold than any church in the Americas.

  • Address: Largo da Carioca, 5 - Centro
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    Downtown: Escola de Música
    MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on January 31, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by MM212
    • Escola de Música - Rio de Janeiro
    Escola de Música
    by MM212
    Part of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the Escola de Música was built in 1922 as a music school. The beautiful building was modelled after the concert hall Salle Gaveau in Paris. It is located in the Lapa area in Centro.

  • Address: Rua do Passeio, 98 - Lapa, CENTRO
  • Website: www.musica.ufrj.br
    • Not Helpful 1 2 3 4 5 Very Helpful
    Downtown: Paço Imperial
    MM212
  • Updated By MM212 on January 25, 2009
  • Rio de Janeiro Page by MM212
    • Paço Imperial - Rio de Janeiro
    Paço Imperial
    by MM212
    Paço Imperial was built by the Portuguese in 1743 to serve as the seat of Brazil's viceroys. When Portugal's King Dom João VI was exiled in Brazil in 1808, he turned this colonial building into the royal residence. It evolved into the imperial residence after Brazil gained independence, only to become a post office following the revolution of 1930. The building was restored in the 1980s and transformed into a cultural centre.

  • Address: Praça 15 de Novembro, 48 - CENTRO
  • Website: www.pacoimperial.com.br
    • Not Helpful 1 2 3 4 5 Very Helpful
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