Brazilian Real Exchange Ratedestination: Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto is the jewel on the Historical Cities of Minas Gerais crown. It was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site on account of its outstanding Baroque architecture.
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1. HOW TO GET THERE:
By bus.
- from Belo Horizonte: bus company Pássaro Verde runs an hourly bus from Belo Horizonte to Ouro Preto. Schedules and fares available at its website. The trip lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- from Rio de Janeiro: bus company Util travels from Rio de Janeiro to Ouro Preto. Schedules and fares available at its website. It is a night trip that lasts approximately 8 hours.
- from São Paulo: bus company Util also travels from São Paulo to Ouro Preto. The trip takes 12 hours. The company Vale do Ouro also runs the service but has no useful information at its website.
By car. You can reach Ouro Preto from Belo Horizonte, São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. Extreme caution is required as roads in the state of Minas Gerais are notorious for its alarming accident rates.
By plane. There is no airport in Ouro Preto. The nearest airports are Confins and Pampulha in Belo Horizonte.
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2. WHEN TO GO:
It rains quite a lot in Ouro Preto from November to March. Between April and October rainfall is scarce. June, July and August can see the temperatures drop to 10 degrees at night, warm clothing is recommended.
If you are planning to visit Ouro Preto during carnival, Easter, Corpus Christi or the 7th of September bank holiday you should book your accommodation well in advance.
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3. CAREFUL WITH:
The steep streets and its irregular paving. High heels are strongly discouraged. Pay attention to the traffic, it is irritating and outright dangerous to pedestrians. Local food is as delicious as it is caloric.
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4. WE LIKE THE MOST:
The exceptional collection of baroque colonial architecture. Its beautiful crafts. The local food delicacies.
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5. WE LIKE THE LEAST:
The alarming degradation of the cultural heritage. The heavy traffic running through the center of the city.
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6. FAVOURITE PLACES:
The wonderful church of São Francisco de Assis. The fabulous gold-covered interior of the church of Nossa Senhora do Pilar. The view of the city from the hill where the church of Santa Efigênia is built.
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7. PIECE OF ADVICE:
- to be able to enjoy Ouro Preto day and night we recommend you spend at least the one night in the city.
- the neverending series of steep streets make for a very tiring walk around Ouro Preto. Take your time to complete the visit, make sure you stop and rest to enjoy the beautiful architecture you will find along the way.
- you don’t have to go too far away from the main square to find some of the most beautiful churches in Ouro Preto, including church of São Francisco de Assis and church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo. Church of Nossa Senhora do Pilar (unmissable interior) is on the lower part of the city, far away from the rest. If you have your own means of transportation it is worth driving up the hill where the church of Santa Efigênia is found. There is a beautiful view of Ouro Preto from there.
- along with the churches, the fountains (chafarizes) of Ouro Preto are another outstanding treasure. There are eleven of them.
- Ouro Preto is an excellent place if you are after beautiful crafts at excellent prices. The most traditional material used to make crafts is soapstone (pedra-sabão). There is a small and very interesting market right in front of the church of São Francisco de Assis.
- precious stones are another local specialty. There are quite a few shops in and around the main square.
- the center of Ouro Preto is dotted with restaurants where you can taste the local food (comida mineira).
- for those keen on visiting a gold mine, on the old road from Ouro Preto to Mariana you will find the Minas da Passagem, open for visitation. There is a bus from Ouro Preto driving through the front of the mine.
- Mariana is another historic city a few miles away from Ouro Preto. It is a natural extension to any visit to Ouro Preto. You can get to Mariana by bus or take the tourist Ouro Preto – Mariana train, the Trem da Vale (website with schedules and prices). You can purchase a single ticket or a return one.
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8. HEALTH:
No vaccines are needed for Ouro Preto. The rural areas of Minas Gerais recorded recent cases of yellow fever. Though not essential nor required, take the shot if you want some peace of mind (10 facts about yellow fever in Brazil).
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9. ACCOMMODATION:
At our Accommodation in Brazil blog you will find a full list of hotels and pousadas in Ouro Preto.
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10. LINKS:
Ouro Preto.org is the official tourism website. Other websites with information are Ouro Preto e Circuito do Ouro Convention Bureau and Ouro Preto Turismo.
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11. WEATHER FORECAST:
The weather in Ouro Preto for the next ten days
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12. CLIMATE:
Average temperatures and rainfall in Ouro Preto.
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13. GOOGLE MAPS:
Ouro Preto. And our very own map of Ouro Preto.
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14. PHOTO ALBUM:
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RELATED POSTS:
Destination: Historical Cities, Minas Gerais
Map of Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto photo album
Ouro Preto photo album in Flickr
World Heritage Sites
Website on the Cultural World Heritage Sites in Brazil
subscribe to the Brazil Travel Blog by Email
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Twitter
Hello,
Just wondering if it’s possible to hire scooters and honda cbr style motorbikes in lagoa de conceciao and if so do you know how much they cost?
Jay, sorry I missed your latest query. Check out Vivo, Claro and Oi.
r harper, you can hire scooters indeed. I have no direct references of them but check out Locomotos. They are based at the Lagoa and the link I have given you leads to their English website. They should be able to sent you up to date costs. All the best.
What about 600cc bikes is that possible? I seen a video where there was loads of different bikes lined up on the street do they belong to people or for hire?
Thanks
RH
Hi
Loved your blog .. lots of useful information. I also have one about Rio de Janeiro. When you have a chance take a look – whereisriodejaneiro.com. I live in Rio and I love this city. Anything other info you need regarding Rio me let me know.
Great Job !!!
I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you there. My advice would be to contact any of the rental companies.
Monica, thanks for passing by. I’ve unsuccesfully tried to view your blog – using both Firefox and Explorer. I can view the header and the sidebar, but the content appears blank.
Hi all,
I have the opporunity to go to Florianopolis and Camboriu for cheap transportation and hotel. I’m going for 6 days, and I want to know about how much I would spend. We’re going to try to keep it on the cheap, packed lunches and such, but I’m also a splurger. What do you think?
Hi Tony,
Wonder if you could give some handy advice, would be much appreciated.
Me and my gf are staying in florianapolis for 10 days during the carnavale period, but we’re hoping to rent a car and travel around the surrounding area of South-Eastern Brazil for about 5 days. Are there any particular areas or destinations you would reccomend- particularly interested in beaches, nature, cool cities/villages. Bearing in mind that we cant stray too far as we have return flights from Floripa.
Thank you!!!
Aikopora, you don’t mention the dates of your intented travel, which can make a huge difference. But I’d say on a tight budget you’d get away on R$80 a day.
Pavel, the coast of Florianópolis and the continent nearby are really beautiful but during the carnival it will be very crowded with huge traffic jams. I need to tell you this as getting from one place to another is quite simple during the low season, not so much during the holiday periods. In any case, one of the most beautiful beach resorts near Florianópolis is Bombas/Bombinhas (search for it on Google Maps and you will find its location). It is north of Florianópolis on the way to Balneário Camboriú. South of Florianópolis and also within reach is Praia do Rosa (south of Garopaba), another highly recommended beach spot.
Now, if you really wanted to go for something spectacular and really different, you could drive up to Cambará do Sul, your base for visiting the National Park of Aparados da Serra with two awesome canyons. But you would need to spend at least one night there (if not 2) to be able to cover a small portion of the park.
Search here for info: http://aparadosdaserra.net/
And at the bottom of this page for photos: http://www.guiaaparadosdaserra.com.br/16/fotos/
Hope I have given you some interesting ideas. All the best!
hi there
I’m travelling to Enchanted Mountain near Garopaba for a yoga course whic doesn’t start until 3rd Jan, leaving me in the unenviable position of trying to find last min accommodation (budget if poss) either in Florianopolis, Garopaba or Pria da Rosa – or in fact anywhere with availability!
Can you recommend anywhere I can try as so far I’m having no luck at all!
Wow…that national park looks stunning. I think thats definitely worth a visit. Thanks so much Tony, your country is amazing.
Rachel, oh dear, I’m afraid finding accommodation in a top beach destination right at the beginning of the high season is a tall order. You could start by scanning the accommodation listings I have published. As well as the one listed on this blog’s post I’ve got one for Praia do Rosa. Have a look also at the Ibis hotel chain, you never know.
Pavel, that national park is top of my wish list!
Great post, i’m living in Arraial d’Ajuda and the best time to come is in the low season!! New year and carnaval is just overcrowded and more expensive… Best time: march to june!
Hi there,
So I’m trying to book a flight with GOL airlines and they are asking for my CPF and after doing some research I’ve found that its a Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas. But since I’m not Brazilian I dont have a CPF. Does anyone know how to get around this?
Thanks
Lisa
In Broduei is opening a new bar of a friend of mine, it’s called Bar do Andy, it’s located near the middle of Broduei. He’s trying to get some of that old broduei and Arraial d’Ajuda feeling back.
Were all the tourists always go to “the more popular” beaches like Parracho and Pitinga, we locals enjoy more the other side like with beaches like Praia Apaga Fogo, d’Ajuda,dos nativos. Here you will find relaxed beachbars like the bar called Sting with good and different music, far away from the tourist madness!
Rua do Mudugê is also allready changed a lot, fewer bars and more restaurants… seems like Arraial d Ajuda is changing… more condominiums than pousadas or hotels.
It’s just not like it just to be.
Tim
Indeed praia do espelho is beautifull but only with sun and low tide! All the beaches in Arraial d’Ajuda,Trancoso and Caraiva are best to visit with low tide and on a sunny day.
Personnaly i like Arraial d’Ajuda better because there’s more to do and see. Trancoso is beautifull but there’s not a the same amount of options that Arraial d’Ajuda has.
Another beautfull thing in Arraial d’Ajuda is seeing the full moon rise from out the sea!
Eather on the beach or behind the church where you have a beautifull view also during the day!
It’s sad to see that so many beautifull beaches are being polluted by chaotic urban development and environmental crime, this time it’s not the rich and famous who try to build their houses anywhere the want, but still, where is Ibama???
I’ve not seen this yet but need to check it out! Just in case you’re interested, I found a more detailed page with some background resources (photos, information about the artists, tracklistings etc) on the BBC site here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/musictv/brasilbrasil/
Hope that helps!
Cheers, Suzy
Suzy, that is smashing, thanks a lot. I’ve added the link to the main text. All the best!
Lisa, at Gol’s home page, select “other countries” from the menu at the top right of the page and proceed with your booking from there.
So I switched that and now it doesn’t want to accept my VISA card, it keeps giving me 2 different error messages that are you in Portugeuse. Perhaps I should just try calling them!
Lisa, if calling Gol is an option that would definitely be my choice. Purchasing tickets from Gol is a permanent source of headaches for non-residents. In case you didn’t see it, this is Gol’s section on how to pay. All the best!
A bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work.
Indeed. There are plenty of fishing opportunities in the region if that’s what you’re interested in.
Hi Tony,
I was searching for some pictures and information about São Luís – MA because I’m going to spend a week with my mom there, and lucky I’ve found your pictures on flickr and this useful blog. Congratulations for your work.
Because I live in the northeast area, in Paraíba state, I searched for some info here from where I live in your blog but I couldn’t find any.
I hope you have a chance to search and know Paraíba state one day and register the beauty we have here.
Good job.
Sandra, thanks for your kind comments. I haven’t visited Paraíba yet, we have a post on links: João Pessoa but that’s it. I assume you’ve already seen our posts on Lençóis Maranhenses and São Luís. Have a great trip in Maranhão!
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