To complete the information given at destination: Ouro Preto we are publishing the following map prepared with the help of Google Maps. You will find on the map the location of the most important sights in Ouro Preto (most pinpoints on the map are illustrated with a photograph). The points with the camera icon show viewpoints.

View Ouro Preto on a bigger map

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RELATED POSTS:
destination: Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto photo album

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Just in case anybody needed any powerful arguments to visit Ouro Preto, here’s a handful of photographs from our Flickr Ouro Preto album.

From the top of the hill where the church of Santa Efigênia is located there is a fantastic view of the center of town.

There are many to choose from, but my favourite church in Ouro Preto has to be São Francisco de Assis.

In front of the church of São Francisco de Assis there is an unmissable crafts market.

Conde de Bobadela street is perfect for a stroll, a meal and a some shopping here and there.

The interior of the church of Matriz da Nossa Senhora do Pilar is a must (photography not allowed).

And for those with their own means of transportation, it is well worth going as far as the church of Santa Efigênia.

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destination: Ouro Preto
map of Ouro Preto

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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:

Ouro Preto 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
Destination: Mariana
World Heritage Sites
Website on the Cultural World Heritage Sites in Brazil

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In World Heritage Sites we presented a list of all the heritage sites in Brazil, both cultural and natural. Now I want to introduce a website devoted entirely to the World Cultural Heritage Sites found in Brazil: Mankind’s Cultural Heritage in Brazil. The website is run by the Ministry of Tourism and has a version in English, the one I’m linking to here.

The design of the website is quite pleasant to the eyes although it takes some time to get used to the navigation tools. The page contains plenty of information on the following places:

• Brasilia
• Historical Centre of Salvador
• Historical Centre of Ouro Preto
• Historical Centre of Diamantina
• Historical Centre of São Luís
• Historical Centre of Goiás
• Historical Centre of Olinda
• Serra da Capivara National Park
• Jesuit ruins of São Miguel das Missões
• Santuario do bom Jesus de Matosinhos (Congonhas)

It is an excellent source to find information on the cultural heritage of Brazil. It’s always refreshing to come across an initiative that goes beyond the staple diet of sun and beach. It is an official site, after all.

The site presents a few translation problems and some oddities (Diamantina pictured north of Ouro Preto). Of course, any criticism to the sorry state of preservation of the cultural heritage is conspicuous by its absence.

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[read the 2010 update: 10 must-see places in Brazil]

This is a list of my top 10 favourite places in Brazil. It only includes places I have visited – for that reason you will not find on the list potential jewels such as Ilha Grande. Click on the names of the places to find out more about them.

1. Fernando de Noronha (Pernambuco)

Noronha is where you will find the most beautiful beaches in the whole of Brazil, and crystal-clear waters of unparalleled beauty. A place like no other in Brazil.

2. Paraty (Río de Janeiro)

Atlantic rainforest, desert beaches and the best preserved colonial architecture in the country come together to make of Paraty a very special destination. On top of that, Paraty is close to Rio and São Paulo.

3. Lençóis Maranhenses (Maranhão)

While it’s not easy to get to the Lençóis, the reward more than makes up for the long journey. A unique landscape of dunes and lagoons where mass tourism hasn’t left its mark yet.

4. Jericoacoara (Ceará)

Another destination with a nearly-mythical status among travellers. Captivating sand dunes in a remote setting.

5. Iguazu falls (Paraná and Argentina)

The breathtaking beauty of the falls will captive you the moment you set your eyes on them.

6. Arraial d’Ajuda (Bahia)

Hard to believe you would find a charming place like Arraial d’Ajuda so close to Porto Seguro.

7. Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro)

Rio is a city like no other, not just in Brazil, but throught the world. Its serious problems do not allow for a higher place on the list.

8. Bonito (Mato Grosso do Sul)

In the southernmost point of the Pantanal lies Bonito, a mecca for ecotourism and fun in close contact with nature.

9. Trancoso (Bahia)

Trancoso is near Arraial d’Ajuda and shares with its neighbour a series of wonderful beaches and a relaxed atmosphere.

10. Ouro Preto (Minas Gerais)

In spite of the sorry state of conservation of its World Heritage, Ouro Preto makes it to the top 10 because of the truly mesmerizing historical riches found in its churches.

MyMaps!: mash-up that will allow you to locate of all the places listed above at GoogleMaps!

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The list of World Heritage sites drafted by UNESCO includes 11 Brazilian locations under the Cultural Heritage category and 7 under the Natural Heritage one.

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A. CULTURAL HERITAGE:

1. Brasilia

2. Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia

3. Historic Centre of São Luís do Maranhão

4. Historic Town of Ouro Preto

5. Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas

6. Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina.

7. Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás.

8. Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda.

9. Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes.

10. Serra da Capivara National Park (cave paintings).

11. Praça São Francisco in São Cristovão

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B. NATURAL HERITAGE:

12. Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves.

13. Atlantic Islands: Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves.

14. Central Amazon Conservation Complex.

15. Iguaçu National Park.

16. Pantanal Conservation Area.

17. Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves.

18. Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks.

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Exceptionally, this review covers not just one destination but several of them, in the vicinity of Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais. We are talking about the Cidades Históricas (Historical Cities). The best well-known are Ouro Preto (Unesco World Heritage Site, we have a blog post devoted to it: destination: Ouro Preto), Mariana (we also have a blog post: destination: Mariana), São João del Rei, Tiradentes, Congonhas and Sabará. The other jewel on the crown is Diamantina, far away from the others, which I will not cover here as I haven’t visited it yet.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the outstanding collection of colonial baroque art, the crafts, the food

WE LIKE THE LEAST: the alarming deterioration of the artistic heritage with the utter connivance of the authorities. Unesco have repeteadly expressed their concern with the state of Ouro Preto

HOW TO GET THERE: The Cidades Históricas can only be reached by road. You will need to you use a rented car, the public transport system, or embark on a one-day trip from Belo Horizonte.

CAREFUL WITH: it gets very cold on the mountain region during the Brazilian winter; the “comida mineira” (food from the region), as delicious as it is caloric; the notorious roads in the region, with one of the hightest accident rates for the whole of Brazil

FAVOURITE PLACES: Congonhas, the church of Nossa Senhora de Ó in Sabará, the steam train between Tiradentes and São João del Rei, Tiradentes, Mariana

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• there is plenty to see in Ouro Preto, you will easily fill a day visiting the town; Mariana is nearby, a couple of hours to visit the village will be enough
• São João del Rei and Tiradentes can be visited on the same trip, there is a steam train linking both places

LINKS: Associação das Cidades Históricas de Minas Gerais, Cidades Históricas de Minas, Ouro Preto, São João del Rei, Tiradentes, Conheça Minas pela Internet

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Ouro Preto for the next 10 days

GOOGLE MAPS: Cidades Históricas

PHOTOS: Cidades Históricas

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RELATED POSTS:
destination: Ouro Preto
destination: Mariana

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