Unmissable things to see in Brasília
The futuristic city of Brasilia remains one architectural monument to her alone. It takes the title of political and administrative capital of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro in 1960. It becomes one of the most recently built capitals in the world, but also one of the fastest built cities (2000 days), under the visionary leadership of President Juscelino Kubitschek, architect Oscar Niemeyer, urbanist Lucio Costa and landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx.
View of the sky, the design of Brasilia evokes the form of a plane (or colibri) with each of its strategically arranged architectural wonders along the Eixo Monumental (which constitutes the fuselage), and its residential and commercial blocks along its wings deployed. This follows Pilot plan Lucio Costa.
If the city is hard enough to visit on foot, here are the attractions you should not miss on site:
1. The Cathedral of Brasilia
Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida de Brasília – Flickr – Sandy Kemsley
This modern cathedral is impressive: 16 curved columns in concrete weighing 90 tons each make up the structure of the building. The latter is hyperboloid, where robustness and decoration go hand in hand. Architecture looks like other projects Niemeyer , elegant and simple, but differs from religious buildings with its magnificent blue-green glass panels designed by Franco-Brazilian artist Marianne Peretti. The entrance is made by the basement, where four giant statues representing the Evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke (left) and John (right) welcome you.
2. The television tower of Brasilia
View from the tower – Flickr – Carlos Mejía Greene
The observation terrace located 75 m high on the TV tower gives a nice view of the city, especially on the Eixo Monumental where there are many attractions. It is certainly not enough to be able to guess the form of the plane that Brasilia has from the sky, but the entrance is there free .
3. National Congress of Brazil
Flickr – Eduardo Aigner
The Congresso Nacional do Brazil is composed of several buildings, characterized by the Twin towers (the towers of the parliamentary offices), Senate Building dome shape and Chamber of Deputies in the shape of a bowl. The architectural set is located on the main axis of the city (as can be seen from the TV Tower). The twin towers are deliberately shifted to the left to give a little dynamism to this meticulous city plan.
In front of the congress, we find the Place of the Three Powers which contains the judicial power (Federal Supreme Court) on the left, the legislative power in the centre (National Congress) and on the right the executive power (Palais du Planalto).
4. Memorial JK
Flickr – k.del1
The tomb of JK (from President Juscelino Kubitschek) is under these strange but magnificent stained glass designed by French artist Marianne Peretti, inside the JK Memorial . The museum houses a library of 3000 very personal books of the former president and an illustrated history of Brasília. Don't miss JK's 1973 Ford Galaxie just leaving the back door.
5. Le Palácio da Alvorada
Wikimedia – Thum_Fel
Official presidential residence, the Palácio da Alvorada is a building of Niemeyer (again he). It was the first building in the city to be inaugurated in 1958, two years before the very inauguration of the city. His name means « Palais de l’Aurore » , in reference to the description of JK about Brasília as “the new aurora in the history of Brazil”.
The doors are guarded by the elegant Dragões da Independencia (Dragons of Independence), soldiers of a special regiment that dates back to the Independence War.
6. Le Parque Nacional de Brasília
North of the city, Parque Nacional de Brasília which measures 30 km2 is a good place to relax or hike. There are natural swimming pools and the park houses a number of endangered species, including deer, antlers, giant tattoos and crib wolves. The premises go there on weekends. To go, you can take bus 128.1 from the bus station.
7. Santuário Dom Bosco
Flickr – Carlos Mejía Greene
The Sanctuary Dom Bosco consists of 80 concrete columns that support 7500 pieces of Murano glass illuminated symbolizing a starry sky, which cast a blue underwater glow on the benches. The central chandelier weighs 2.5 tons and contains 435 bulbs!
8. Museums (Museu Nacional and Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil)
The Museu Nacional is the work of Oscar Niemeyer. It has a dome shape with an outer ramp giving the effect of a Saturn ring. The museum offers temporary exhibitions and two auditoriums.
The most important contemporary museum in Brasilia ( Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil ) houses fascinating exhibitions in two galleries, as well as an independent cinema, a café and a bookshop. A free bus leaves every 90 minutes from the Eixo Monumental (CBC bus).
Flickr – Felipe Venâncio
Behind this art museum, you can see the Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge to three arches enjoining Lake Paranoá. This is another site not to be missed in Brasilia.
9. Explore the surroundings of Brasilia
The surroundings of Brasilia are not without interest:
cascade d’Itiquira is just over 100 km from the capital. The second largest in Brazil is 168 metres high. The places are protected against development and therefore offer exceptional natural beauty.
Cascade d’Itiquira – Flickr – Marcus Paulo
Pirenópolis : known for its magnificent waterfalls and Portuguese colonial architecture, this small town is located 150 km from Brasilia. Its nightlife and great popular jazz festivals make this city an ideal place to consider a stop for more than a day.
Caldas Novas : Just over two hours' drive from the capital, Caldas Novas is famous for its hot springs. These natural sources have many medicinal qualities. Perfect if you look for this kind of care, but to avoid perhaps in times of big heat.
Stay in Brasilia
As you can see, many tourist sites are on the main axis of the city. Unfortunately, we've had a quick turn. However, Brasilia is very extensive, and it is advisable to rent a car to move here. This is the simplest way to go from one point to another. If this is not in your budget, please public transport.
With regard to accommodation, you should be careful to book your hotel in advance because people working for the government and all those coming to Brasilia for business already occupy a large part of the rooms. Check hotels in Brasilia on our website Compare hotels and feel free to take a look at our article “ In which quarter house in Brasilia? » to enlighten you on the subject. In case you don't find a place or if you prefer to rent an apartment, there are platforms like Airbnb, Wimdu or Bedycasa.
Have you visited Brasilia?
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