“The Emperor´s Cities”. Rio de Janeiro / Paraty / Petropolis. 6 nights/ 7 days

“THE EMPEROR’S CITIES”.
Rio de Janeiro, Paraty and Petropolis
Tour 2024
6 nights/ 7 days
Valid from 01/06 to 20/12/2024

A historical-cultural program that seeks to show and tell the history of the cities that were scenarios of the Brazilian Royal family, especially in the period of the Brazilian Empire under the command of Dom Pedro II, the last emperor of Brazil. We will tell a part of the history of Rio de Janeiro as the capital of the Empire of Brazil and all its colonial wealth of the second capital of the country. We will continue to Paraty, a charming port city of great importance as a departure point for the Brazilian riches on their way to Portugal and other European ports. Here we have the possibility to see the city and its colonial houses, its irregular streets and the charm of the balconies that are witnesses of 400 years of history. We end the program in the romantic summer city of the Emperor, Petropolis, the “City of Pedro”. A visit to the Imperial Palace, today transformed into a museum where we can witness the last moments of the imperial family in Brazil before the proclamation of the Republic. We will also visit the wonderful Gothic Cathedral, the House of Princess Isabel, the Quitandinha Palace and the house of the father of aviation, Santos Dumont.

Includes:
– 3 nights with breakfast in Rio de Janeiro.
– 2 nights with breakfast in Paraty.
– 1 night with breakfast in Petropolis.
– Arrival transfer in Rio de Janeiro.
– Historical City Tour in Rio with visit to the Catete Palace (half day tour).
– Tour of Baroque Churches and Monasteries (half day tour).
– Colonial Art Tour with visit to the National Historical Museum and Royal Portuguese Cabinet (half day tour).
– Transfer Rio de Janeiro/ Paraty.
– Tour “Paraty By Night” ( 1:30hs tour ).
– Historical City Tour in Paraty with visit to the Perpetual Help Fort ( 2hs tour ).
– Transfer Paraty/ Petropolis.
– City Tour in Petropolis ( 6 hours tour ).
– Bilingual guide (English or Spanish).

Net rates per person

*** does not apply during Brazilian holidays or event periods.

Hoteles 5*: 
Rio de Janeiro: Miramar by Windsor / Paraty: Posada do Sandi / Petropolis: Solar de Imperio.
Single USD 2.275,00
Doble USD 1.490,00 por persona

Hoteles 4*:
Rio de Janeiro: Pestana Rio Atlantica / Paraty: Posada da Marquesa / Petropolis: Grand Hotel Petropolis
Single USD 1.940,00
Doble USD 1.290,00 por persona

Itinerary:

Day 1: RIO DE JANEIRO
Arrival in the city of Rio de Janeiro, reception at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Lodging and rest of the day at leisure.

Day 2: RIO DE JANEIRO
Breakfast and departure for the historical City Tour through downtown Rio with a visit to the Catete Palace.

A tour designed to get to know the historical heritage and culture of Rio de Janeiro. The tour goes through downtown Rio highlighting the buildings, neighborhoods, squares and places that were part of the history of this city from its beginnings as a Portuguese colony until it became the capital of Brazil. The tour includes the wonderful Nova Friburgo Palace, currently Catete Palace, which was built between 1858 and 1867 by a wealthy merchant and coffee plantation owner Antonio Clemente Pinto, Baron of Nova Friburgo, and is now considered a monument of extreme historical, architectural and artistic richness. Built in the city of Rio when it was still the Imperial Capital, this palace became the symbol of the economic power of the slave-owning coffee-producing elite of Brazil during the eighties. With the death of its owners, this unique palace inspired by the Florentine palaces became the residence of the President of the Republic where 18 presidents passed until the capital was transferred to Brasilia in 1960, year in which the palace became the Museum of the Republic. The architectural and artistic richness of the Palace is truly incredible with its rooms decorated in different styles, imitating the great European palaces, both in their construction materials and in their furnishings, ornaments, decorations and furniture that lead the visitor to compare this palace with the rooms of Versailles.
The Palace has 3 floors full of rooms and ante rooms, meeting rooms, banquet and party rooms that show the richness and sophistication of Imperial Brazil. The visit is completed with a brief walk through the gardens of the Palace with its imperial palms, native Brazilian species in the middle of nurseries and artificial lakes.

Day 3: RIO DE JANEIRO
Breakfast and departure for the Baroque Churches and Monastery Tour.

A walk through downtown Rio de Janeiro to see the city’s baroque and rococo heritage embodied in 4 churches and a monastery. The churches of downtown Rio de Janeiro (21 English churches in total) show the incredible religious-cultural heritage of the carioca capital. In this tour we have selected 2 churches from the baroque period and two from the rococo period along with one of the most beautiful baroque monasteries in Brazil.
We will visit the first Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Antiga Se. Then the baroque Church of São José, the rococo style Church of Santa Cruz dos Militares, and next to it the charming Church of Nossa Senhora Senhora dos Mercaderes. Finally, we will arrive at the impressive Church of Our Lady of Candelaria. Then we will go to the Benedictine Monastery where we will see one of the best and most beautiful examples of Brazilian Baroque with its impressive interiors entirely decorated in this architectural style. Return to the hotel and free afternoon.

Day 4: RIO DE JANEIRO /PARATY
Breakfast and tour of Colonial Art in Rio with visit to the National Historical Museum and the Royal Portuguese Cabinet.

We start the visit at the National Historical Museum.
In its 9,000 m² of space open to the public, the National Historical Museum has rooms for temporary and long-term exhibitions, a souvenir store and publications, as well as a library specialized in Brazilian History, Art History, Museology and Fashion; the Historical Archive, with important handwritten documents, watercolors, illustrations and photographs, including copies of Juan Gutierrez, Augusto Malta and Marc Ferrez; and the Institutional Archive, in charge of preserving the institutional memory. Today, the National Historical Museum occupies the entire Calabouço architectural complex and has become one of the most important history museums in the country. With a collection of more than 300,000 archival, bibliographic and museological pieces, it is a federal institution for the production and dissemination of knowledge.

Then we continue with a visit to the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura or as it was known: “Cathedral of the Portuguese Culture”. For its prestige in the intellectual circles, for the architectural beauty of its headquarters, for the importance of its bibliographic collection and for the activities it develops, the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura is, in all senses, a remarkable institution that greatly dignifies Portugal in Brazil. On May 14, 1837, a group of 43 Portuguese emigrants from Rio de Janeiro – and it should be emphasized that this was only 15 years after the country’s independence – met at the home of Dr. António José Coelho Lousada, on the former Rua Direita (now Rua Primeiro de Março), No. 20, and decided to create a library to broaden the knowledge of its members and give the Portuguese living in the then capital of the Empire the opportunity to enlighten their minds. The “Real Gabinete Português de Leitura” has the largest and most valuable library of works by Portuguese authors outside Portugal, with a fully computerized collection of some 350,000 volumes.

Check out in Rio de Janeiro and transfer to the city of Paraty. Arrival in Paraty, accommodation and departure for the historical tour Paraty by night.

After sunset Paraty is even more charming. The lights of the historical center give an air of past times to the city and transform the night walk in one of the best moments for tourists. The irregular sidewalks and the thick decorated walls, the colonial balconies represent its essence. Paraty was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site, recognized for its natural and cultural riches that are presented in its streets and corners that tourists visualize on their walks. This historic city also won the title of Creative City in Gastronomy for its delicious culinary offerings in consistent development. The night tour includes beautiful art atelie, handicraft center, facades of old churches and colonial houses of the city. At the end of the walk we will have a tasting of the traditional drink of Paraty, the famous Jorge Amado. Return to the hotel.

Day 5: PARATY
Breakfast and Historical City Tour in Paraty
Travel back in time through the historical and cultural wonders that Paraty has. Feel the atmosphere of the colonial period as you walk through the charming streets of the historic center, knowing its beautiful architecture where every detail and symbol in the buildings carry a meaning and stories of important historical passages of Brazil. Paraty was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site, recognized for its natural and cultural richness, as it includes the Bocaina National Park, the environmental preservation area of Cairuçu and the Paraty Historical Center Monument. It also won the title of center of creative gastronomy by Unesco for its importance in the gastronomic culture and its consistent development. Irregular sidewalks, thick decorated walls, colonial balconies with iron railings with their symbols of colonial culture. The city tour is a pleasant walk accompanied by a specialized guide who will take participants on a journey through time. You will visit beautiful atelies of ate, churches and old houses of the city. At the end of the walk, a stop for a tasting of “Cachaças” and liquors (optional) in the stores of the historical center. The tour includes: Walk through the streets of the Historic Center / Visit to the House of Culture / Visit to the art galleries of the Historic Center / External view of the old colonial mansions / Visit to the Churches: Our Lady of Remedies, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of the Rosary and Santa Rita de Cassia / Visit to the “Cachaçarias” of the Historic Center. Return to the Hotel and free afternoon.

Day 6: PARATY/ PETROPOLIS
Breakfast, check out and departure to the city of Petropolis. Arrival, accommodation and rest of the afternoon at leisure. We recommend a first walk through the city of Petropolis visiting its commerce, its handicraft centers, and especially its chocolate shops.

Day 7: PETROPOLIS / RIO DE JANEIRO
Breakfast and departure for the City Tour in the city of Petropolis.
Just one hour from Rio de Janeiro in the mountainous region is Petropolis, rich in tourist attractions. A simple walk through the streets of the city means to be transported back in time and relive historical moments. The pleasant climate of the region, its tree-lined streets full of buildings from the imperial era, its privileged location, surrounded by mountains, waterfalls and small rivers, a scenario that guarantees the visitor a pleasant visit.

The tour includes:
The Summer Palace of Don Pedro ll, today transformed into the Imperial Museum which was the favorite residence of the emperor, where he spent the best moments of his life. Its construction in neoclassical style was begun in 1845 by determination of the monarch. The floor of the vestibule, in marble of carrara and black marble of Belgium, were placed in 1854. The details in jacaranda wood, cedar, rosewood from the various provinces of the empire stand out. The mortal remains of the imperial family are in the Cathedral built in Gothic style. The visit includes the Crystal Palace, built in France and assembled in Brazil, a place destined to the great parties promoted by Princess Isabel. The Cathedral of San Pedro de Alcantara. Built in French neo-Gothic style. Inside is the Mausoleum, where you can see the remains of the Imperial Family (Dom Pedro II, Dona Teresa Cristina, Princess Isabel and Count D’Eu), as well as sculptures by Jean Magrou, Bertozzi, stained glass and paintings by Carlos Oswald. The Gothic altar of the Mausoleum contains relics of Saint Magnus, Saint Aurelia and Saint Tecla, brought from Rome by Cardinal Sebastião Leme. The main doors of the temple weigh 2400 kg each.

The Quitandinha Palace is a Brazilian palace located in the Quitandinha neighborhood, south of Petrópolis. It was built in 1941 by Joaquim Rolla, a businessman from Minas Gerais, to be the largest casino hotel in South America. In 2007, the administrative part of the building – including the various halls and leisure areas, except for the apartments, which belong to private individuals – was acquired by SESC Rio, which began to promote cultural attractions there. The idea was to enhance the historical and cultural space, which had been closed for a long time. In 2023, the Quitandinha Cultural Center was inaugurated.

The Santos Dumont House. It was the summer residence of Alberto Santos Dumont, the Father of Aviation, and is known as “El Encantado”. The museum has a collection of objects, books, letters and furniture that belonged to the inventor, as well as the shower and the entrance staircase, with steps that can only be accessed by standing upright.

The tour also includes a panoramic tour of the Crystal Palace and Princess Elisabeth’s House as part of the architectural heritage of the imperial city. End of the tour and departure to Rio de Janeiro airport. Arrival at the airport and end of services.