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Brasilia Tours
On one of our customized Brasilia tours, explore what the capital city is known for: it’s impressive architecture. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Brasilia was designed by the forward-thinking Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and the city planner Lúcio Costa in 1960. Their detailed city planning and balanced design for the federal seat of government continues to impress architects and city planners today. Experience the essence of Brasilia on any of our fully-custom trips to Brazil. Consider adding the marvelous Rio de Janeiro to any of our Brasilia tour itineraries for one complete Brazil travel package!
Update: Brazil Covid-19 Travel – Brazil is open for travel again!
Brazil reopened to tourists several months ago and we’re delighted to be operating trips again!
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Update: Brazil Covid-19 Travel – Brazil is open for travel again!
Brazil reopened to tourists several months ago and we’re delighted to be operating trips again!
Read More ⌄
Top 5 Brasilia City Tours
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About Brasilia City Tours
In the late 1950s, Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil and much of the interior of Brazil, especially the highlands where Brasilia is now located, was under-utilized. Wanting to promote economic growth in the interior of the country, the President invited the best of the country's architects to compete to design a new capital in the highlands, and Niemeyer's blueprints won the honor. On a Brasilia city tour, you can view the layout of the center of the city, which resembles an airplane with concentric highways spanning out from the center like airport runways. Many of the unique buildings, such as the National Congress Building, have strong lines and curves, which Niemeyer claimed were symbolic of the Brazilian female figure. The Supreme Court, Presidential Palace, and Presidential Residence also display Niemeyer's signature "pillar" design, which makes the buildings appear suspended in the air.
Another famous work of Niemeyer's is the Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasilia, featuring vertical curved lines that seem to reach for the heavens. Another reason to take a Brasilia city tour is to explore the surrounding region, which is now flourishing. Covering 988 acres, the Parque da Cidade is the largest urban park in the world. You can take a water boat on Paranoá Lake, and see the Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, known as the JK Bridge. There's also the Botanical Garden, which spans another 1300 acres and is home to a variety of native Brazilian flora. Stroll through these parks and enjoy its many walking trails. Also check out the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, located about 1 hour from the city. This area has palm groves, marshes, and waterfalls that are a haven to many animals, such as capybaras and toucans. It's easy to combine a Brasilia city tour with many other places in Brazil. Brasilia is a great stop-over between Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon Rainforest, as well as the Pantanal wetlands. Cuiaba, the gateway to the Pantanal, is located 2 hours west of Brasilia, and the Amazon Rainforest basin is also accessible from Brasilia with a 3-hour flight to Manaus.
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Facts about Brasilia
Brasilia is a city remarkable for many reasons:
- For its airplane-like street layout (the wings accommodate the residents of Brasilia and the cockpit is the political center).
- The city was built in 41 months. President Juscelino Kubitschek, who came to power promising 50 years progress in 5 years, has been said to be the reincarnation of Pharaoh Aknaton, who about 3,500 years ago, built a planned city in his own country much like President Kubitschek. Egyptologist Yara Kern defends her thesis by pointing out several coincidences between the history and the architecture of both cities.
- The strong lines and contrasting curves of its architecture are what draws the most attention. Oscar Niemeyer said that the curves of the buildings are symbolic of Brazilian women. A building that reflects this is The National Congress (Brasilia’s signature building) with its long linear shapes and graceful curves. One of Niemeyer’s favorite tricks was to show buildings suspended off the ground, which he accomplished by pillar design. This technique can be seen in the Supreme Court, Presidential Residence, and Presidential Palace.
- Here’s a fun fact: the Foreign Ministry and the Palace of Justice are two of the most outstanding buildings, especially since they were built without air-conditioning in a climate that is arid most of the year. But, the buildings allow the breeze to come through almost every corner!
5 Best Brasilia Tours for 2024
| Tour Name | Price | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour to Jalapão, the Gem of Brazil's Cerrado | from $2680 | 11 Days | ... |
| Rio de Janeiro & the Amazon Rainforest Tour | from $1786 | 8 Days | Rio de Janeiro, the former capital nestled between tropical mountains and sea, welcomes you. Let nature dominate at the Amazon Ecopark Jungle Lodge... |
| Pantanal Wetlands & Rio de Janeiro Tour | from $1651 | 8 Days | The Pantanal is a vast wetland-approximately half the size of Texas, stretching across the borders of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. During the rainy... |
| Pantanal Wetlands Tour & Estancia | from $ | 5 Days | Choose to stay at the family-run Estancia Vitoria just outside of the Pantanal, just perfect to visit the Chapada dos Guimarães. From the... |
| Pantanal, Nobres & Chapada dos Guimaraes Tour | from $ | 8 Days | If you have a sense of adventure, the Pantanal, Nobres and Chapada dos Guimaraes Tour will show you a corner of Brazil less traveled. Here among red... |
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