Gem of the Americas: Beholding the Unique Urban Beauty of Brasilia (private tour)

• Brasilia’s Cathedral

Prepare to behold the unique architectural beauty of Brasilia, a city built from scratch on the Brazilian highlands in the middle of almost nowhere. The city was developed during the 1950’s to become Brazil’s new capital in 1960. The legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer (who partnered with Le Corbusier to design the United Nations Building in New York City) designed practically all of the major governmental buildings in Brasilia, in his unique modern (and famously curvy) retro-futuristic style. It is said that when the pioneering Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin visited Brasilia he likened the experience to landing on a different planet. Brasilia’s urban richness has earned it its designation of World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Once a deserted area, it’s now Brazil’s 3rd most populous city with almost 3 million inhabitants!

Our tour starts with a pickup at your hotel, from where we’ll ride to check out the city’s soccer stadium from outside. It was newly rebuilt in 2010 and was one of the venues of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Then we’ll move on to visit the city’s main architectural highlights and the urban landscape that has made Brasilia unique.

British architect Lord Norman Foster, a legend himself, describes Niemeyer’s buildings in Brasilia as “hauntingly beautiful” and “absolutely magical”. Niemeyer’s architectural genius has earned him the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1988, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture. He was especially fond of working with concrete and concocting very curvy designs, which gave his works a modern futuristic, and sometimes astonishing, look.

Among the dozen or so highlights we’ll see, the (Roman Catholic) Cathedral of Brasilia stands out with its 16 dramatic concrete curves in the shape of a crown of thorns –some say hands in prayer– and its impressive stained glass interior. We’ll also stop by the Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial, dedicated to the president of Brazil (commonly referred to as “JK”) who built this city in 1956, and to the history of how Brasilia became the country’s capital after Rio de Janeiro, which had been the capital city for the previous 2 centuries. The museum was built after JK was killed in a car accident in 1976, and was designed by Niemeyer himself and considered one of his great architectural successes.

A little adventure comes in the way of our urban explorations, as we take an elevator up the “TV Tower” (weather permitting), to a height of 245 feet (75 meters). This structure serves as a TV transmission antenna for the entire city and stands right in the middle of Brasilia’s central square, so you’ll be able to appreciate part of the city’s urban plan, made in the shape of an airplane. With a total height of 750 feet (230 meters), the TV Tower is the tallest structure in the city.

Our explorations will continue with brief stops at some of the most important highlights in the city, including the main government palaces (National Congress, Itamaraty, Justice Department and Alvorada). And after a glimpse of Brasilia’s eclectic “JK Bridge” that crosses the city’s artificial lake, we’ll return to our hotel with the joy of having visited this urban gem!

Note: Since you’ll be doing this tour with your own private vehicle and guide, you’ll be able to enjoy each attraction at your own pace; making all the stops you want, all the while enjoying personalized assistance and care from your expert guide. You’ll also enjoy more convenient and faster transfers to and from your hotel, as there will be no other travelers to pick up or drop off at other hotels.

Important: the tour’s exact itinerary and duration may change subject to weather conditions and decisions of the tour guide, in order to optimize your tour experience.