Half Day City Tour + Maracana Stadium

Tour operates daily, except on Sundays and holidays. Maracana will be closed for renovation in 2010 for two years, Rio's major colonial buildings are located downtown where the city started to develop.

At Lapa Arches we find the modern Cathedral located on the way to 15th of November square in the heart of downtown Rio. At downtown you will have the opportunity to see the influence from the French architecture among these: Banco do Brasil Cultural Center and Casa Franca-Brasil (France-Brasil foundation).

The Casa Franca-Brasil was designed by the famous French architect Grandjean de Montigny, and is the finest example of neoclassical style in Rio de Janeiro. The tour will continue to the Marechal Floriano Square, also known as Cinelandia. This square concentrates the best of late 18th century French style architecture in Rio de Janeiro: the Municipal Theatre, a scaled-down of the Paris Opera; the Fine Arts Museum; the National Library (reputed worldwide for the copies of Gutemberg's bible and other first editions dating back to 1500 - brought to Brazil by the Imperial Family of Portugal when they moved to Brazil fleeing Napoleon's threat). A fine example of baroque art - and usually unnoticed - the Sao Bento Monastery, which is also visited.

Stop at Confeitaria Colombo Restaurant - for a quick coffee - one of the most traditional restaurant in Rio. This restaurant is part of the city's cultural heritage, it's also one of the favorite downtown attractions for tourists from all over the world. The magnificent salons are lined with ornate jacaranda-framed mirrors imported from Belgium at the turn of the century. The art nouveau decor is found throughout its showcases, furniture and fittings, ceiling lights and floor dating back to this delightful pas.

Tour will follow to Maracana stadium. Inaugurated in June 1950, the world's largest sports stadium still retains all the glamourthat makes it a landmark and an irresistible attraction for visitors to Rio.

The stage of memorable moments such as Pelé's 1,000th goal, Maracanã also hosted mega-concerts by Frank Sinatra and Paul McCartney, drawing huge audiences of over 180,000 which made the Guinness Book of Records. More recent and no less important was the Meeting with Families during Pope John Paul II's last visit to Brazil. With this impressive track-record, Maracanã leaves a lasting impression, thanks to its sheer size, style and beauty.