MG · Brazil
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
A capital planned at the end of the 19th century, surrounded by the Serra do Curral (mountain range) and known for its botecos (neighborhood bars) and Minas Gerais cooking. The Pampulha complex, designed by Oscar Niemeyer with gardens by Burle Marx, is a Unesco World Heritage Site; Praça da Liberdade brings together museums in historic buildings; and the Mercado Central is a sure stop for cheese, sweets and cachaça. Inhotim, Ouro Preto and the historic towns are a few hours away.
This destination brings together 1 city: Belo Horizonte.
A look at the place
These pictures are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs. They may differ from the place.
Click the picture to enlarge it.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
The local experience
Designed by Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 1943, it has parabolic concrete vaults, a tile panel and Stations of the Cross by Candido Portinari, and gardens by Burle Marx. Considered too daring, it went 14 years without being consecrated for worship.
Discover Igreja de São Francisco de Assis (Igrejinha da Pampulha)
An artificial reservoir whose shore is home to the Pampulha Modern Ensemble, designed by Oscar Niemeyer in the 1940s and recognized as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2016. The path around the water is used for walking and cycling.
Founded in 1929, it takes up an entire downtown block and was bought in 1964 by a group of merchants who turned it into a cooperative. Its aisles are full of cheeses, sweets, cachaças, crafts and Minas Gerais food counters.
Included in the capital's original plan, it has avenues of royal palms, fountains and the Palácio da Liberdade, the former seat of the Minas Gerais government. The former government office buildings around it have become museums and cultural centers of the Circuito Liberdade.
Opened in September 1897, even before the new capital was established, it was designed by French landscape architect Paul Villon in the English romantic style. It has about 4,000 trees of some 300 species, lakes and tree-lined paths in the city center.
Discover Parque Municipal Américo Renné Giannetti
Opened in 2005 in the former Estação Central complex, at Praça da Estação, it holds more than 2,000 pieces related to work and trades from the 18th to the 20th century. Tools, utensils and machines tell the story of pre-industrial popular production.
Discover Museu de Artes e Ofícios
Opened in 1982 with a design by Burle Marx, it covers about 2.35 million square meters on the slopes of the Serra do Curral, more than a thousand meters above sea level. It has dozens of springs, trails and a viewpoint overlooking the city.
Discover Parque das Mangabeiras
It is housed in an 1883 mansion, a survivor of the old Arraial do Curral del-Rei (village) that gave way to the capital, and opened to the public in 1943. The collection includes photos, documents and objects from the city's history, and the garden displays the Mariquinha locomotive.
Discover Museu Histórico Abílio Barreto
Your base to explore
Where you stay is part of the trip. Choose the area that best fits your itinerary.
A hotel on Avenida Cristiano Machado, in the northeast region, which presents itself as Latin America's first urban resort and now operates under the Dolce by Wyndham brand. It has 20 event spaces, a heated pool, saunas and a gym.
An apartment hotel on Rua Antônio de Albuquerque, in the heart of Savassi, with suites of up to 40 m² with a living room and kitchen. It has a pool, a sauna, a gym and a convention center, and suits those staying longer in the city on business.
A pousada on the shore of Lagoa da Pampulha, in Jardim Atlântico, next to Oscar Niemeyer's architectural ensemble. It has a pool, is pet-friendly and suits those who want to stay near the lake and the Mineirão, away from downtown.
Hotel Financial is in Belo Horizonte's commercial center. It has breakfast; Wi-Fi; elevator; accessible rooms; air conditioning; minibar; 24-hour front desk; paid parking subject to availability.
Hilton Garden Inn Belo Horizonte is a short walk from Praça da Liberdade, Lourdes and the Mercado Central, in Belo Horizonte. It has Wi-Fi; restaurant; outdoor pool; sauna; gym; cribs; room service; paid covered parking; no pets.
Dayrell Hotel & Centro de Convenções is in central Belo Horizonte. It has a pool; steam sauna; gym; restaurant; café; third-party parking; air conditioning; Wi-Fi; minibar.
Hotel H2 Platinum Lourdes is 100 m from Shopping Diamond Mall and 600 m from Praça da Assembleia, in Belo Horizonte. It has a gym; Wi-Fi; hot tub.
Fasano Belo Horizonte is in the Lourdes neighborhood, in Belo Horizonte. It has the Gero restaurant; Baretto; lobby bar; spa; wellness pool; steam sauna; gym; packages with breakfast.
Holiday Inn Belo Horizonte Savassi is in the Savassi neighborhood, in Belo Horizonte. It has Wi-Fi; gym; sauna; pool; Drummond restaurant; parking; pets accepted under certain conditions and for an extra fee.
Nobile Inn Pampulha is 2 km from the Mineirão and Mineirinho stadiums and 800 m from Pampulha Airport, in Belo Horizonte. It has cable TV; internet; air conditioning; minibar; restaurant; breakfast buffet; parking subject to availability.
Intercity BH Expo is a few minutes from Expominas, in Belo Horizonte. It has breakfast; restaurant; gym; pool; parking; pet-friendly; accessibility; Wi-Fi; room service.
eSuites Virginia Luxemburgo Belo Horizonte is in the Joana Darc neighborhood, according to its address, in Belo Horizonte. It has breakfast; Wi-Fi; restaurant; outdoor pool; gym; pets accepted for an extra fee; paid parking; kitchenette in the rooms.
eSuites Belo Horizonte Minascasa is near the Linha Verde expressway, in Belo Horizonte. It has breakfast; Wi-Fi; restaurant and bar; paid parking; 24-hour convenience store; pets for an extra fee; use of the gym in the same complex at set times.
Royal Golden Savassi is 850 m from Praça da Liberdade, in Belo Horizonte. It has breakfast; Wi-Fi; minibar; pool; sauna; gym; Sophie restaurant; third-party parking; air conditioning.
ibis BH Afonso Pena Savassi is a five-minute walk from Praça da Savassi, in Belo Horizonte. It has parking; accepts vaccinated dogs and cats for an extra fee; restaurant; accessibility; Wi-Fi; air conditioning; breakfast; bar.
ibis Belo Horizonte Liberdade is next to Praça da Liberdade, in Belo Horizonte. It has parking; accessibility; Wi-Fi; air conditioning; breakfast; bar; meeting rooms; pet-friendly; paid valet parking.
ibis budget Belo Horizonte Minascentro is 450 meters from the Mercado Central and Mercado Novo, in Belo Horizonte. It is pet-friendly and has accessibility; Wi-Fi; air conditioning; breakfast; bar; parking near the property.
ibis Belo Horizonte Savassi is a 12-minute walk from Praça da Liberdade, in Belo Horizonte. It has parking; pet-friendly; restaurant; accessibility; Wi-Fi; air conditioning; breakfast; bar.
Novotel BH Savassi is in the Savassi neighborhood, in Belo Horizonte. It has parking; accepts vaccinated pets for an extra fee; restaurant; accessibility; gym; Wi-Fi; air conditioning; breakfast; bar; room service.
Mercure Belo Horizonte Lourdes is ten minutes from downtown Belo Horizonte (mode of travel not specified). It has a pool; paid parking; accepts one vaccinated dog or cat up to 15 kg per room, for a fee; restaurant; accessibility; gym; Wi-Fi; air conditioning; room service.
Flavors of the destination
A Minas Gerais restaurant opened in 1990, with recipes from the colonial tradition shaped by African, Indigenous and Portuguese influences. The founder published a book on the history of Minas cooking, and the restaurant has a branch in São Paulo.
An à la carte Minas Gerais restaurant on Rua Mandacaru, in the Pampulha area, in a rustic setting. It has a buffet of homemade sweets with more than 30 options, a craft shop and a kids' area, which draws families.
A bar and restaurant over 50 years old on Avenida Augusto de Lima, listed as part of Belo Horizonte's cultural heritage. It was a haunt of intellectuals and artists and today serves bar food and à la carte dishes.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
Through Confins International Airport, about 40 km from downtown, or Pampulha Airport. By car, it is about 590 km from São Paulo on the Fernão Dias highway.
From April to September, the dry season, with sunny days and cool nights. From November to March it rains a lot, usually in the afternoon.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
