Minas Gerais · Brazil
In the destination Historic Towns of Minas Gerais (Estrada Real).
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
The city
Ouro Preto spreads over hillsides shaped by the gold cycle and colonial architecture. Walking its steep streets lets you discover sacred art, museums and places that tell the history of Minas Gerais.
7 places to stay in Ouro Preto.
3 places picked to eat.
What to know before you go.
Brazilian routes
From Ouro Preto to Paraty, the oldest route of the Estrada Real passes through historic towns, spa towns, and the Mantiqueira.
Brazilian routes
Between the mines and the Baía de Guanabara, the Caminho Novo connects Ouro Preto to Porto Estrela and is historically completed in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazilian routes
From Diamantina to Ouro Preto, the route follows landscapes of the Espinhaaco, historic districts and the memory of mining.
Brazilian routes
From Cocais to Glaura, the Sabarabu�E7u brings together mountain ranges, the Rio das Velhas and the heritage of Caet�E9 and Sabar�E1.
The local experience
Considered Aleijadinho's masterpiece, it brings together the artist's architectural design, soapstone doorway and woodcarving with the ceiling painting by Mestre Ataíde. It is regarded as the high point of Brazilian Baroque.
Discover Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
Housed in the old Casa de Câmara e Cadeia (town hall and jail), on Praça Tiradentes, it holds the collection linked to the Inconfidência Mineira (a 1789 independence plot) and items from colonial daily life. It also keeps the remains of the conspirators in the Panteão dos Inconfidentes.
Discover Museu da Inconfidência
An old gold mine open to visitors, with narrow galleries dug by hand by enslaved workers in the 18th century. The visit tells the story of Chico Rei, the African who, according to tradition, bought his own freedom and that of his people.
The current building was begun around 1728 and the interior is entirely covered in gilded woodcarving; in 1733, the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament to the church prompted the Triunfo Eucarístico procession. A museum of sacred art operates in the basement.
Discover Basílica de Nossa Senhora do Pilar
A townhouse built between 1782 and 1784 by the contractor João Rodrigues de Macedo, later the Crown's tax collection office and gold foundry. Linked to the Inconfidência Mineira (a 1789 independence plot), it is where the poet Cláudio Manuel da Costa died, and today it is a museum.
