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Two of the greatest joys of Rio are its mountains and its beaches. Side trips from the cidade maravilhosa explore these two features in greater detail. On weekends and holidays, many head north to the beach resorts dotting the warm Atlantic coast. First and most famous of these is the town of Btizios , "discovered" in the 1960s by a bikiniwearing Brigitte Bardot. Now it's a haven for Rio socialites, visiting Argentineans, and anyone else who loves their beaches Brazilian style-civilized, with a beachside table in sight, and a caipir inha in hand.
Heading inland, one finds the sum mer refuge of an earlier, prebeach gen eration, the mountain resort. The prettiest of these is also the closest: Petrcpolis, the former summer capital of Emperor Pedro II. Just an hour from Rio , this green, graceful refuge is a place of peaceful strolls, great museums, and mountain hikes in the Atlantic rainfor est. Beyond Petropolis , in the highlands of the interior, lies an architectural wonderland: the Historical Cities of Minas Gerais. Built during the gold boom of the 18th century, the cities of Onto Preto, Mariana, and Tiradentes are gems of high baroque architecture; thanks to the later gold-mining bust, most have been preserved in their original condition. Several of these cities have excellent hiking nearby, but in the main the joys here are quiet and largely visual. It's enough to simply contem plate the beauty of the surrounding mountains and the architectural creativity of man.
Want your history served up with a splash of ocean? The perfect blend can be found in the former colonial port of Paraty . Situated almost halfway between Rio and Sao Paulo , this beau tiful historic town had its heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries as a prime transshipment point for gold and later for coffee. Visitors can sail the bays and visit the surrounding sandy beaches and islands in the daytime, and at night wander the cobblestone streets of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, in search of architectural beauty or just some very fine dining.
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