Our mission is to connect you to several exciting tours that bring you closer to Brazil’s history and arts. Tell us what you like, and we will make you a reservation for the tour of your choice. If you want to obtain more information in English, you may call the telephone numbers or write to the e-mail addresses provided.

• The Unexplored Rio
  These are tours that take you to little known places in the city that are closely connected to its culture and history.
  Anschrift: Rua do Pinheiro, 10 - Flamengo Tel.: (21) 2245-6746 / (21) 2257-4480
  Email: alquimiaviagens@terra.com.brc



• Novos Rumos
  Entertainment tours in air-conditioned buses with specialized tour guides. This fascinating program includes visits to: various theatrical productions, concerts, ballets, musical shows, historic landmarks, and cultural centers.
  Anschrift: Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 550 / 904 - Ipanema
  Tel.: (21) 2529-8384 Fax: (21) 2512-7799
  Di - Fr, 9 bis 18h.



• Cultural Tours
  Rio Colonial, Rio Barroco, Rio Imperial, Rio Antigo, Uma Noite na Spera, Roteiro dos Museus, Os Estilos do Rio and Rio Moderno - all these names speak for themselves even if they are in another language. The tour guide is Carlos Roquete, a history and arts professor.
  Tel.: (21) 3322-4872 / (21) 9911-3829
  Email: culturalrio@uol.com.br

Museums

If you’d like to experience more of the Brazilian history or culture, here is a list of the most interesting museums that Rio can offer to its visitors. You will also find the addresses and phone numbers where you can obtain information in English. Most museums have also a website where you can learn about the current exhibitions in more detail.

• Museum der Aviation
  Av. Marechal Fontenelle, 2000 - Campo dos Afonsos Tel.: (21) 3357-5212 / (21) 3357-5213 Fax: (21) 3357-5214 Website: www.musal.aer.mil.br Tu - Su: 9h - 15h.



• Museu Arquidiocesano de Arte Sacra do Rio de Janeiro
  Av. República do Chile, s/n - Centro Tel.: (21) 2240-2669 Tu - Fr: 10h - 16h. Sáb e Dom, 10h - 16h.



• Museu Chácara do Céu
  
  This museum occupies another former residence of the great art patron Castro Maya (see Museu do Açude). Chácara do Céu is located in Santa Teresa, a historical district near downtown where there are a number of artists' studios and galleries. It was renovated in 1954, and now it offers a full view of Rio and scenic Guanabara Bay. The permanent exhibition features Castro Maya's personal collection, including paintings by Matisse, Picasso, Dali, and Miró, as well as Brazilian masters, such as Portinari, Di Cavalcanti, Guignard, and Iberê Camargo. The “Brasiliana” collection includes oil paintings, drawings, engravings, and watercolors by 19th century artists that came from abroad to paint images of Brazil. Among them are 490 watercolors and 61 drawings by Jean Baptiste Debret.
  
  Rua Murtinho Nobre, 93 - Santa Teresa Tel.: (21) 2507-1932 / (21) 2224-8981 Fax: (21) 2224-8524 Email: cmaya01@visualnet.com.br Website: www.visualnet.com.br/cmaya dayli, but Tu 12 - 17h.



• National Museum of Fine Arts
  
  The National Museum of Fine Arts is located in a beautiful French Renaissance building (1908) across from the Municipal Theater. The permanent collection has over 10,000 paintings and works of art by Brazilian artists from late 17th century to the present. There are also paintings from famous European and American artists as well as a particularly interesting African collection. The museum has often been the stage for major exhibitions in Rio, including Rodin, Miró, and Dali.
  
  Av. Rio Branco, 199 - Centro Mo - Fr: 12.30 - 18.30h; Sa-So: 15.00 - 18.00h



• Museum des II-ten Weltkrieges
  Parque Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes - Flamengo Horário: Ter - Dom, 10-16h.



• Museum of the Republic
  The building of the Museum of the Republic was once the residence of the Brazilian presidents. After the capital was transferred from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia (see history), the building went through a major renovation. Today, it hosts one of the most interesting museums in Rio, a cultural multi-art project that includes exhibitions, music, theater, cinema, video, a bookshop, and a restaurant. This is the first Latin American museum with an automated reference desk, giving access to over 20,000 books, 7,000 assorted items, and 80,000 documents. Palacio do Catete, Rua do Catete 153, Catete Tel: 2258 6350 Tu - Fr: 10 - 17h



• Museum of Modern Art - MAM Rio de Janeiro
  
  The Museum of Modern Art stands right in the heart of Flamengo Park. It is impossible to miss the impressive building, designed by architect Affonso Reidy, surrounded by gardens designed by Brazil's most famous landscaper Burle Marx. MAM has a very active role in Rio's cultural scene; it has influenced many generations of Brazilian artists.
  
  In 1978, fire burned most of the Museum’s exhibits and damaged the whole structure. A major reconstruction effort put the museum back to its feet and today, the permanent collection has over 2,000 pieces by Brazilian and international artists. The Gilberto Chateubriand collection with over 4,000 items, which can be seen in the permanent exhibition, adds up to those. MAM also offers an interesting program of art shows and exhibitions throughout the year. Just to give you an idea, the exhibition of sculptures by Camille Claudel, in 1998, attracted 120,000 visitors. Another major attraction is the film collection (Cinemateca do MAM), one of the best in Latin America with over 12,000 titles, including some rarities. There are sessions and festivals open to the general public, with Brazilian and foreign cult movie that are not normally shown in the commercial circuit.
  
  Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 85 - Parque Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes - Centro Tel.: (21) 2240-4944 / (21) 2240-4924 Fax: (21) 2240-4899 Website: www.mamrio.org.br Tu - Fr: 12h - 18h. Sa - So: 13h - 19h



• Folkloremuseum Edison Carneiro
  Rua do Catete, 181 - Catete Tel.: (21) 2285-0441 Fax: (21) 2205-0090 Tu - Fr , 11 -18:00 Sáb, Dom e feriados, 15 -18h



• Museu de Imagens do Inconsciente
  Rua Ramiro Magalhães, 521 Tel.: (21) 2597-4242 Fax: (21) 2596-8460 Fr, 9:30 - 16:30h.



• Museum of the Indian
  
  This museum is dedicated to the native Brazilians and takes an active role in promoting a better understanding of the Native Brazilian culture. Pottery, wood, straw, and feather are some of the materials used in creative ways by tribes from all parts of Brazil. Recently, a group of natives built Uné, a large Indian home, 5 meters tall and 15 meters long, that became part of the permanent exhibition. Hammocks, cooking pans, flutes, and straw skirts are part of this ethnographic project, which demonstrates how native Brazilians decorated their homes. There is genuine handicraft for sale in the museum store.
  
  Rua das Palmeiras, 55 - Botafogo Tel.: (21) 2286-8899 Email: atividades@museudoindio.org.br Website: http://www.museudoindio.org.br Tu - Fr, 10 - 17:30h . Sáb e Dom, 13 - 17h



• Museu do Açude
  is located in a building that was once the residence of Raimundo Castro Maya (1894-1968), one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art. It spreads over an area of 150,000 square meters in the heart of bucolic Floresta da Tijuca. The building was renovated in 1920 to neocolonial style.
  
  The permanent exhibition includes a fabulous collection of Portuguese tiles from 17th to 19th century, furniture, silverware, and glassware. There is also a collection of Oriental art, including sculptures, paintings, engravings, and rugs. Brazilian popular art is represented with ceramics by Mestre Vitalino and other Northeastern artists.
  
  Estrada do Acude 764, Alto da Boa Vista Tel.: (21) 2492 2119 Thurs - Sun 11.00 - 17.00
  
  
• Museum der Bahn
  Rua Arquias Cordeiro, 1.046 Tel.: (21) 2269-5545 Email: museu@rffsa.gov.br Tu - Fr, 10 - 12h, 13:30 - 16h. Sa, 13 - 17h.



• Museum des Teathers von Rio de Janeiro
  Rua São João Batista, 105 - Botafogo Tel.: (21) 2286-3234 Tu - Fr, 11 - 17h.



• Museum der Geschichte von Rio de Janeiro
  Estrada de Santa Marinha, s/ nº - Gávea Tel.: (21) 2512-2353 Fax: (21) 2294-5990 Website: www.rio.rj.gov.br/cultura Tu - Su, 11 - 17h.



• National Museum
  The National Museum is part of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. It was created by D. João VI in 1818, and it is considered the first scientific institution in Brazil. The museum is located in a landmark building, Quinta da Boa Vista, that has served as residence for the Portuguese Royal family and for the Brazilian Imperial family. The last Brazilian emperor, Dom Pedro II was born and lived here before he was exiled to France in 1889. The museum was transferred to this palace in 1892.
  
  The National Museum has six departments: Anthropology, Botany, Geology/ Paleontology, Entomology, and Invertebrates and Vertebrates. Rio's Zoo and the Fauna Museum are also at Quinta da Boa Vista.
  Praça Marechal Âncora, s/nº - Centro Tel.: (21) 2550-9255 / (21) 2550-9220 Fax: (21) 2220-6290 Website: www.museuhistoriconacional.com.br Tu - Fr, 10 -17:30h. Sat- Sun 14 18h



• Museu Naval
  Rua Dom Manuel, 15 - Centro Tel.: (21) 2533-7626 Di-Fr, 12 bis 15h