Paraty

Paraty (also spelled Parati) [1] is a coastal historic town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was first settled by the Portuguese in 1667. Its old churches, cobbled streets and nearby forests, waterfalls, islands and emerald-green sea attract lots of tourists interested in mixing cultural tourism and more natural settings.

Culture and History

Paraty grew in the 18th century as a strategically important port for exporting the gold mined in Minas Gerais. When shipments in nearby Rio began to attract the attention and ambition of pirates and privateers from rival European powers, the Portuguese began using Paraty as their safe port for getting their gold to Lisbon. Together with Ouro Preto, the town was part of the Royal Road (Caminho Real or Caminho do Ouro, Gold Road), a route used to export gold in colonial times. It was also an obligatory sleep-over stop for travelers between Rio and São Paulo until the late 1800s, when the inner road was opened. This caused Paraty to be forgotten, stalled in time, away from "progress" and disfiguration and helped it preserve its old city as it was in the past. In the 1970s, it was rediscovered as a popular tourist destination.

Travel to Paraty - Visa Requirements

Paraty is 260km from Rio de Janeiro and 300km from São Paulo. Buses connect the city with those capitals. There are also buses to Ubatuba and Taubate.

Buses to and fro Rio depart about nine times a day. The trip takes about four hours. The price for the trip from Rio is R$ 44.00 and R$ 44.00 from Paraty to Rio. (2007)

The trip to and fro São Paulo takes about six hours and cost ca. R$ 37.00. There are about four to five connections daily. (2007)

Tours and Getting around Paraty

The historic town is compact and can be covered on foot and cars, save for taxis picking up or dropping passengers, are not allowed into the historic city center. The rough boulders of the old city streets would quickly destroy the shocks of most cars anyway.

Vans pick up tourists at the city perimeter for a day-trip to the small fishermen's village of Trindade.

Paraty tourist attractions and sightseeing

• The historic center - cobbled streets, old buildings, churches etc.
• Beaches - Especially in Trindade: Cachadaço, do Meio, etc.
• Islands - Ilha dos Meros has the best diving conditions
• Waterfalls - Pedra Branca and Andorinhas
• Puppet theatre - 2 weekly presentations of a famous puppet group
• Casa da Cultura - a cultural center
• Forte Defensor Perpétuo - Perpetual Defender fortress, a 18th-century stronghold built with British cannons to defend the gold against British privateers

Paraty city tours

• A boat trip through the bay. You can even find your own private beach on one of more than 300 islands. Small boats are available for charter near the river mouth. Negotiate a price before leaving.
• Diving
• FLIP[2] - This literature festival usually takes place in July. It gathers some of the best national writers and guest international authors. Hotels can get pretty crowded, book well in advance for this period.
• Dance with the locals on an old double-decker ferry-turned-dance-club. Just wander down to the dock after dark. You can try Café Paraty or Margarida Café.
• Snorkeling in the bay. When you rent a small boat (and hire the driver for the afternoon) you can ask about getting a mask and snorkel. They'll also supply you with fish food. You just jump off in the middle of the bay and float around feeding fish.
• Trekking the Caminho do Ouro. Access located in the Paraty-Cunha road

Paraty souvenirs and shopping

• Cachaça - Paraty is one of the famous producers in Brazil, as in fact a century ago cachaça was known as parati. Dozens of excellent brands are available.

Paraty Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

• Porto Entreposto Cultural, Rua do Comercio #14(Historical center), ☎ +55 24 3371-1058, [3]. 6pm-. Amazing Brazilian/European menu. Good selection of wines.$R25 for a main.  

• sereia do mar, Av Praia do Jabaquara 33(800 metres from the town centre looking out onto one of paratys most beautiful and tranquil beaches), ☎ +55 24 337111930 for delivery and resavations, [4]. Open from 5pm-11pm. With 24 varieties of pizza and over 10 other main dishes this restaurant has a mouthwatering menu to satisfy all tastes not to mention an excellent wine list. With live music on weekends and both helpful and friendly staff a visit to this restaurant is a must.From R$14 for a main course and from R$19 for a large 8 slice pizza.  

• Casa do Fogo bistrô, Rua Comendador José Luiz 390(Historical center), ☎ +55 24 81271644 for resavations(restaurantecasadofogo@yahoo.com.br), [5]. Open from 5pm-1am. Casa do Fogo serves flambées specialities, all flambée with cachaça - seafood, vegetables and fruits, on the menu you also find meat, chicken, vegetarian, pastas and moquecas.From R$10 for a starter to R$82 for a flambée seafood paella for two.  
• Merlin o Mago, Rua do Comércio 376(in historic town center), ☎ 24 3371 2157. Fantastic french restaurant; very small but excellent food and drink. A German head chef settled in Paraty to run a French restaurant, and succeeded marvelously. The seafood is caught mere meters from the restaurant, as fresh as can be! 
• Restaurant Grao da Terra, Avenue Roberto Silveira, Loja No. 9, Galeria G'brail. Fully vegetarian restaurant with daily menus and a wide range of fruit juices and salads. Great ambience and great hosts..!!www.graodaterra.com 
• Restaurante Grao da Terra, Ave. Roberto Silveira, Loja No. 9, Galeria G'brail, [6]. A fully vegetarian restaurant with daily menu and a range of fruit juices and salads to choose from. Great hosts and ambience, and wifi too..!! 

Paraty nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Most of the town shuts down relatively early, but if you find yourself in need of some diversion after 10 or so, head down to the pier where you will find an old two-story boat-turned-dance-club which has events with local bands a few nights a week.

• Cervejaria Caborê, Av. Otávio Gama, 100(in Caborê, along river Perecé), ☎ +55 24 3371-2248, [7]. mon-fri 5pm-12pm, sat-sun 11am-12pm. Bar-restaurant of local brewery. Home of the Caborê draft. 

Paraty cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

If you have only a fews days, staying in the historical center is a must. But good deals can be found outside.

Historical Center

The historical center has plenty of charming hotels and pousadas. Cheaper options can be found at the newer neighborhoods, outside the tourist area. Watch out for the busy periods of FLIP (see Do above), Carnival and New Year's.

• Pousada Arte Urquijo, Rua Dona Geralda, 79(in Centro Histórico, close to Santa Rita), ☎ ''+55 024'' 33711362, [8]. checkout: noon. One of the coziest and most charming accommodations in the city. You get you own (to keep) slippers to use inside on the clean floors. A/C, safefrom $R300 including breakfast.  

• Pousada Porto Imperial, R. Ten. Francisco Antonio s/n, (24) 3371-2323 (fax (24) 3371-2111, ), [9]. Right into the historic center, this hotel is set in a tastefully decorated colonial house next to the Matriz church. Many of the air-conditioned rooms are located at the internal patio and garden. R$200-R$340 (check out high/low season prices).

• Pousada Bromelias - [10] Bungalows,waterfall,natural swimming pool, gastronomy, massages and body treatments, ofuro bath, sauna beside waterfall,tennis.55(24)3371-2791

• Misti Chill(BeachFront Hostel), Rua Orlando Carpinelli, 3 - Praia do Pontal(In Praia do Pontal in Town), ☎ +55 24 3371-2545(bookings@mistichill.com), [11]. Cool Beachfront Hostel in Twon. Free Pick-Up, Breakfast, all rooms ensuite.Dorms From R$19 - Private Rooms from R$59.  

Outside the historical center

• Principe, Av. Roberto Silveira, 289.(One block from the Bus Station), ☎ +55 24 3371-2266(reservas@pousadadoprincipe.com.br, fax: +55 24 3371-2120), [12]. Pousada with rooms around an internal garden. From $R 115.  

On the beach

• Sereia do mar, Av. Praia do Jadaquara 33.(800 metres from town centre), ☎ +552433711930(hostelparaty@hotmail.com), [13]. Hostel is situated in front of and only ten metres from Jabaquara beech and 800 metres from town centre.The hostel offers an excellent complementary buffet breakfast internet access pool and ping pong tables along with a wide variety of tours including kayak jeep and boat excursions. The hostel also has a fully stocked bar and an excellent restaurant. Prices from R$25 for dorm room and R$60 for double.  

• Misti Chill(Hostel Paraty), Rua Orlando Carpinelli, 3(Beach Front - Pontal Neighbourhood), ☎ +552433712545(bookings@mistichill.com), [14]. Paraty Hostel and Pousada - Dorms from US$11 - Cool Atmosphere - FREE Pick-Up and Breakfast Te. +55 (0)21 3521-7234 - right on the Beach with an amazing view. Dorms from R$19 - Privates From R$79.  

• Hostel in Paraty Geko Hostel & Pousada(Paraty Hostel), (paraty@gekohostel.com), [15]. - Geko Hostel is located at Praia Pontal, only 3 minutos away from the historical town of Paraty and also near of all that you may need. This hostel in front of the sea it's a quiet and chilled out enviroment where you can enjoy a caipirinha, make new friendships from all over Brazil and the world, you may read a book, play the guitar or anything else that you may enjoy. +55 (0) 24 3371 2507 | Rua Orlando Carpinelli, 5 | Praia do Pontal. 

Contact

There are plenty of internet cafes just outside the historical centre. You can't avoid seeing one while walking a few blocks along the main street.

Get out

• Angra dos Reis
• Cunha
• Trindade - Popular beach in an old village. Buses once per hour at around 45 after.
• Penha from where you can walk to the distillery. Around 30 minutes by bus.

Destinations in Paraty:

• Trindade

This page was last edited by Niels Elgaard Larsen. Based on work by Peter Fitzgerald, E. Tuthill, Otto Kakko, Julie Pawlak, Justine Cogan and Pedro Aguiar, Wikitravel user(s) Texugo, Jonboy and Morph, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license