Parque da cidade, or 'City Park', is situated on the border of the district of Gávea in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro and the Parque Nacional da Tijuca, or 'Tijuca National Park', on Estrada Santa Marinha, or 'Marine Holy Road'. It consists of nearly 500,000 square meters of lush, thick forest that give way to landscaped grounds and a spring fed lake with a small island at its center.

The park was once the gardens of a coffee estate owned by the Marquis of Saint Vincent, José António Pimenta Bueno. Some of its trails were cleared by slaves, when the land was used for plantations.