as such, there is generally heavy traffic during the work week, while the crowds tend to disappear on the weekend. this is the best time to soak up the cultural richness of the centro, ideally on foot - an excellent sampling can be found in the area formed by avenida rio branco, avenida vargas and the waterfront.

those wishing to experience the rio of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries should begin in praça quinze, where the statue of general osório, hero of the paraguayan war, built with the bronze from paraguayan cannons, makes it unmistakable.