of the many fortresses erected since the sixteenth century in and around rio de janeiro, the fortaleza da barra de santa cruz is perhaps the most significant. its location on the edge of a cliff offers an ideal vantage point of the city's port - notably, all sea traffic entering and leaving the bay and the port are within the fort's range of fire.

the fort is located on the eastern side of the bar guanabara bay just a ferry ride away from rio de janeiro, in jurujuba, a picturesque neighborhood in niterói. it can be accessed via estrada eurio gaspar dutra, s/n, jurujuba, in niterói. tel 21.710.7840 / 21.711.0166. open every day between 9 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon.