at a glance

it was named the 'pulmão da capital do império' (lung of the capital of the empire) and, interestingly, this garden was actually one of the most important 'touristic destinations' in rio de janeiro until the end of the 19th century. at that time  the beaches were not considered interesting and most international visitors would visit the gardens and french architecture of rio on horse carriages. 

of particular interst to shoppers, centro is home to a particularly famous sub neighborhood called saara - a shopping district with over a thousand stores,  restaurants, and some of the best bargains in town.

the catedral metropolitana do rio is a truly stunning building in the heart of rio de janeiro's historical center - built midway through the twentieth century the mammoth structure took 15 years to complete, with great attention paid to the details of the design, which includes huge stained glass windows from the floor to the ceiling.