12 Best Sights in Centro, Rio de Janeiro

What was once the headquarters of Brazil's oldest bank is now an enormous cultural space in downtown Rio. With areas designated for cinema screenings, expositions, music, educational programs, and theater, this is one of the city's best rainy-day options. The 19th-century building, with its ornate domed roof, is impressive in itself, and the visiting exhibitions—which might showcase anything from impressionist masterpieces to the works of São Paulo street artists—rarely disappoint. There are two coffee shops, a restaurant and an arts shop in the building. There is also a children's library on the top floor, and many free activities for all ages. 

Pre-booked tickets have priority on exhibition entrance. You can book for free at  ingressos.ccbb.com.br/cidades

Just a glimpse of the Monastery of St. Benedict's main altar can fill you with awe. Layer upon layer of curvaceous wood carvings coated in gold lend the space an opulent air, while spiral columns whirl upward to capitals topped by the chubbiest of cherubs and angels that appear lost in divine thought. Although the Benedictine monks arrived in 1586, work didn't begin on this church and monastery until 1617. It was completed in 1641, but artisans including Mestre Valentim (who designed the silver chandeliers) continued to add details almost to the 19th century. Sunday Mass at 10 am is accompanied by Gregorian chants.

Corinthian columns adorn the neoclassical National Library (built between 1905 and 1908), the first such establishment in Latin America. Its original archives were brought to Brazil by King João VI in 1808. The library contains roughly 13 million books, including two 15th-century printed Bibles, manuscript New Testaments from the 11th and 12th centuries, and volumes that belonged to Empress Teresa Christina. Also here are first-edition Mozart scores, as well as scores by Carlos Gomes, who adapted the José de Alencar novel about Brazil's Indians, O Guarani, into an opera of the same name.

Nonmembers can see the library by guided tour only (weekdays 11--4); tours are given in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Visitors will need photo ID to enter.

The area became known as Olympic Boulevard, due to the events it hosted during the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. Officially, it brings together Porto Maravilha (with the Warehouses and Praça Mauá) and Orla Conde (from Praça Mauá to Praça XV). The boulevard hosts restaurants, exhibition halls, a boarding hall for cruise ships, and museums. One of the highlights is the boldly colored panel Etinias, by Brazilian artist Kobra. 

The exterior of this circa-1960 metropolitan cathedral, which looks like a concrete beehive, divides opinion. The daring modern design stands in sharp contrast to the baroque style of other churches in Rio, but don't judge until you've stepped inside. When light floods through the colorful stained-glass windows, it transforms the interior—which is 80 meters (263 feet) high and 96 meters (315 feet) in diameter—into a warm, serious place of worship that accommodates up to 20,000 people. An 8½-ton granite rock lends considerable weight to the concept of an altar.

The Convent of St. Anthony was completed in 1780, but some parts date from 1615, making it one of Rio's oldest structures. Its baroque interior contains priceless colonial art, including wood carvings and wall paintings. The sacristy is covered with traditional Portuguese azulejos (ceramic tiles). The church has no bell tower: its bells hang from a double arch on the monastery ceiling. An exterior mausoleum contains the tombs of the offspring of Dom Pedro I and Dom Pedro II.

The classic symmetry of Candelária's white dome and bell towers casts an unexpected air of tranquility over the chaos of downtown traffic. The church was built on the site of a chapel founded in 1610. Construction on the present church began in 1775, and although the emperor formally dedicated it in 1811, work on the dome wasn't completed until 1877. The sculpted bronze doors were exhibited at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris.

This baroque church was completed in 1737, nearly four decades after construction began. Today it's famed for its wooden sculptures and its rich gold-leaf interior. The nave contains a painting of St. Francis, the patron of the church—reportedly the first painting in Brazil done in perspective.

Guided tours are offered weekdays 2--4 pm.

The building that houses the National History Museum dates from 1762, though some sections—such as the battlements—were erected as early as 1603. It seems appropriate that this colonial structure should exhibit relics that document Brazil's history. Among its treasures are rare papers, Latin American coins, carriages, cannons, and religious art. Always check their social media or website for the temporary exhibitions or events. 

The Tiradentes Palace contains a permanent exhibit describing its history as the seat of the Brazilian parliament before Brasília was built in the late 1950s. Getúlio Vargas, Brazil's president for almost 20 years and by far the biggest force in 20th-century Brazilian politics, used the palace in the 1940s as a nucleus for disseminating propaganda. Free half-hour tours are given in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

This two-story building with thick stone walls and an ornate entrance was built in 1743, and for the next 60 years was the headquarters for Brazil's captains (viceroys), appointed by the Portuguese court in Lisbon. When King João VI arrived, he made it his royal palace. After Brazil's declaration of independence, emperors Dom Pedro I and II called the palace home, and when the monarchy was overthrown, the building became Rio's central post office. Restoration work in the 1980s transformed the palace into a cultural center and concert hall. The building houses a restaurant, a bistro, and a bit of shopping. The square on which the palace sits, Praça 15 de Novembro, known in colonial days as Largo do Paço, has witnessed some of Brazil's most significant historic moments: here two emperors were crowned, slavery was abolished, and Emperor Pedro II was deposed. The square's modern name is a reference to the date of the declaration of the Republic of Brazil: November 15, 1889. Praça 15, as it is widely known, sits in front of Rio's ferry terminal and is at the heart of a major regeneration project aiming to transform Rio's run-down docklands.

This evocative library, known as the Royal Reading Room, contains the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal and was first established in 1837 as a Portuguese cultural centre during the reign of Portuguese emperor Joao Pedro II. It’s a joy to stroll through its soaring Gothic stacks and soak up the Harry Potteresque atmosphere.