Brasília

About Brasília

Built on an empty plateau in less than four years and inaugurated in April 1960, Brasilia is one of the boldest experiments in city planning ever made. The urban planner Lucio Costa laid it out in the shape of an aeroplane or bird, with government buildings along the central Monumental Axis and residential superblocks along the wings, while Oscar Niemeyer designed its sweeping modernist landmarks.

The result is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of white concrete curves set against an enormous sky: the crown-like Cathedral, the twin towers and bowls of the National Congress, the floating arches of the Itamaraty Palace and the Palacio da Alvorada beside the vast artificial Lake Paranoa. Landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx added gardens to many of them.

Brasilia is a city designed for cars, so use taxis or ride-hailing between the sights spread along the axis. Weekends bring craft stalls to the TV Tower, sailing and lakeside restaurants to Lake Paranoa and families to the huge City Park. The dry season, from May to September, brings brilliant blue skies and spectacular sunsets.