Since Juscelino Kubitschek took over the presidency of Brazil in 1956, he was driven with the immense ambition of transforming the country into a first world power. “50 years of progress in five years” and he offered a program to the Brazilians which they followed with great enthusiasm to develop major sites, including the development of a framework of roads, support of heavy industry, construction of hydroelectric dams etc.
And as history had it, the modern capital, Brasilia was constructed at the centre of the territory, with the aim of developing the interior of this huge country. Up until then, the wealth and big cities had been concentrated on the coast.
From his first visit to the desert lands from which the future capital would rise, this visionary declared: “From this plateau, from this deserted place which will become the decisional centre of the country, I see the future of my country and I predict a new dawn for my nation”.

It took a monumental effort to build the city. Eighty thousand workers, the “candangos” (the immigrant manpower from the deprived northeast) worked without rest, relieving each other to keep the work going 24 hours a day for three years. And this technological challenge was made possible, realizing the dreams of the three who had conceived the idea of this city, the urban planner Lucio Costa, the landscape painter Roberto Burle Marx and the architect Oscar Niemeyer, all three resolutely influenced by Le Corbusier.
This is how they envisaged the future Brasilia, they endeavored to follow the advice of Baudelaire, whose philosophy maintained that the raw material of a work of art is the capacity to break rules and move away from what is conventional.

In the centre, the ministry buildings are identical and arranged like dominoes, side by side, along the avenue leading to the Square of the Three Powers where the surprising buildings that give home to Parliament, the Ministry of Justice and the Presidential palace can be seen.

It all seems perfectly organized, too organized perhaps for certain people.

If Brasilia is the result of a unique human adventure, (the city is World Heritage listed by UNESCO) with its architecture and its audacious planning, it can also result in vexing the visitor.

On the one side the monumental avenues exclusively used by vehicles or pedestrians feel intrusive. But on the other side, the outdated spectacle of the relieving of the guards at the presidential palace (the fanfare at military marches enforced in a country that has not seen war since 1945) has been replaced by popular tunes from the seventies. Surprised?
A stop in Brasilia will not leave you indifferent. Whether you like it or not, you cannot help but form an opinion, the construction of this futuristic city will not fail to surprise you.

Length: 3 hours, every day at 09:00 and at 14:00.
Groups of 3 to 12 people with English-speaking guide optional – transportation in comfortable minibus.
We meet with our guide in the hotel at 09:00 (or 14:00 if in the afternoon) for a guided visit of town, to discover the principal tourist sites of the capital: the small church of Fátima dating from 1958, the residential complex of the South, the History and the Institute of Geography of Brazilia (only Monday mornings), the Sanctuary of Dom Bosco (superb stained glasses exhibiting 12 different shades of blue), the television tower (a metallic structure of 224 meters in height with a belvedere of 75 meters), the Ayrton Senna sport center (one of the best equipped in the country), the Buriti palace (seat of the federal government), the JK Memorial (in commemoration of President Kubitschek – entrance fee not included – closed on Mondays), the army’s headquarters (from outside only), the Cathedral Nossa Senhora Aparecida, the ministry esplanade (17 identical buildings except the one of the ministry of Justice and of Foreign Affairs), the Congress (ensemble of 2 towers in the shape of an H, master piece of Niemeyer), the plaza of Three Powers, the Lucio Costa Space (with a 13 m by 13 m miniature of Brasilia), the  Alvorada Palace (from outside only), the official residence of the Brazilian President and the JK bridge (2003 award winner of the most beautiful bridge in the world – only on Mondays).
At the end of the day, return to the hotel or transfer to the airport
Meals not included. Night in hotel.

BRASILIA / CULTURAL TOUR
Length: about 3 hours, everyday from 09:00 to 14:00.
Private visit with English-speaking guide – transportation in comfortable minibus.
Visit of the principal sites of cultural interest: museum of the Central bank of Brazil, museum of the Economic Federal Fund, museum of the Post and Telephone, museum of History and museum of Modern Art.
At the end of the day, return to the hotel or transfer to the airport. Meals not included. Night in a hotel.

BRASILIA / CANDANGO TOUR
Length: about 3 hours, everyday from 09:00 to 14:00.
Private visit with English-speaking guide – transportation in comfortable minibus.
"Candango" is the name given to the thousands Brazilians who flocked (principally from the Nordeste of Brazil) to Brasilia to participate in the enormous work necessary to its construction.
Visit of the History and Geography Institute where is inscribed the true saga of the transfer of the capital to Brasilia.
Then visit of the living museum of the Candanga culture, dedicated to the daily life of the pioneers that erected Brasilia.
Finally visit of the Palacio de Catetinho, temporary residence of Juscelino Kubitschek, today an interactive museum.
At the end of the day, return to the hotel or transfer to the airport. Meals not included. Night in a hotel.

BRASILIA / MYSTICAL TOUR
Length: about 3 hours, everyday from 09:00 to 14:00.
Private visit with English-speaking guide – transportation in comfortable minibus.
A few new age communities have established themselves in “Dawn Valley” (vale de amanhecer), a few miles away from Brasilia. The most important of these mystical communities, founded by Tia Neiva, is largely inspired by Afro-Brazilian religions and the iconography of its pyramidal temple is inspired by Amerindian cultures. The daily turn taken by its members around the large pond is without a doubt one of the most surprising show one can witness…
Visit of the vale de amanhecer and of the temple of the "Good Will" (boa vontade), sheltering a 21 kilo crystal supposed to radiate a cosmico-devine energy.
At the end of the day, return to the hotel or transfer to the airport. Meals not included. Night in a hotel.