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Minas Gerais: the Gold Towns – Route Guide

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Ouro Preto's baroque skyline
Photo: Alvesgaspar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Baroque hill towns built on gold rushes: Aleijadinho's soapstone prophets, mine tunnels under the streets and Brazil's most beloved cooking.

Minas Gerais: the Gold Towns is a 200 km one-way journey (self-drive). It works best as 4–6 days; the plan below is the 5-day version for July, built from 173 verified places, with real road-routed transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

4–6
days
200km
distance
5
Stops
173
curated stops

Plan your own version → 4-day plan · 5-day plan · 6-day plan · best time to go

The route

Belo Horizonte→ 100 kmOuro Preto→ 12 kmMariana→ 78 kmSão João del Rei→ 10 kmTiradentes

What you'll see

Praça da Liberdade
Relax under palm trees beside historic and modern buildings.
Belo Horizonte
Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição
Admire 8 lavishly decorated altars and visit Aleijadinho's grave.
Ouro Preto
Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Assunção
Admire a grand church built by famous artists like Aleijadinho.
Mariana
São João del Rei
You will see well-preserved colonial architecture and feel the rich history of a mining town.
São João del Rei
Church of Saint Anthony
Marvel at the richest gold foil interior in any Brazilian church.
Tiradentes
Pampulha
Admire Oscar Niemeyer's modern designs against lush greenery.
Belo Horizonte
Praça Tiradentes
Gather in the town's heart between museums and historic buildings.
Ouro Preto
Igreja São Francisco de Assis
Behold intricate decorations and a medallion by Aleijadinho.
Mariana

Choose your length

4-day plan18 stops · 8.5 h transit4.5 stops/day · 2.1 h transit/daySee the full plan →5-day plan25 stops · 9.0 h transit5 stops/day · 1.8 h transit/daySee the full plan →6-day plan32 stops · 10.7 h transit5.3 stops/day · 1.8 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September

The dry, cooler months — cobbled climbs without the sweat, and June's festas juninas.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

Plan your own version →