Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte)

    I will be visiting Belo Horizonte next month. Any recommended hotels, places to eat, Etc?
All advice is welcome.
😎

(Next post I will ask about Sao paulo).
   

    -@antonioggriffin

@antonioggriffin, great request to update our expat knowledge base on those various cities. 

Ditto request for me too - except that I am planning my future visit to this beautiful capital sometime next year.  I am interested to know this place not as a tourist but as a place that I can spend time there - say 2 weeks to 1 month at a minimum.

Could we open that request for members who have had great experiences there?  And what makes this city a wonderful place to be in?

One additional request here - I would like to avoid AirBnB / VRBO because those sites have now "commercialized" the vacation rental market.  Those AirBnB  temporary rentals are becoming more like hotel rooms and have strayed from the "shared sofa" with locals concept. 

Are there places that people would recommend to interact more with locals?  And we can return repeatedly....

08/26/24      I will be visiting Belo Horizonte next month. Any recommended hotels, places to eat, Etc?All advice is welcome. 😎(Next post I will ask about Sao paulo).        -@antonioggriffin@antonioggriffin, great request to update our expat knowledge base on those various cities.  Ditto request for me too - except that I am planning my future visit to this beautiful capital sometime next year.  I am interested to know this place not as a tourist but as a place that I can spend time there - say 2 weeks to 1 month at a minimum.Could we open that request for members who have had great experiences there?  And what makes this city a wonderful place to be in?Are there places that people would recommend to interact more with locals?  And we can return repeatedly....        -@Pablo888

Belo Horizonte is a planned city, Brazil's third (and the first after the Proclamation of the Republic) in the series of purpose-built capitals  that eventually led to the founding of Brasília.  So it's not a colonial city, but it's a fascinating kind of proof-of-concept in late-19th Century city planning.  I strongly recommend staying in the area of the original City Plan, which is easy to find:  if you look on Google Maps, it's the part of the city centered on the Parque Municipal and Praça da Liberdade, bisected by Avenida Afonso Pena and surrounded by Avenida do Contorno.   It's laid out as a series of rectangles (the Ruas), with a second series of larger rectangles (the Avenidas) superimposed on the first at a 45° angle.  Last time we were there we stayed in a very nice apartment in Funcionários, one of the Plan bairros ( it was an AirB&B, alas! 😂) and found the area very walkable for BH, which is a hilly city,  Anything of historic interest is in the Plan area, as well as many good restaurants; more are distributed around the Contorno.  We took a very good half day walking tour of the area; I've sent the guide a message to ask whether he still does it and if so, I'll update.

When in the Central area, don't miss Café Nice (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_ … erais.html), some of the best traditional mineiro pão de queijo you'll find anywhere.  Juscelino Kubitschek, Governor of Minas, President of Brazil, and Founder of Brasília was a regular.

BH has grown enormously since it was founded, of course, and Brazil being Brazil, has grown in a totally uncontrolled way, without the new bairros having any reference to the original plan or to each other.   There are a lot of really nice bairros outside the Original Plan, and many scenic overlooks, but a lot of them are best reached by car.  Many of them rise up the surrounding mountains and are quite steep, and many people would not find them walkable.  Remember, Google Street View is your friend:  have a look at anywhere you're considering outside the Original Plan to avoid surprises.

I was just in Belo Horizonte in July. Just a note about the climate, you’ll be visiting at the tail end of the dry season. The air at times can be extremely dry. When I was there in July the humidity hovered around 15%. Also, BH is at a high altitude. About 2700 feet or 850 meters. So, take care if you have any respiratory conditions.

Enjoy

Last time we were there we stayed in a very nice apartment in Funcionários, one of the Plan bairros ( it was an AirB&B, alas! 😂) and found the area very walkable for BH, which is a hilly city,  Anything of historic interest is in the Plan area, as well as many good restaurants; more are distributed around the Contorno.    -@abthree

@abthree, I did some research and it appears that centro area (av. de contorno) is the best area - as you said and there are many hotels in the savassi, lourdes, foncionarios, etc within that region...

How is the safety of the other bairros and how easy is it to use the metro?

Any bairros / areas to avoid?

Thank you....

08/27/24 How is the safety of the other bairros and how easy is it to use the metro?
Any bairros / areas to avoid?
Thank you....
        -@Pablo888

Sorry, I can't be much help there.  The general rule for large Brazilian cities -- that the better neighborhoods tend to be close in and the tougher ones farther out -- applies to BH, with this exception:  that some of the real "Bairros Nobres" tend to be very high up, even if they're farther out.  Mangabeiras, for example, around the "Praça do Papa", the place where John Paul II said Mass during his visit and where the governor lives, is a very nice neighborhood, and very high up.  There are some great scenic overlooks up there worth visiting, but you probably won't want to walk much.

Pampulha is safe and scenic, although quite far to the north of Centro.  Oscar Niemeyer and Juscelino Kubitschek began their collaboration there while Juscelino was governor, and there are some interesting pre-Brasília Niemeyer buildings, especially the church.  The Colégio Estadual Central on Rua Felipe dos Santos in Lourdes, just inside the Contorno, is another notable early Niemeyer building.

the Metrô in BH is a joke -- quite literally.  The usual description of it from the locals is, "O Metrô vai de nenhum lugar a lugar nenhum!"  Unless you go out of your way to find it, you'll probably never see it, it's that out-of-the-way.

BTW, the colonial and imperial capital of Minas Gerais, Ouro Preto, is only 100 km from BH, and well worth a day trip.  The whole city is a designated national historical monument, and boasts some of the most plentiful and best preserved Baroque art and architecture in the country.  You can easily drive back and forth the same day, or go by bus:  the bus service is good and frequent in both directions.

    I will be visiting Belo Horizonte next month. Any recommended hotels, places to eat, Etc?
All advice is welcome.
😎

(Next post I will ask about Sao paulo).
   

    -@antonioggriffin

Research update:  I have been looking at reviews / description / google street views of BH near the Metro.  Most of the reviews to the north of Centro district mention of noise, homelessness, and prostitution.  As @abhtree mentioned, forget the Metro. 

For the transfer from the airport to centro, it appears that an airporter service would be best.  Here is one that I found on google ->https://unir.comprarbilhetes.com.br/?marketingCarrierCode=UNIR&retailerPartnerNumber=825748¤cy=BRL.  The trip from the BH Station to the hotel would be by uber or taxi.

Although I like boutique hotels, reviews appear to be spotty on those.  To experience consistency, it appears that hotel chains would be the best bet.  There are IBIS, Holiday Inns in the southern part of Centro - Savassi mainly.

If I had to go to BH today, my choice would be the Radisson Blu Belo Horizonte as I can use my hotel points and the amenities are what I am used to.  There are no mention of excessive noise or safety issues.  Close to everything and even has staff who speak english.

However, I am reading that if you leave the savassi area at night, you will want to take uber.

There is also a fire in Novo Lima which is further South of Savassi over the mountain ridge.  Depending on the wind direction, there may be smoke.  You may want to check the weather forecast for the wind direction....

@antonioggriffin, did you get to go to BH?  Any insights on BH?  Am also intrigued on how to plan my visit to SP... 

Too many good places to visit in Brazil, so little time...

@Pablo888

Hahahaha this is ABSOLUTELY TRUE..I stayed in Belo Horizonte for some days. I met a Uber driver that spoke English and he showed me around 'Pampulha'.. Very nice place.

I visited Governador Valadares where people come to BASE JUMP, they also are known to hold national competitions here.. This city is absolutely peaceful.