What to See in Brasilia - Top Sights and Attractions

Iconic building with presidential office. The Palácio do Planalto in Brasília is the official workplace of the president of Brazil. The building was designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1958 and inaugurated on April 21, 1960. It has been the workplace of every Brazilian president since Juscelino Kubitschek. It is located at the Praça dos Três Poderes, to the east of the National Congress of Brazil and across from the Supreme Federal Court.

It is one of the official palaces of the Presidency, along with the Palácio da Alvorada, the official residence. Besides the President, other high ranking government officials also work from the Planalto, including the Vice President and the Chief of Staff; the other government ministry buildings are located on the Ministries Esplanade. As the seat of government, the term Planalto is often used as a metonym for the executive branch of the federal government.

The building, constructed in the modernist style, is part of the Brasília World Heritage Site, designated by UNESCO in 1987.^[1]

Unique modernist bridge built in 2002. Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, commonly called Ponte JK, is a steel and concrete arch bridge across Lake Paranoá in Brasília, Brazil. It connects the eastern shore of the lake – where Lago Sul, Paranoá and Brasília International Airport are located – to Brasília's city center, via the Monumental Axis. Opened to traffic on December 15, 2002, its distinctive silhouette quickly became a Brasília landmark.

The bridge is named after President Juscelino Kubitschek, who served from 1956 to 1961, and is generally considered the main figure supporting the construction of the planned city of Brasília. It was designed by architect Alexandre Chan and structural engineer Mário Vila Verde.^[6]

Performing arts theater in Brasília, Brazil. The Cláudio Santoro National Theater is a multi-theater building in Brasília, Brazil. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer in the Modern architectural style. Construction began on July 30, 1960, and the building was completed in 1966. Built in the shape of a truncated pyramid, it is the largest building in Brasilia designed by Niemeyer specifically for the arts. The building was closed for renovation in 1976, and was reopened on April 21, 1981.

The National Theater is operated by Secretary of Culture of the Federal District and is home to three venues; the 60-seat Alberto Nepomuceno theater, the 407-seat Martins Pena theater, and the 1,407 seat Villa-Lobos theater. The complex also includes an exhibition gallery that is accessible to the public.

The Theater has been under renovation for more than two years and remains closed to the public.^[7]

White stone plaza with executive offices. Praça dos Três Poderes is a plaza in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. The name is derived from the presence of the three governmental powers around the plaza: the Executive, represented by the Palácio do Planalto; the Legislative represented by the Congresso Nacional; and the Judiciary, represented by the Supremo Tribunal Federal.

The plaza was designed by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer as a place where the three powers would meet harmoniously, it has now become a tourist attraction of Brasília.

The plaza is home to the largest flag in the world to be flown regularly (in this case, continuously). The Brazilian flag hoisted weighs about 600 kilograms (1300 pounds) and has never been taken down (not counting monthly replacements) since the capital was inaugurated on 21 April 1960. The flag is changed monthly in the presence of Presidential Guard Battalion, Independence Dragoons, other troops and sometimes the President of Brazil.^[8]

Building in Brasília, Brazil. The Tancredo Neves Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom is a cenotaph in the Brazilian capital Brasília, dedicated to the honour of national heroes. It was conceived during the national shock following the death in 1985 of Tancredo Neves, the first elected civilian president after twenty years of military rule.

Unlike other national pantheons it is not a mausoleum and does not contain any tombs.

It is located in the Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasilia. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer as a modernist building symbolizing a dove. It has three floors with a total area of 2,105 m2 (22,660 sq ft). The foundation stone was laid by French President François Mitterrand on 15 October 1985.

The exhibition area, entirely dedicated to Tancredo Neves, was reopened in 2013. It includes copies of documents, films by Silvio Tendler and interactive technologies.

The names of those honoured can be found in the Livro de Aço ('Book of Steel'), also called the Livro dos Heróis da Pátria ('Book of National Heroes'). This is housed on the third floor between the Painel da inconfidência, a sculpture in honour of the martyrs of eighteenth-century uprising in Minas Gerais and the stained glass by Marianne Peretti. Each time a new name and biography is entered into its metal pages a ceremony in memory of the honouree is celebrated.^[9]

Tower in Brazil. The Brasilia Digital TV Tower is a broadcast tower which made digital television signal available for the whole Federal District and surroundings. It is also known as the “Flor do Cerrado”, the Cerrado flower. Initially planned to open to the public on April 21, 2010, as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the City of Brasília, the tower was only inaugurated two years later on April 21, 2012.

The tower was one of the final designs of Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, and cost R$75 million.

The tower is 182 meters tall to the top of the antenna. The enclosed building is reinforced concrete structure for 120 meters, with 50m of metallic structure above that, topped by a 12m television antenna. The main building contains two observatories. The highest one, 80 meters above the ground, contains a restaurant with a panoramic view. The other one is used as an art gallery.^[13]

The Dom Bosco Sanctuary, also called by its official name, Santuário São João Bosco, is a Catholic church in Brasilia, dedicated to the city's second patron saint, Saint John Bosco, the Dom Bosco, who is said to have prophesied the existence of the Brazilian capital in the 19th century during a dream. It is administered by the Salesian Congregation and is located in Asa Sul. It is one of the best known religious temples in the city, and despite its name, it has only officially become a sanctuary since 2017.

It was designed by architect Carlos Alberto Naves and is especially famous for its stained glass windows, receiving thousands of tourists every year and being considered one of the Seven Wonders of Brasília's Cultural Heritage. The creation of the church was an initiative of the Salesians in partnership with the Federal Government. Inspired by Dom Bosco's dream of Brasília, a small chapel was also built in front of Lake Paranoá, the Ermida Dom Bosco.

Avenue in Brasília, Brazil. The Monumental Axis is a central avenue in Brasília's city design.

The avenue begins on the National Congress of Brazil building and is considered part of the DF-002 road. Its first section is known as "Ministries Esplanade" ("Esplanada dos Ministérios"), as it is surrounded by ministries buildings. Many important government buildings, monuments and memorials are located on the Monumental Axis.

A common urban legend persists that the Monumental Axis is the widest road in the world, where " cars can drive side by side". This is untrue, as the road consists of two avenues with six lanes on either side; a total of twelve lanes. However, the street has been featured in the Guinness Book of Records as having the widest median strip of a highway in the world.

On April 21, 2008, a year before they formally broke up, the Mexican pop group RBD performed a free concert to a crowd of 500,000 on the Monumental Axis during Empezar Desde Cero Tour 2008. The show was to celebrate the 48th Anniversary of the founding of Brasília. It was recorded and released on DVD with the title Live in Brasilia. The crowd in attendance was the largest for which the group had performed.^[14]