Wandering Around the Historic Town of Paraty
Charming and laid-back, these are the words to describe the historic town of Paraty. It is another interesting destination that we visited in Brazil. This little gorgeous town has rich history and culture. It has old churches, stunning structures and cobblestoned streets.
We went to Paraty after Rio de Janeiro and before heading back to Sao Paulo. Touring around Paraty is easy. It is just a small town that is nice to be covered on foot. Nearby the town are also forests, waterfalls, islands and beaches that are worth visiting. Sadly, we only had few days in Paraty and we spent it exploring the historical center.
The Historic Town of Paraty
It was on our second day when we went out to see some historic attractions in Paraty. After having our lunch, we dropped by the tourism office. We asked for a map that we could use while touring around. The tourism staff told about the churches built in the center. These churches are Capela de Santa Rita, Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário e São Benedito, Capela de Nossa Senhora das Dores and Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Remédios. Learning about these important historic baroque churches, we marked them down in our map so we can also have some direction to follow while touring.
We were able to see the churches as we strolled down the cobbled laneways. All of the churches were not open that time unfortunately. So we only took some photos. But aside from these churches, wandering around this colonial town also lead us to see some vibrant Portuguese architecture. The town has plenty of old structures to admire and also tons of shops with some handicraft and artisan.
Some streets in Paraty were submerged in water. I thought it was just because of the rain. But I learned that the town is below sea level. Paraty experiences occasional high tide flooding in downtown area.
Spending a day wandering around this beautiful historical center also brought us to some secrets and hidden gems. We were also able to experience some local ambiance. Every corner is picture perfect. The town is also home to several art galleries. There are also trendy cafes, bars and restaurants. We ended the tour dining in at the café near the tourism office. We thought it would be nice to have coffee and slice of cake to reward ourselves.
Note: Additional photos by Doi of The Travelling Feet
