Niteroi; More than a Museum

The impressive bridge that connects Rio de Janeiro with Niteroi is over 14 km. Many tourists go here to see the famous MAC museum or just pass by on their way to Búzios or Saquarema. But there are more things to it than that and here I have tried to tell you what.

Facts
This is one of the cities in Brazil with the highest living standard, close to 500.000 people live here. One curious fact is how much warmer it is here than in Rio. It is almost always a few degrees Celsius hotter in Niteroi.

Getting there
There are a few options:

Vans & Buses An easy one is to take van, they leave from Praça General Osório i Ipanema along Av. N. S. de Copacabana past Rio Sul in Botafogo along Aterro in Flamengo over the bridge and all the way to Estaçao de Barcas in Niteroi. It´s a good alternative to the buses who are not so frequent. Notice that on Sundays vans and buses are very scarce.
Ferries In the centre of Rio you have a ferry terminal where you have a slower boat going to the above mentioned terminal. You also have faster ones that go to another terminal. All the info you need about getting around in Rio you find by clicking here .
Car This option is particularly good if you want to get to the beaches I will mention below, otherwise that can take a long, long time... Click here to get info on Car Rental in Rio.

MAC
The most famous image of Niteroi is that of the museum Museu de Arte Contemporânea (MAC). Designed by world famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemayer and inaugurated 1996 the spectacular shape has attracted a steady stream of visitors. Not very well suited for exhibitions it is the spectacular views of and from the museum that is the highlight. From the ferry terminals you can easily catch a bus there.

The Beaches
There are some really nice beaches in Niterói. The ones in the centre are unfortunately polluted, the nicer ones with open sea and clear water are (in order from Niteroi) Piratininga with big waves it has a calmer section on the right which is good for bathing. Camboinhas Also with open sea but the sea is calmer, higher standard neighbourhood. Itacoatiara Last but not least this gem wedged in between two big mountains, good for surfing but not for bathing, on the right a little bay with calmer water always full of kids. Posh neighbourhood. There is a bus to Piratininga that is leaving from the centre but they are notoriously crowded, car is definitely to recommend.

The Fish Market
Within walking distance from the ferry terminal you have Mercado de Peixe São Pedro, it´s located past the Carrefour department store. If you came with the van you can ask them to drop you off since it´s on the way. Here you can see gigantic fish and other seafood on display, on the second floor you have restaurants that most of the time accept to cook your purchases for a fee. It´s open Tue-Sat 6h/18h and Sun 6h/12h.

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