FACTS ABOUT PARATY: Paraty is an old, small and charming town located on the coast between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, squeezed in between the sea and the mountains, about 330km from São Paulo and 260km from Rio de Janeiro. The town is situated in the state of Rio de Janeiro and has about 30.000 inhabitants. It exists two kinds of spelling of the town’s name, Parati and Paraty, but the last version ending with “Y” is the old, traditional and correct name, also according to the definition of the local authority / city hall.

HOW IS PARATY: Paraty was inhabited by the Guianas Indians when the Portuguese settled the site in the early part of the 16th century. With the discovery of gold in the state of Minas Gerais at the end of the 17th century, Paraty became an important port and commercial center during the colonial period, as miners and colonizer disembarked gold and shipped to Europe. Today it is possible to make a trail along a part of this old Gold Trail, near Paraty, which was the main road from the state of Minas Gerais to the States of Rio de Janeiro.

The following century, it served to export the coffee (and some sugar cane) produced in the Paraíba Valley, located in the States of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The port lost importance with the laying of the railroad between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro at the end of the 19th Century, and the city went through a period when it was forgotten. Paraty’s beauty was only rediscovered after the opening of new roads during the 1970s, and it became an internationally famous tourist point, offering good inns and excellent restaurants to its visitors.

Most of these streets in Paraty have two names, one official and the other popular. The main attractions are in the Historical Center, which covers practically the entire city, and which offers several places that are open for visitation, such as the old jail, a fort, museums, houses with arts and crafts, and churches.

Paraty is located at a river month which ends in a big bay that has 65 islands and 300 beaches in its surroundings. This beautiful archipelago protects the visitors from the open sea’s high waves, and it is good for swimming and snorkeling it its blue/green clear waters. Many of the beaches are still without any urbanization and some with fishermen villages. There are daily boat excursions to experience the beautiful archipelago, to enjoy the sea, the sun and beaches, and there are also excellent sites for diving at nearby islands.

WHEN TO GO / CLIMATE: Paraty is possible to visit all around the year. There are no big variations in the climate in Paraty. The hottest period (summer) is from November to March, when the precipitation is highest as well. The coolest period (winter) is normally from June to August, when it is quite dry as well. It is rare with temperatures below 20ºC “winter time”, and it is an annual average temperature of 27ºC.The winter might be comparable with summer climate in northern Europe.

HOW TO GO: Paraty can be reached by air from Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, but by chartered helicopter or small aircraft, sometimes it runs small aircraft on regular basis. Another possibility is by sea, arriving with a cruise ship; then Packtours do arrangements in the same way as you would arrive by air, but IF you will continue stay at the cruiser, we can arrange tours in Paraty from/to the ship. Third and most common possibility is to arrive by land (car / bus) from Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo (via road BR-101), or some of surrounding beach resorts along the green coast, Angra dos Reis, Ilha Grande, Ilhabela, Ubatuba, etc were Packtours also can make all necessary travel arrangements for you.

HOW LONG STAY: For the first time visitor we recommend at least a two night stay (to get one full day in Paraty), to able a tour in the beautiful archipelago and stroll along the charming cobble stone streets. Besides the pre-booked hotel and airport transfers, we recommend you to book “a tour by boat / schooner”.

WHAT TO DO IN PARATY: Besides the main attractions in Paraty that you can read more about below there are some special events of interest as well, that may justify a longer stay:

EVENTS:
Carnival (varying: February / March)
In Paraty, the merrymakers enjoy the party in Masked Blocks and with mud.

The Pinga Festival (3rd weekend of August)
This is held every third weekend during the month of August. It has local cachaça (typical Brazilian sugar cane rum) tasting, music shows and stands with typical regional foods.

Party of the Divine (varying: April / May)
This is a tradition brought over from the Azores and Madeira during the 18th Century. The party is celebrated for ten days. There are processions and typical dances. It is always held 40 days after Easter – following the rituals of the Catholic Church;

International Literary Party (varying: July / August)
This is held every year and it gathers national and international authors of every genre for the release and dissemination of new publications, and the re-edition of great successes. There are also debates and lectures about the theme.

ATTRACTIONS:

Historical Center
The attractions are spread all over the city and should be seen on foot, since the main streets are closed to vehicle traffic in the Historical Center. The tour can begin with a visit to the outside of the old City Hall, built in the 19th Century. The Jail House – or simply the Patitiba Barracks -, built in the 18th Century is home to the library and the art museum. There is also the Culture House, from 1754, which has arts and crafts shops, a bookstore, space for holding events and an exhibit that tells the history of the city.

The main churches are: the Mother Church of Our Lady of Remédios, from 1873, and adorned in neo-Classic style; the Church of Saint Rita dos Pardos Libertos, built in 1722, a postcard to the city and home to the Museum of Sacred Art; Our Lady of Pain, with its internal terraces made of laced work wood; and Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Benedict, which were raised by slave labor in 1725.

Paraty Bay
This is one of the most beautiful locations along the Brazilian coastline. It belongs to the Grande Island bay and has calm, clear waters. These characteristics make the location an ideal destination for excursions and for water sports – such as diving and sailing.

Diving
The bay of Paraty, with its calm, clear waters, is great for diving. Since it is a “bay within the bay of Grande Island”, it is rarely necessary to suspend any trip to sea due to bad weather. Packtours arrange rent of diving clothes and equipment, get a boat, and can even arrange a complete diving course. The most indicated locations for diving are the Catimbau, dos Ganchos, Comprida, dos Ratos, Meros and do Algodão Islands; and among the best beaches, there is the Praia Grande da Deserta.

Marinas
Paraty is a privileged port for the water tourist. It has an ample marina structure and all necessary nautical services for your comfort and safety. Its islands and beaches are veritable invitations to navigation.

Gold trail (Royal Gold Road)
The old trail from the mountains in the state of Minas Gerais (gold mines) to the port in Paraty, has disappeared, partly destroyed by urbanization and new roads, but mainly the Atlantic Rain Forest and agriculture areas have covered / hided the old cobble stone road. However, a part near to Paraty has been cleaned and consequently possible to visit and walk on. There is some traces of things and constructions left behind, a simple museum possible to visit along the trail and a charming cottage were lunch can be served. There exists other parts of the Gold Trail, also possible to visit / experience, but quite far away from Paraty, they are in the region of Minas Gerais, for instance in Ouro Preto.

SHOPPING

Cachaça (Pinga)
There are more than 300 brands of cachaça (pinga) from several parts of Brazil, including the seven produced in a distillery of Paraty.

Cachaça Emporium
Liqueurs, domestic and imported cigars, pipes, tobacco, cassava flour, molasses. R. Dr. Samuel Costa, 145 (Historical Center). Cachaças from Paraty and other national brands: Porto da Pinga, Rua da Matriz (Historical Center).