Guide to Paraty - Rio de Janeiro

Paraty is a historical city which clearly maintains its style.

History of Paraty - Rio de Janeiro

The name comes from "Parati" which the city also commonly is called today.
The word Parati originates from Tupi meaning "white fish".
With pathways developed by the Indians the area started to get used by the Portuguese in the end of the 17th century as a way to get from the state of Minas Gerais to the port of Rio de Janeiro.

Minas Gerais, the state of precious stone and metal, soon made Paraty an extremely wealthy city.
However, in the beginning of the 18th century the Portuguese crown changed the route for a more safer one, ending the traffic through Paraty.
With less movement through the city its wealth soon declined. New source of income only came in the early 19th century when it became part of the trade route for coffee.

The historical aspect of the city is easy to experience - with no cars allowed inside the historical city center.

One Street of Paraty

A Street in Paraty

This historical city have maintaned much of its charm where also the stores inside the historical center keeps fine balance of commercialism and the historical charm.

Store in Paraty

During evenings, restaurants and bars open in the historical center.

Beyond visiting the historical city center another very common activity is day trips by boat.
The harbour is very close to the Church of Santa Rita. Available boats are mostly small boats for more private tours as seen in picture below.

Boats in Paraty

Another common trip are by larger boats, where numerous stops are made at several beaches.
They also serve lunch on board which were surprisingly good.
Below is the boat which I went with in my last visit. Picture taken from one of the beach stops.
Beach and Boat in Paraty

Beach and boat trip in Paraty