Goiás Velho
Historic Centre Of The Town Of GoiáS, UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed 2001; Former Capital Of The State Of GoiáS · Goiás, Goiás
Goiás Velho, officially the Cidade de Goiás, is a small colonial town in the interior of central Brazil, founded by gold prospectors in 1727 and the capital of Goiás until the new city of Goiânia replaced it in the 1930s. Being left behind preserved it, and UNESCO listed its centre in 2001: low colonial houses with coloured doors and windows, stone streets, simple churches and the Rio Vermelho running through the middle, set against the green hills of the Serra Dourada. It is also the town of the poet Cora Coralina, a baker who became one of Brazil's best-loved writers late in life; her house by the river is a museum. The town is best known for the Procissão do Fogaréu on the Wednesday night of Holy Week, when hooded men carrying torches run through the darkened streets in a re-enactment of the search for Jesus. The rest of the year it is quiet, with sweets made to old recipes, and it combines naturally with Pirenópolis. It is about two and a half hours from Goiânia.
Centro Histórico, Cidade de Goiás, GO, Goiás, Goiás, Brazil
A small town, always open, and quiet enough to walk comfortably into the evening. Museums, including the Casa de Cora Coralina, the Museu das Bandeiras and the Palácio Conde dos Arcos, keep daytime hours and many close on Mondays; several also close for lunch or on Sunday afternoons, so a weekend visit needs planning. Churches open irregularly and some are museums with their own hours. The Procissão do Fogaréu takes place around midnight on the Wednesday of Holy Week: the street lights are turned off, the whole town fills, and every bed is booked months ahead, often with minimum stays. Around that week many shops and museums change their hours. The FICA environmental film festival, usually mid-year, also fills the town when it runs. Waterfalls outside town have no fixed hours but some are on private land that charges entry and closes at dusk. Confirm museum days and festival dates before travelling.