How to get there

We went to Minas Gerais in a school trip. We took a flight from São Paulo to Belo Horizonte and from there a bus to the cities of Ouro Preto and Mariana.

From São Paulo to Belo Horizonte it took 2 hours by plane. Then we got a bus from Belo Horizonte to Ouro Preto and it took 1 hour and 38 minutes. To go to Mariana it took us only 20 minutes by bus.

We came back to São Paulo from Mariana and it was an 8-hour trip.

If you prefer you can do everything by airplane, but from Belo Horizonte to Ouro Preto or Mariana you can’t, you need to take a car or a bus. 

What to take

In the morning the weather is cold but the sun heats up during the afternoon, so during the day you can use fresh clothes and a jacket that you can take off if you want in case the wind isn’t very strong.

At the end of the day the weather starts to change and gets colder, so bring heavy clothes for the night. In these historical cities there are many slopes, so it is advisable to bring comfortable shoes like tennis or sandals.

If you go to the mining areas, use special shoes such as boots or shoes that do not slip. It’s also advisable to use long pants and a blouse that avoids any scratching.

Where to eat / what to eat

The better option to eat in Minas Gerais is the typical food, a delicious homemade food based in rice, beans and sausages. You can eat in a delicious traditional restaurant, where you can enjoy Minas Gerais cuisine, called Restaurante Casa do Contos.

Where to stay

In Mariana there are many good and cozy inns. When we went with the school we stayed in Providencia Hotel, a small inn that used to be a convent at the city center.

In Ouro Preto we stayed at a very cozy and small inn, called Pouso das Gerais. You can also stay in  an inn near Pouso da Gerais, in front of a square, called Ponta do Morro but there are many good options to stay in the city.

What to see

In these cities we saw a lot of churches decorated with gold and the works of Aleijadinho, a famous artist, sculptor and architect of that time. We also saw historical monuments, colonial museums and two mines. In the street there are a lot of slopes. There you can see a lot of old villages and ancient buildings and learn a lot about European, African and South American natives'  history and about the gold age.

Weather

The climate is tropical and it is a mountain region.

Location

Ouro Preto and Mariana are located on the hills of Minas Gerais, a region known as Serra do Espinhaço, known as the  the trail of the ancient travellers, who discovered  gold in that region.