Travel Niterói, Brazil

For most, Niterói's primary attraction is the Museu do Arte Contemporânea (MAC) - designed by famous architect Oscar Niemeyer - and the stunning views of Rio across the bay. To get to Niterói you can take a bus, but I wouldn't recommend it, bridge traffic can be a mess and the ferry ride across that bay is beautiful. The fairy costs about R$5 and leaves from Praça XV de Novembroo in Centro, although I recommend taking the faster and more comfortable jumbo catamaran, which costs R$11.

Both boats disembark in Niterói's Centro - a vast shopping and business district. From here you can catch a bus to the MAC and various surrounding beaches. There is also the "Linha Turismo," which operates Saturdays and Sundays leaving the Arariboia Square at the Fery Station. Departure times are at 10AM, 12:30PM and 2:30PM and make 7 different stops along Niteroi's main attractions - basically a tour of Guanabara Bay in Niteroi, through Cantareira, Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), the beaches of Icaraí, San Francisco, and Charita Jurujuba and Fortress Santa Cruz. The price is R$10 for a round-trip all day hop in and out ticket.

Although many tourists only come to Niterói for the MAC, there is much more to do - especially when you make it to Niterói's ocean-facing beaches: Piratininga, Camboinhas, Itaipu and finally Itacoatiara. Itacoatiara, the nicest of the group, is framed by two towering hills, with the ocean in front and green vegetation in back. There are also a few nice hikes up the surrounding mountains and a permanent slickline set up on the beach. Piratininga is also nice, especially its prainha (little beach), which offers easy swimming as well as rock diving. To get to the beaches simply look for a bus with the name of the beach. Usually the Itaipu bus makes a stop in Itacoatiara. See individual pages for more information.

Other great sights include Parque da Cidade, which provides an amazing 360º panorama view of Rio, Niterói, and all of the surrounding beaches. It is a paragliding takeoff point (they will offer to take you up, if interested) and sunsets from here are unbeatable. To get here you need a car, a friend with a car, or a taxi.