Paraty
All of Brazil, within reach.
Adopted by State Law No. 5,588 of 5 October 1965, the Rio de Janeiro state flag is quartered diagonally in white and celeste blue — Portugal's traditional colors — with the state coat of arms placed at its center.
Paraty in pictures
About Paraty
Paraty is Brazil's most complete surviving colonial port town, its 18th-century core of whitewashed, granite-trimmed buildings and cobbled streets inscribed by UNESCO in 2019 alongside the Serra da Bocaina and Baía da Ilha Grande. For trade buyers, it anchors the Costa Verde corridor between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, combining heritage-district product (walking tours, historic churches, cachaça estates) with boutique and luxury lodging, sailing excursions across a bay dotted with islands, and access to Ilha Grande's protected beaches. Positioned roughly 3.5-4 hours by road from Rio, it packages well as a multi-day extension for high-yield leisure, honeymoon, and small-group luxury itineraries, with strong appeal to European and North American operators seeking an authentic, low-density alternative to Rio's urban circuit.
Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport (Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim)
Rio's principal international gateway, served by major long-haul carriers from North America and Europe plus dense domestic connectivity; the standard arrival/departure point for groups being road-transferred to Paraty.
Paraty Airport
A small charter-only airfield with no scheduled commercial service, used for private and executive aviation, air taxi, and helicopter transfers for premium FIT and VIP itineraries.
How Paraty came to be
Sourced milestones your team can use for guest briefings and storytelling — not filler copy.
Curiosities & practical notes
What's on the table
Peixe com banana
Fried or grilled local fish served with fried plantain, a signature caiçara (coastal) combination.
Camarão na moranga
Shrimp stewed in a creamy sauce and served inside a hollowed-out pumpkin.
Peixada paratiense
A regional fish stew simmered with vegetables and herbs, typical of Paraty's coastal kitchens.
Pastel de palmito
Fried pastry filled with heart of palm, a common regional starter.
Bananada
A dense, sliceable sweet paste made from local bananas, sold as a traditional Paraty confection.
Peixe frito com pirão
Fried whole fish served with pirão, a savory manioc-flour porridge made from the fish broth.
Ostras da Baía da Ilha Grande
Oysters harvested from the sheltered waters of the Ilha Grande bay, served fresh at waterfront restaurants.
Cachaça artesanal de Paraty
Small-batch, pot-distilled sugarcane spirit produced on historic local estates and central to the town's identity.
What there is to see
Marked where a site carries UNESCO World Heritage status directly, versus a locally or nationally protected landmark.
Historic Centre of Paraty
The UNESCO-inscribed colonial core of whitewashed, granite-framed buildings and irregular stone-paved streets dating to the 18th century.
Serra da Bocaina National Park
A mountainous Atlantic Forest reserve reaching over 2,000 meters, protecting a surviving stretch of the colonial Gold Trail.
Baía da Ilha Grande and Ilha Grande State Park
A biodiverse island-studded bay and marine protected area anchored by Ilha Grande, the largest island in the bay.
Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios
Paraty's principal parish church on the central square, rebuilt in the 18th-19th centuries and a key landmark of the historic center.
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário e São Benedito
An 18th-century church built by and for Paraty's enslaved and free Black community, among the town's oldest religious buildings.
Capela de Santa Rita
A restored 18th-century chapel now housing a museum of sacred art, one of the most photographed buildings in the historic center.
Forte Defensor Perpétuo
An early 18th-century hilltop fort built to protect Paraty's gold-shipping harbor from pirate raids.
Caminho do Ouro (Gold Trail)
A partly preserved 18th-century stone mule track through the Serra da Bocaina once used to move gold from Minas Gerais to Paraty's port.
What else we brief agencies on
This is what we prepare for every RFP, whether or not it's published on this page yet:
On request for every proposal
- Best season / weather windows and blackout dates for groups & MICE
- Permit and quota logistics for regulated attractions — lead time and group-size caps
- Accessibility notes and physical-difficulty ratings per activity
- Vetted ground partners, guides and transport already used on past programs
- Sustainability / certification credentials relevant to client RFPs, where they genuinely exist
- Real, checked room and vehicle availability for your travel dates — not a generic quote