bridge
Rio-Niterói Bridge
13 km box-girder giant striding across Guanabara Bay: the longest bridge in the Southern Hemisphere at its opening in 1974, with sweeping views of Rio's skyline.
41 km · about 45 min drive
South AmericaBrazilRio de Janeiro
Petrópolis
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · South America
About Petrópolis
Petrópolis sits on the route: 25 minutes from Guapimirim, 41km from Rio-Niterói Bridge.
Petrópolis is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with about 270,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Guapimirim, about 21 km away.
Petrópolis (Portuguese: [peˈtɾɔpolis, -pu-]) is a city of the estado (state) of central Rio de Janeiro, in southeastern Brazil, in a valley of the Órgãos Mountains, 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Rio de Janeiro city. According to the 2022 Brazilian census, Petrópolis municipality had a population of 278,881Read more
inhabitants. Besides being the largest and most populous city in the Fluminense Mountain Region, the city also has the largest Gross Domestic Product and Human Development Index in the region.
The town's name ("City of Peter") honors Pedro II, the last Emperor of Brazil, who is entombed there at the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Alcantara. The city was the summer residence of the Brazilian Emperors and aristocrats in the 19th century, and was the official capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro during the First Brazilian Republic, between 1894 and 1902.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Petrópolis?
Within an hour or so of Petrópolis: Rio-Niterói Bridge (41 km), Museu do Amanhã (43 km), Confeitaria Colombo (45 km), Escadaria Selaron (46 km).
Where is Petrópolis?
Petrópolis is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, about 21 km from Guapimirim.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 272,691
- Continent
- South America
- Country
- Brazil
- Region
- Rio de Janeiro
- Timezone
- America/Sao_Paulo
- Coordinates
- -22.5050, -43.1786
Tags
Worth the detour from Petrópolis
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
museum
Museu do Amanhã
Science museum by Santiago Calatrava on Rio's revitalised Praça Mauá waterfront, adjacent to the port district drive.
43 km · about 50 min drive
cafe
Confeitaria Colombo
An 1894 Rio patisserie of Belgian mirrors, Portuguese tiles and jacaranda cabinets, built when the city was flush with coffee money and still serving pastel de nata under a vast stained-glass skylight.
45 km · about 50 min drive
photogenic
Escadaria Selaron
A staircase between Lapa and Santa Teresa covered by Chilean artist Jorge Selaron in over 2,000 tiles sent from 60 countries, worked on daily from 1990 until his death in 2013.
46 km · about 55 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar)
A granite peak rising 396 meters from Guanabara Bay, reached by cable car with sweeping views of Rio's beaches, mountains, and cityscape.
49 km · about 55 min drive
tunnel
Rebouças Tunnel
Twin-bore road tunnel under the Tijuca massif linking Rio's South Zone to the North Zone, about 2.8 kilometres long.
49 km · about 55 min drive
landmark
Christ the Redeemer
Towering 30-metre Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ atop Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro.
50 km · about 55 min drive
beach
Copacabana Beach
Rio de Janeiro's legendary four-kilometre stretch of sand framed by dramatic mountains and buzzing with energy.
52 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Petrópolis
- 41 kmRio-Niterói Bridge13 km box-girder giant striding across Guanabara Bay: the longest bridge in the Southern Hemisphere at its opening in 1974, with sweeping views of Rio's skyline.
- 49 kmSugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar)A granite peak rising 396 meters from Guanabara Bay, reached by cable car with sweeping views of Rio's beaches, mountains, and cityscape.
- 49 kmRebouças TunnelTwin-bore road tunnel under the Tijuca massif linking Rio's South Zone to the North Zone, about 2.8 kilometres long.
- 53 kmVista ChinesaA pagoda-style belvedere built in 1903 in the Tijuca forest, giving a framed view over the Lagoa, Corcovado, Ipanema and Sugarloaf. Reachable by car on the Estrada da Vista Chinesa.
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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