Praca da Liberdade

Praça da Liberdade is the grand civic heart of Belo Horizonte, a beautifully landscaped square framed by palm-lined gardens and a sweeping ensemble of historic government buildings, originally the seat of the state of Minas Gerais. After the government moved out, the surrounding palaces were converted into the 'Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade,' a cluster of excellent free and low-cost museums covering art, Minas Gerais history, memory and tolerance, and more, making the square one of Brazil's best concentrations of culture.

The gardens themselves, with their geometric paths, fountains, and rows of imperial palms, are a lovely place to stroll, and the buildings range from eclectic early-20th-century palaces to a striking Niemeyer-designed apartment block on one corner. Come to wander the gardens and dip into a museum or two.

Don't miss

• The landscaped palm-lined gardens and fountains
• The Circuito Cultural's cluster of museums
• Eclectic early-20th-century government palaces
• A Niemeyer-designed apartment building on the square
• A concentrated, mostly-free culture hub

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Praca da Liberdade

Cheapest way inInhotim - one of the largest open air museums in the World4.6★ · 48 travelers~10 hoursFree cancellationFrom$135 per personSee dates →

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Know before you go

• The surrounding palaces are now museums, pick a couple from the cultural circuit.
• Most museums close Mondays; plan around that.
• The gardens alone are a lovely free stroll.
• Look for the Niemeyer-designed building on the square's corner.

A bit of history

Laid out in the 1890s as part of the planned new capital of Minas Gerais, Praça da Liberdade was the administrative centre, ringed by government palaces. When the state government relocated in the 2010s, the buildings were repurposed into a cultural circuit of museums and centres.