PlanetEye

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Paraty, world heritage town and source of excellent fire water

Brendan

The Global Nomad

The impeccably restored colonial town of Paraty (pah-rah-chee), several hours’ drive south of Rio, is well worth a few days’ visit. The end of the Royal Road that carried the riches of Brazil’s mines to the coast, Paraty was stuck in a kind of time warp until only recently, owing to the fact that the modern coastal highway bypassed the town.

Today it is a tasteful colonial (and UNESCO World Heritage) town in the vein of Antigua, Guatemala or San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, attracting mostly an artistic community and tourists. I swear Paraty has more ateliers per capita than any place on the planet.

Paraty is a mellow, subdued town, and there isn’t a whole lot of night life outside of Saturday night at the disco. However there are a ton of great restaurants (most with live music), a participatory cooking school-cum-restaurant, a well-respected puppet theatre (no, that is not a tongue in cheek joke), and some really charming hotels and B&Bs in restored colonial buildings. A river runs along one side of the town and the cobblestone streets closest to the sea flood at high tide, making it picturesque—a photographer’s dream. As long as it isn’t raining. Add some great shopping (so my girlfriend said) and you have a great recipe for a romantic 3-day getaway.

Paraty is well-known for two other things: booze, and booze cruises. Some of the county’s best cachaça (see last post) is made in the area, and there are stores stocked to ceiling around town with the stuff. The pretty harbour is filled with schooners (although you won’t see many sails) and in the high season they are filled with crowds who come to drink, tan and cruise the area’s pristine coves and shores. Caipirinha anyone?

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