Information for Travelers
Brasília, inaugurated as the capital of Brazil in 1960, is a planned city with distinctive and modern architecture.
Its location in central Brazil was chosen to help open up the western part of the country.
The extraordinarily ambitious plan, particularly the work of Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer, caused a sensation with its avant-garde architecture and innovative urban ideals.
Most of which are in a large area, but these are largely separated from the commercial and residential neighborhoods where you can participate in local life.
The central area is shaped like a large cross with a curved north-south axis, Eixo Rodoviário, and a straight east-west axis, Eixo Monumental.
The Esplanada dos Ministérios is the central axis with the main official buildings.
Be prepared for lots of hikes or join a tour to cover the distances between the sights.
Culture
As Brasília was planned and built as a whole piece, it does not have the mix of commercial, residential and governmental functions that happens when a city grows over time; rather, these uses are strictly divided.
This makes it easy to find the architectural highlights, which today are its main tourist attractions.
The layout of the city resembles an airplane, where the hull is the Monumental Axis, 2 wide streets in a huge park.
In the "cockpit" is the Praça dos Três Poderes, named after the 3 governmental powers that surround it.
Read about Brasilia in Wikipedia