Built from 1964 to 1979 the cathedral is 80 meters high and has a diameter of 106 meters. It is big enough for 20,000 people standing. The Sacred Art Museum and the Bank of Providence, a charity institution, are also here. The car ride back from the Cathedral is stunning. As you enter the financial center you start running into landmarks like the glass-cube-with-some-parts-missing building of Petrobrás and the inflated Chippendale's highboy at Rio Branco 1. Signs of the times. Rua dos Arcos, 54.

The Carioca Aqueduct, known also as the Lapa Arches, was built in the early XVIII century. It is 270 meters long and surrounded by the Metropolitan Cathedral, Fundição Progresso, Sala Cecília Meirelles, a couple of top samba halls, and other points of interest. The 42 arches linked Santa Teresa and Santo Antonio Hills. Today there is a streetcar linking Lapa to the historical streets of Santa Teresa with several art galleries and other attractions. Lapa

Project and design by A. Guilbert and Francisco de Oliveira Pinto, it opened its doors on July 14, 1909. Paintings by Eliseu Visconti and Rodolfo de Amoedo, and mosaics by Bernardelli are some of the attractions. If you have a chance come for a concert of classical music or ballet and take a look on the inside as you enjoy top quality entertainment. Praça Floriano, s/n.

A project by Francisco Marcelino de Souza in Neoclassical style with Corinthian columns, from 1910. The collection was gathered since the XVIII century. Among the rarities are a Guttenberg Bible from 1462, a 1572 edition of Camões' As Luziadas, the De Angelis collection and the Empress Teresa Cristina's collection, donated by Emperor Dom Pedro II. Av. Rio Branco, 219.

It is considered the most important example of neoclassical architecture in Rio de Janeiro. The structure was designed by French architect Grandjean de Montigny, who came with the French Artistic Mission of 1816. It was built under the request of Dom João VI to lodge the Commercial Park of Rio de Janeiro, and opened doors in 1820. On the following year, when the Portuguese court was ordered to go back to Portugal, it was stage to a riot that was repressed by Dom Pedro I. It reopened in 1824 as a Customs House. In 1944 it became home to the Second Court Jury. Since it started being used as a cultural center in 1983, and a number of important temporary exhibitions were held at the França-Brasil. The building itself is the main permanent attraction. It is aligned to the cardinal points, oblivious to the direction of other buildings around it. The interior features a large cross-shaped space, topped by a monumental dome. The floor is covered in large blocks, with carpets of Belgian tiles on the entrance, and underneath the dome. The roof has a colonial inspiration. Rua Visconde do Itaboraí, 78.