Paraty is a coastal town south of Rio which was settled by the Portuguese in 1667. It has a historic downtown which is closed to cars and has beautifully preserved buildings and churches. We arrived in Paraty from Ilha Grande right as a storm was blowing in but the pretty cobblestone town was a great place to visit despite the rain.
During sunnier times, Paraty is a beach hot spot with many boat tours and hikes available. Our visit was limited to shopping in the historic center, but I can’t complain! The handy crafts were excellent, reasonably priced and I had a whole lot souvenirs to buy for friends back home.
There is a fantastic “ice cream by weight” shop that I would recommend to anyone with a sweet tooth and make sure to try one of the açaí fruit smoothies that are popular in Brazil. We stayed in a lovely hostel called Misti Chill which was run by friendly couple and hosts evening BBQ’s often. It is located right on the waterfront and a short walk to the historic downtown.
Despite the pretty town, great shopping, and nice accommodations, after two days of rain we were left with nothing else to do, so we hit the road to our next destination – Iguazu Falls.
