Every year, more than 12 million faithful visit the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in search of peace and spiritual comfort. As well as attending mass, pilgrims can enjoy the spaces that make up the religious complex.
The attractions unite faith, art, history and nature, offering leisure alternatives for the summer vacation. How about taking advantage of the weekend and putting in your day trip options? Check out the attractions:
Backpacking in Aparecida: 6 tours to enjoy in the city
Trem do Devoto
A train ride through a landscape with scenery and statues that recall the main moments in the life of Christ. This is the experience offered by the Trem do Devoto.
In addition, the monorail serves as a transportation option for pilgrims visiting the Camino do Rosário. The stretch connects the City of the Pilgrim to the Port of Itaguaçu, where the image of the Saint was found in the Paraíba do Sul River in 1717.
📆 Check out the opening hours for the month at this link
🎫 From R$9 (half-price) each way
Caminho do Rosário
On board the train, visitors take a 1.4 km route along the Caminho do Rosário. This open-air museum houses 128 sculptures and 20 scenes depicting the four Mysteries of the Rosary (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous).
The landscaping project also includes more than 90 species of plants, which blend with the native vegetation of the Paraíba do Sul River riparian forest, uniting art and nature.
📆 Every day from 6am to 7.30pm
🎫 Free
Our Lady of Aparecida Museum
Opened in 1956, the museum’s central theme is the history of devotion to Our Lady in Brazil. Its collection includes sacred arts, ancient paintings and even indigenous pieces, which allow for an immersion in faith, culture and art.
📆 Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.; Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. and public holidays from 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
🎫 From R$ 24 (half-price)
Bondinhos
After a trip through history, tourists can enjoy a ride in the heights. The Aerial Blondes of Aparecida were built to facilitate access for devotees of Our Lady to Morro do Cruzeiro, an important pilgrimage point in the National Sanctuary complex.
The route is about 1.1 km long, at a height of up to 120 meters. At Morro do Cruzeiro, tourists can also enjoy a privileged view of the Basilica and the entire region from the Mirante Tower, which is 30 meters high and has a 360° panoramic floor.
📆 Check out the opening hours for the month at this link
🎫 From R$11 (half-price)
Memorial of Devotion to Our Lady of Aparecida
Built in honour of the 300th Jubilee, the memorial is a project of evangelization through art and technology, which houses the Cine Padroeira, the Cantinho dos Devotos Mirins and an exhibition space.
All the attractions combine art and multimedia effects to take visitors on a unique sensory experience through the three centuries of Our Lady’s history.
📆 Every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
🎫 From R$ 24 (half-price)
Aparecida Wax Museum
In this museum, more than 50 life-size statues recreate the main miracles and events related to the Saint. In addition, there are statues of famous devotees, such as Pope John Paul II, Saint Mother Teresa and Father Galvão.
📆 Tuesday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm
🎫 From R$25 (half-price)
Velha Basilica
Inaugurated on June 24, 1888, the church now known as Basílica Velha is one of Aparecida’s great historical heritage sites and one of the symbols of the city’s historic center. In addition, it was the first basilica in Brazil recognized by the Vatican.
Passageway of Faith
To connect the two main temples – the Old Basilica and the New Basilica – the Walkway of Faith was inaugurated in 1971. A few days later, a large procession traveled the route for the first time, carrying the image of Our Lady from 1717.
Since then, millions of faithful have walked along the 392.2 meter long structure. For historian Tereza Pasin, the walkway represents the “union between the past, with the Old Basilica on Morro dos Coqueiros, and the present, with the New Basilica on Morro das Pitas”.
