Along Guanabara Bay, between Downtown and Botafogo, the Aterro do Flamengo is a large waterfront park. Officially named Parque Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, or Parque do Flamengo, it brings together lawns, trees, cycle paths, sports courts and a beach, always with Sugarloaf in view.
The park was built on landfill — partly made with earth from the Morro de Santo Antônio, a hill razed in Downtown — and opened in 1965, the year of the city’s 400th anniversary. The project was led by Lota de Macedo Soares, with landscaping by Roberto Burle Marx and buildings by Affonso Eduardo Reidy.
Reidy also designed the Museum of Modern Art, MAM Rio, at the park’s northern end. In 1965 the whole ensemble was listed as heritage by IPHAN, Brazil’s national heritage institute. Lota’s story with American poet Elizabeth Bishop inspired the 2013 film “Reaching for the Moon” (“Flores Raras”).
Cycle paths, sports courts, football pitches and picnic areas are scattered across the park. There is also Praia do Flamengo, the Monument to the Dead of World War II (1960), which holds the remains of Brazilian soldiers killed in Italy, and the Marina da Glória.
The highlight is being outdoors with a view of the bay: on Sundays and public holidays, the park’s roads close to cars and become a leisure area for walkers, cyclists and skaters. In the late afternoon, golden light falls on Sugarloaf and the boats in the cove.
Tips: go on a Sunday morning to enjoy the car-free roads, and bring water and sunscreen — the sun is strong and shade is patchy. Combine it with a visit to MAM Rio at the end of the park. At night, stick to the busier, well-lit stretches.
Official website: MAM Rio ↗