Two museums offer the additional attraction of being housed in Art Deco buildings: the Zoroastro Artiaga Museum, dedicated to Midwestern culture, in Buritis Park, and the Pedro Ludovico Teixeira Museum, which operates in the house where the founder of Goiânia lived and tells the city’s history.

The neighborhoods boasting the most fine restaurants and lively bars are the Bueno and Marista Sectors, on the western side of the capital city.

Don’t miss out on the weekend fairs: on Saturdays, the Feira da Lua (Moon Fair), with holistic items, crafts and clothing (Tamandaré Square) and the Cora Coralina Fair, with delicious treats; and on Sundays, the Hippie Fair (next to the old railway station).

Some of the newer hotels in Goiânia can be found in the Western Sector – which is the most convenient place to enjoy the restaurants and nightlife of the Bueno and Marista sectors. In the Central Sector, the hotels are usually more affordable.

Caldas Novas (170 km / 106 mi) has all sorts of accommodations, from all-inclusive resorts to small inns. The ones closest to Hot Park are in the neighborhood of Rio Quente, 30 km (19 mi) away.

The closest city on the coast of the Araguaia River is Aruanã (320 km / 199 mi). The trip is made even better by staying overnight at the City of Goiás, which is halfway there.

Between May and September there is little rainfall (it practically never rains in June and July). The wettest season is from November to March. In the Cerrado summer is in the middle of the year – that’s when the Araguaia River has the best beaches and the thermal waters of Caldas Novas are the most enjoyable, and the nights are also a little cooler.

The most beautiful time of year to go to Pirenópolis is during the Cavalhadas do Divino, a reenactment of Middle Age battles between Moorish and Christian knights that are staged 50 days after Easter.

Fishing season on the Araguaia lasts from March to October (from November to February, fishing is prohibited). The best season runs from April to July.

GOL flies 16 times a day to Goiânia, with convenient connections from all cities served.

It is possible to issue a ticket from your city to Goiânia for just 10,000 Smiles miles (or 20,000 on Smiles AnyDay). Check whether there are any Reduced Miles or Smiles & Money promotions when you are planning to travel.