# Ouro Preto: map, what to do and when to go

The former Vila Rica keeps the churches of the gold cycle, with works by Aleijadinho and Mestre Ataíde, and the museum of the Inconfidência Mineira, in a city of stone slopes 96 km from Belo Horizonte.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Ouro Preto: How do you get there from Confins airport?** Confins (CNF) is 142 km away by road, about 2 hours 20 minutes by car; by bus, go from the airport to the Belo Horizonte bus station and continue with Pássaro Verde for the 96 km to Ouro Preto.
- **Ouro Preto: How many days should you stay?** I'd stay two full days, preferably between Wednesday and Saturday, because on Mondays almost all the churches and museums close; with a third day, I'd go to Mariana, about 12 km away.
- **Ouro Preto: How do you get to Mariana?** Mariana is about 12 km away, 20 minutes by car or by Transcotta bus, and half a day is enough for the center; the tourist train between the two towns is closed, with no date to return.

## São Francisco, Antônio Dias and Praça Tiradentes
At 8:30 a.m., go into the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis, 200 m from Praça Tiradentes, and set aside an hour for Mestre Ataíde's ceiling and the soapstone pulpits.
- Praça Tiradentes
- Museu da Inconfidência
- Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
- Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Antônio Dias
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos
- Museu do Oratório
- Mina do Chico Rei

## Itacolomi in the morning, Pilar and Rosário in the afternoon
At 8 a.m., go to the entrance of the Parque Estadual do Itacolomi, on BR-356, km 98, in the Bauxita neighborhood, by taxi, by car, by shared taxi or on the Cooperouro, Hospital and Pocinho bus lines; the park is closed on Mondays.
- Casa dos Contos
- Parque Estadual do Itacolomi

## Praça Tiradentes
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-praca-tiradentes
Up to half an hour
The square occupies the top of the former Morro de Santa Quitéria, which separated the settlements of Pilar and Antônio Dias, and it is where Tiradentes's head was displayed in 1792. His statue, from 1894, faces the building of the Museu da Inconfidência, and across from it stands the former Palácio dos Governadores, the building of the Escola de Minas. Almost every walk through the city passes through here.
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## Museu da Inconfidência
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-museu-da-inconfidencia
Ouro Preto · One to two hours
It occupies the former Casa de Câmara e Cadeia, built between 1785 and 1855, which worked as a prison until 1937. Since 1942 the Pantheon has held the remains of the inconfidentes brought back from exile in Africa, and the rooms cover mining, transport, construction, sacred art and life in Vila Rica in the 18th and 19th centuries, with works by Aleijadinho and Mestre Ataíde. Admission is free. It is open Tuesday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and, according to the city government, on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; last entry is one hour before closing, and the museum is closed on Mondays.
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## Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-igreja-de-sao-francisco-de-assis
Sede de Ouro Preto · One to two hours
The church of the Third Order of Saint Francis, begun in 1766, follows a design by Aleijadinho, who also made the portal, the reliefs and the soapstone pulpits. Mestre Ataíde painted the nave ceiling, his best-known composition, and the panels between 1801 and 1812. The recessed cylindrical towers and the medallion in place of the facade's round window are the marks of the design. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a visiting fee; confirm the amount by phone at (31) 3551-4661.
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## Basílica de Nossa Senhora do Pilar
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-basilica-de-nossa-senhora-do
Up to half an hour
The mother church of the Pilar settlement was rebuilt from the end of the 1720s and for more than twenty years received the carving and painting that cover the interior in gold; according to the city government, the gold is leaf, not solid. The title of basilica came in 2012. The ticket, R$ 20 full price and R$ 10 half price in October 2026, includes the Museu de Arte Sacra, in the crypt, with about 400 pieces from the 17th to the 19th century. The basilica is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and from noon to 4:45 p.m.; for the Museu de Arte Sacra, the city government publishes different hours, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
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## Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Antônio Dias
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-matriz-de-nossa-senhora-da
Up to half an hour
The mother church of the Antônio Dias settlement was built from 1727 by master builder Manuel Francisco Lisboa, Aleijadinho's father, and both are buried in it. The church houses the Museu Aleijadinho, created in 1968, with pieces attributed to the artist, such as wooden lions from a catafalque and a soapstone image of São Francisco de Paula. According to the city government's text, visiting runs Tuesday to Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., with a fee; the schedule table on the same page lists Sunday as closed, so confirm at (31) 3551-3282 before going on a Sunday. The museum's collection is divided among the sacristy and crypt of the mother church, the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis and the Igreja das Mercês e Perdões.
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## Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-igreja-de-nossa-senhora-do-carmo
Up to half an hour
Next to the Museu da Inconfidência, it was designed in 1756 by Manuel Francisco Lisboa, and the stone portal is attributed to Aleijadinho, who also made two side altars between 1807 and 1809. The main chapel has Portuguese tiles with Carmelite themes, rare in Minas churches, and Mestre Ataíde gilded the carving in 1813. It is open on Mondays and from Wednesday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays; for Sunday, the city government publishes no hours, so confirm at (31) 3551-2601. The Museu do Oratório is in the house on the churchyard.
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## Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-igreja-de-nossa-senhora-do
Up to half an hour
Built by the Irmandade do Rosário dos Pretos from the 1760s and completed in 1823, it has a nave and main chapel shaped as two ellipses, a curved pediment and cylindrical towers, a design without parallel in the city's other churches. The authorship of the design is debated. It is open only in the afternoon, Tuesday to Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., with a visiting fee.
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## Casa dos Contos
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-casa-dos-contos
Sede de Ouro Preto · Up to half an hour
The cut-stone mansion was built between 1782 and 1784 by the tax contractor João Rodrigues de Macedo, a friend of several inconfidentes. In 1789 it became a barracks and prison, and the poet Cláudio Manuel da Costa died in custody under the staircase. It was later the seat of the captaincy's accounting office, hence the name. Today it displays coins and documents from the gold cycle, with free admission, Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays with reduced hours. The Horto dos Contos is entered from the back.
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## Museu do Oratório
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-museu-do-oratorio
Ouro Preto · Up to half an hour
Set up in 1998 in the 1753 house of the Third Order of Carmel, it gathers 162 oratories and 300 images from the 17th to the 20th century, from the collection of Angela Gutierrez. The travel, wall and altar oratories show how domestic devotion was organized in the homes of Minas. It is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with tickets sold until 5 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays. The ticket cost R$ 8 full price and R$ 4 half price in October 2026, and students and teachers do not pay.
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## Mina do Chico Rei
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-mina-do-chico-rei
Up to half an hour
Colonial mining galleries at the back of a private property in Antônio Dias, with 325 m lit for the visit. Oral tradition says the mine belonged to Chico Rei, an enslaved African who bought his freedom with gold; no document confirms the story. Visits run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day, and price and booking are confirmed by phone at (31) 3551-1749.
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## Mina da Passagem
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-mina-da-passagem
Mariana · One to two hours
It is in the district of Passagem de Mariana, 8 km from Ouro Preto along the Mariana road. The 315 m descent by trolley reaches a depth of 120 m, and at the bottom there is a lake formed by the water that flooded the galleries. The visit lasts about 40 minutes. The individual ticket cost R$ 290 in October 2026, paid in cash only at the ticket office, and there is no booking for small groups. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and until 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
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## Parque Estadual do Itacolomi
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ouro-preto/#g-lugar-parque-estadual-do-itacolomi
Ouro Preto · Half a day or more
The park, created in 1967, protects the massif of the Pico do Itacolomi, 1,772 m, between Ouro Preto and Mariana, with highland fields, Atlantic forest, waterfalls and marked trails. The visitor center occupies the Fazenda São José do Manso, from the early 18th century, and there is a small Museu do Chá. The entrance is on BR-356, km 98, in the Bauxita neighborhood, reached from Rua Padre Rolim, and you get there by taxi, by car or on the Cooperouro, Hospital and Pocinho bus lines. The Trilha do Pico is about 6 km round trip, moderate to difficult, and the park recommends starting it by 11 a.m. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; admission cost R$ 28.75 and parking R$ 20 in October 2026. The park has no rescue service.
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**Ouro Preto: How do you get there from Confins airport?**
Confins (CNF) is 142 km away by road, about 2 hours 20 minutes by car; by bus, go from the airport to the Belo Horizonte bus station and continue with Pássaro Verde for the 96 km to Ouro Preto.

**Ouro Preto: How many days should you stay?**
I'd stay two full days, preferably between Wednesday and Saturday, because on Mondays almost all the churches and museums close; with a third day, I'd go to Mariana, about 12 km away.

**Ouro Preto: How do you get to Mariana?**
Mariana is about 12 km away, 20 minutes by car or by Transcotta bus, and half a day is enough for the center; the tourist train between the two towns is closed, with no date to return.

**Ouro Preto: Do I need to carry cash?**
Yes: the churches charge a visiting fee at the door, and the Mina da Passagem charges R$ 290 per person and accepts cash only, with no guarantee of Pix or card; withdraw money beforehand, in central Ouro Preto or Mariana.

**Ouro Preto: When is the best time to go?**
May to September, the dry season, with steady days for walking the stone slopes and cold nights in June and July; those who travel for the festivals choose Holy Week, between March and April, or the Winter Festival, in July.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 2 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/ouro-preto/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/ouro-preto/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/ouro-preto.md