Cinelândia: Historic Culture in the Heart of Rio de Janeiro

By Scarlet Bringuenti Bennett, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Cinelândia is Rio’s city center, with landmarks like the Municipal Theater and Museums, as well as great bars, restaurants, shopping, movie theatre and more, which are busy week days and early evenings.

Cinelândia Square’s official name is Praça Floriano Peixoto in honor of Brazil’s second president, however that is rarely used. The square used to house the Ajuda Convent built for women in 1750, but it was not until the early 20th century, when Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil, that the appearance of the square take shape.

An important addition to the square was the Cinelândia metro station in 1979, which was one of the first five stations in the subway network. Now there is also a tram system recently built to accommodate the additional visitors to Rio during the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The square regularly sees small, demonstrations and protests against a number of issues ranging from political actions to social injustices. These protests keep the square alive and continue to make it a focal point in Rio’s downtown area.

Cinelândia is a place filled with culture and fantastic architecture, which reflect the French Beaux-Arts style. Buildings such as, the Municipal Theater, Brazilian National Library, the Tribunal Superior, The National Museum of Fine Arts and much more stand tall in the city square.

As well as great culture, the square is very close to Lapa, which is Rio’s main party center. Fantastic restaurants such as Monte Gordo Galeto, which serves great traditional Brazilian food and great pizza from the cleverly named Pizzalândia are laced throughout the city.

Carioca Adriana Bringuenti says, “Cinelândia is really close to Lapa so there is always something to do in the evening. The architecture of the square is amazing too and as an architect I really admire the area.”

Cinelândia runs along the Metrô so it is very easy to get to and from most areas as it is the city center and will cost you R$4.30 for a one-way trip. It is also accessible by the city’s buses, which also costs R$4.30 and of course taxis or Ubers in which the price will vary depending on the distance travelled.

The small neighborhood consists of humble spaces as there is not much area for development. They are relatively expensive (for Centro) too because of how competitive it is to buy places in this area. For example, a decent two bedroom apartment costs on average R$2,500 per month, which if shared between two people is not too outrageous compared to other parts of the city.

To buy, an unfurnished one bedroom apartment will cost R$200,000 – R$400,000 depending on space. For a two bedroom apartment it costs R$400,000 – R$650,000 again depending on space.

Perhaps the biggest drawback to Cinelândia is that like much of Centro, after work hours the streets tend to clear out, shops close and security becomes a concern. It is not recommended to wander around late at night anywhere in Centro as theft and robbery can be an issue.