Paraty is a small, white and ochre colonial town on the green coast of Rio de Janeiro state, between the sea and the steep forested wall of the Serra da Bocaina, and it looks almost as it did in the eighteenth century. It grew rich as the port at the end of the gold route: from the 1690s, gold from the mines of Minas Gerais was carried down the mountains by mule on the Caminho do Ouro and shipped from here to Rio and Portugal. When the gold trade moved elsewhere, the town slumbered, and that long sleep is the reason that its streets, churches and houses survived so intact. UNESCO listed Paraty and Ilha Grande in 2019, for the cultural landscape and its biodiversity.
The centre is a grid of cobbled lanes, paved with big, uneven stones, with low whitewashed houses with brightly painted doors and windows, and a number of old churches. The streets are slightly concave and tidal flooding is part of the design: at the highest tides of the full moon, the sea flows into the centre and washes the stones clean, and in the old days it carried away the town's rubbish. Cars are kept out of the historic centre, so it is a pleasure to walk through, but cobbles are hard on shoes. Park the bike on the edge of the old town.
Paraty is also known for cachaça, the sugar cane spirit of Brazil, and the local distilleries have a long reputation for quality, with small copper stills and many varieties. The town hosts an international literary festival in July, which fills the cafes and bookshops with writers and readers. Fish stew with banana, fresh shrimp, and a plate of local fish with rice and beans are good choices for a meal.
The ride along the coast is the great attraction. The Rio-Santos highway, BR-101, runs along the shore with the forested mountains on one side and the sea on the other, passing bays, islands and fishing villages, with a long series of bends and fine views. Traffic is heavy at weekends and holidays, with trucks and buses on the single carriageway, and rain can bring landslides. The drier months, May to September, are best, though school holidays bring the biggest crowds. Cunha, to the north across the mountains, is a pottery town with a cooler mountain climate and a famous kiln tradition.
Paraty has several fuel stations on the main road, and plenty of cafes and restaurants. Pedra da Gávea, the huge granite rock above Rio, is the other stop on the ride.