Water gardens
Burle Marx's signature.
xiquinhosilva — CC BY 4.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 4.0 · Oscar liberal — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Scott Zona from Miami, Florida, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Halley Pacheco de Oliveira — CC BY-SA 3.0
At the far western edge of Rio, between mangroves and Atlantic forest, lies the estate the landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx bought with his brother in 1949 and turned into a living laboratory for his work and one of the world's great collections of tropical plants. He lived here from 1973 until his death in 1994, gave it to the nation in 1985, and UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 2021 for its modernist design and its role in conserving nature and culture. The grounds cover more than 400,000 square metres and hold over 3,500 plant species, including rare aroids, palms and bromeliads, some discovered by Burle Marx himself or named after him. A visit takes in the main house with his collection of art and folk craft, the studio, the water gardens he was known for, and architectural fragments rescued from old buildings demolished in central Rio. Visits are by guided tour at set times from Tuesday to Saturday and must be booked ahead online or by phone. It is about an hour and a half by car from Copacabana.
Burle Marx's signature.
Rare bromeliads and palms.
Art and folk craft.
Estrada Roberto Burle Marx 2019, Barra de Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro
Yes; visits are guided tours at set times from Tuesday to Saturday and must be booked ahead.