Skip to content
LarkTours

Routes · Americas

Madrid to Minas Gerais: Belo Horizonte, Inhotim and Ouro Preto

Madrid → Belo Horizonte → Ouro Preto

Pampulha Modern Ensemble
"Igreja_São_Francisco_de_Assis_-_Belo_Horizonte_-_20250409133904.jpg" by Donatas Dabravolskas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Praca do Papa, Belo Horizonte (cropped)2 (Belo Horizonte)
Photo: Marina Campos Vinhal, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Baroque gold towns & a garden museum Best season (general guide): Apr–Sep

Minas Gerais, in south-east Brazil, grew rich on gold in the eighteenth century, and its towns are full of baroque churches. This route spends three nights in Belo Horizonte and three in Ouro Preto. From Madrid you'll connect through São Paulo, Rio or Lisbon.

Belo Horizonte is the state capital. Its Mercado Central is full of cheese, cachaça and snacks such as pão de queijo, cheese bread. The Pampulha Modern Ensemble, designed by Oscar Niemeyer around a lake, is listed by UNESCO.

Inhotim, outside the city, is a vast contemporary art museum set in botanical gardens, with pavilions and outdoor works spread across the grounds. It needs a full day.

Ouro Preto, listed by UNESCO, is a hilly town of cobbled streets and churches built with gold-rush wealth. The sculptor Aleijadinho carved many of their facades and altars, including the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Mariana, a short drive away, is another colonial town with fine churches and squares.

April to September is the dry season and the best time.

In Ouro Preto, many churches have short opening hours, so check times and plan your walk around them. Belo Horizonte has a lively bar culture, and its botecos are a good place to try local snacks. Plan a full day for Inhotim, starting early.

Minas Gerais is also known for its cheeses and slow-cooked dishes, so try the local food wherever you stop.

Good to know: Buses link Belo Horizonte with Ouro Preto. The town's streets are very steep, so wear good shoes. Check Inhotim's opening days before you go.

Evenings in Ouro Preto are cool at altitude, so bring a light jacket for dinner and the walk back up the hills.

Suggested outline

  1. Madrid

    Start

  2. Belo Horizonte

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    A modern capital with Niemeyer's Pampulha and the Inhotim garden museum nearby.

  3. Ouro Preto

    Overland · 3 nights suggested

    A hilly baroque town of gold-rush churches carved by Aleijadinho.

    Ouro Preto
    "Conjunto_arquitetônico_e_urbanístico_de_Ouro_Preto.JPG" by Raquel Mendes Silva, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Belo Horizonte — Arrive; Mercado Central· Madrid → Belo Horizonte (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Belo Horizonte — Pampulha Modern Ensemble
  3. Day 3 · Belo Horizonte — Inhotim
  4. Day 4 · Ouro Preto — Drive to Ouro Preto· Belo Horizonte → Ouro Preto (overland)
  5. Day 5 · Ouro Preto — Baroque churches
  6. Day 6 · Ouro Preto — Day trip to Mariana
  7. Day 7 · Ouro Preto — Travel home from Ouro Preto· Ouro Preto → Belo Horizonte (overland), then Belo Horizonte → Madrid (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

Each button opens a live, dated search. We don't show stored fares here: check today's price on the booking site.

Showing dates about a month ahead — change them when you search.

Belo Horizonte

More about Belo Horizonte →

Plan the trip: Belo Horizonte

These links go to partner sites. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Prices and terms are set by the partner.

Ouro Preto

Nearest airport: Belo Horizonte Search fares · Belo Horizonte ↗

Partner links may earn LarkTours a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, availability and terms are set by each partner.