I went to Brasilia when the city was celebrating its 50th anniversary. I was surprised that there was no reference to the city here at the Guardian.

Brasilia was built to be capital of Brazil. The city is lined with monuments, both political and civic:
Presidential Palace, Congress, Courts, Statues, large National buildings (Theatre, Museum, Cathedral), all are open to the public.

Most buildings were designed by the same architect, Oscar Niemeyer, and while each is distinct, all seem to match in perfect harmony.
Thanks to the planning, driving around is easy, by car or by bus and you can find good restaurants and shopping options all around the city. Anyone visiting Brazil should consider visiting Brasilia.

About Brasilia: www.aboutbrasilia.com

About the recent anniversary:
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/21/brasilia-50th-anniversary

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Stunningly designed hotel by architect Ruy Ohtake. It looks like a slice of water melon replete with 'pips' for windows. It's worth a visit solely for the roof terrace. The views of São Paulo up top make you feel like you're in a South American version of Blade Runner, minus Rutger Hauer mind.

4700 Avenida Brigadeiro Luis Antonio;
tel: 11 3055 4710;
www.hotelunique.com.br

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The British influence on São Paulo has mostly been forgotten - and knocked down - but this is one magnificent reminder: the railway station, now serving a few suburban lines that bring commuters into the city. A British company ran the line that ran between São Paulo and Santos, carrying coffee to the coast; at the end of the 19th century, it was the most profitable railway track on the planet. This striking station could stand anywhere in Britain - or anywhere in the world, in fact, where the British built railways.

Rua Mau

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You can’t just go and gawp; you’ll have to buy a drink in the bar. But it’s worth it. From the 41st floor of this skyscraper, the city’s second-tallest building, you can see across the whole of São Paulo and get some sense of its vastness. On the horizon, through the haze, you can glimpse distant mountains. Between you and them, there is an apparent infinitude of buildings. One day, perhaps, the whole planet will look like this.

Avenida Ipiranga, 344 (corner with Avenida São Luiz);
Metro: República

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Oca is a museum and exhibition space designed by Oscar Niemeyer, architect of the capital Brasilia. It's one for fans of modernist architecture and culture as well. Looking like a flying saucer that has landed in the middle of the city, the Oca consistently puts on great exhibitions in a massive space that is well worth checking out.

Parque Ibirapuera

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Everyone knows Copan, one of the most distinctive and fascinating buildings in the city, but few tourists venture inside. Make a friend who lives here - or pretend you have a friend who lives here. Head past the porters and catch a lift up to the top. A couple of thousand smallish apartments are crammed into this graceful monument to Brazilian modernism. Oscar Niemeyer, the architect, also designed Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo, much of Brasilia and, with others, the United Nations building in New York.

Av Ipiranga at Av Consolação

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If you’re visiting Morumbi, don’t miss this beautiful modernist house; it’s a museum, but feels like a private home, crammed with well-chosen pictures and furniture. The gardens are great too, and there’s a good cafe.

Av Morumbi 3700

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