4 Best Sights in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio's once run-down port zone is now the focus of a major investment and regeneration program, and the Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR) has provided a compelling reason for visitors to head to this part of town. The attention-grabbing museum structures—a colonial palace and a modernist former bus station, united visually by a wavelike postmodern form that floats on stilts above them—represent an impressive feat of architectural reimagination. The gallery celebrates depictions of Rio throughout the ages, and the eight gallery spaces inside the buildings contain permanent collections of surrealist, modernist, and naïf artworks. Visiting exhibitions tend to be good, and the views from the top floor—looking out to sea and across Rio's port—are impressive.

Brazil's largest folk art museum now has a new address, closer to Barra da Tijuca and easier to reach. One room houses a wonderful mechanical sculpture that represents all of the escolas de samba (samba schools) that march in the Carnival parades. Another mechanical "scene" depicts a circus in action. This is the private collection of French expatriate Jacques Van de Beuque, who collected Brazilian treasures—including religious pieces—from his arrival in the country in 1946 until his death in 2000.

The collection of mostly modern works at this museum was left—along with the hilltop house that contains it—by one of Rio's greatest arts patrons, Raymundo de Castro Maya. Included are originals by 20th-century masters Picasso, Braque, Dalí, Degas, Matisse, Modigliani, and Monet. The Brazilian holdings include priceless 17th- and 18th-century maps and works by leading modernists. The views of the aqueduct, Centro, and the bay are splendid from the museum's grounds. The adjoining Parque das Ruinas (free) is well worth a visit, too, and has some spectacular views from the top floor of a once-abandoned colonial mansion.

A great place to take the pulse of the vibrant Brazilian visual-arts scene, the Museum of Modern Art occupies a striking concrete-and-glass modernist building. Augmenting the permanent collection of about 6,400 works by Brazilian and international artists is the slightly larger Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection of modern and contemporary Brazilian art. MAM has earned respect over the years for its bold, often thought-provoking exhibitions, including a vibrant annual street art festival. The venue also hosts events such as music performances and DJ sessions. Its theater screens Brazilian and international independent and art house films.