Palácio do Congresso Nacional

What makes it special

The two domes on the platform look like sculpture, but each one roofs a plenary. Niemeyer's building opened in 1960, and it put both houses under one roof for the first time.

Inside, the carpet tells the houses apart: green for the Chamber, blue for the Senate. The Salão Verde holds a large mural by Athos Bulcão, another by Di Cavalcanti and a sculpture by Alfredo Ceschiatti. Look there too for a large angel bust that matches the angels hanging in the city's cathedral.

The same hall keeps a garden and a display of gifts that foreign leaders gave Brazil's presidents. Elsewhere on the route you pass work by Marianne Peretti and Burle Marx. In the Túnel do Tempo the story of the legislature runs backwards, from today to its founding in 1824.

In the Chamber, count the seats: there are 396 for 513 deputies.

Visiting

Congress's own booking portal, Visite o Congresso, issues a QR code once you pick a date and a time, and that code is your pass. On arrival, show it with photo ID, or your passport if you are not Brazilian, then go through the metal detectors. Without a booking, ask at the door whether places are left; you can book on your phone or on the tablets there.

A mediator from Congress leads each group, starting in the Salão Negro and moving through the Salão Branco, the Salão Verde and the Salão Azul. The Túnel do Tempo then opens onto the Praça das Bandeiras, an inner square with the flag of every state.

The plenaries of both houses are part of the route. On weekdays you see them from the gallery, the upper ring kept for the public. On weekends and holidays you walk in at floor level, along the lawmakers' own route.

Guided or on your own

Mediators from the Senate and the Chamber take turns leading the groups, so the free visit is the guided visit and there is no outside guide to hire. Commentary in English, French or Spanish has to be booked ahead; otherwise the group is led in Portuguese. The halls and the art are still worth seeing without the commentary.

Tips

Leave scissors, pliers and anything sharp at your hotel, or the legislative police hold them until you leave. Food stays in your bag for the whole route. Cameras and phones are welcome throughout, except inside a plenary while a session is running.

On a weekday, dress as for an office: no shorts, bermudas, T-shirts, tank tops or flip-flops, though children under 12 are exempt. The rule covers Monday to Friday only. During deliberative and solemn sessions, men need a jacket and tie to enter the Salão Verde.