Museu do Amanhã

A futuristic science museum designed by Santiago Calatrava, with white cantilevers reaching out over the bay. The port area also has the world's largest graffiti wall and the Museum of Art of Rio.

The Museum of Tomorrow opened in 2015 on Mauá Square by Guanabara Bay, in time for the Olympics. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, its white skeletal roof extends 75 meters over the bay. Its solar panels turn to follow the sun, and it is surrounded by pools and reflecting basins. It is the emblem of the Porto Maravilha port redevelopment. The exhibition explores climate change and humanity's future in five sections: Cosmos, Earth, the Anthropocene, Tomorrow and Us. It is mainly multimedia and interactive, with guides available in several languages besides Chinese, which makes it good for families. A visit takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. Adult admission is BRL 30 (free on Tuesdays). It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00, and closed on Mondays. Across the square, the Museum of Art of Rio (MAR, BRL 20, free on Tuesdays) has a rooftop with views of the museum and the bay. Walk 10 minutes east along the Orla Conde waterfront promenade to reach the 'Etnias' mural on Boulevard Olímpico, painted by Brazilian artist Kobra. It covers 3,000 square meters with portraits of Indigenous peoples from five continents and was once the world's largest graffiti work. Further on are AquaRio (the largest aquarium in South America, BRL 100+) and the Cais do Valongo, the ruins of the African slave landing wharf, a World Heritage site. The port area is busy and safe during the day. Take the VLT light rail (Parada dos Museus station) from downtown or from Santos Dumont Airport. On weekends the square has a market and street performances, but the streets around it are quiet after dark on Sunday evenings. It can be combined with Confeitaria Colombo and Candelária Church downtown for a half-day outing.

Museu do Amanhã / Porto Maravilha

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Places to eat nearby