Nearby Rio, the highland cities of Teresópolis, Petrópolis and Nova Friburgo invite yoy for a trip to the mountains. A little over one hour drive on a paved road take you to those cities with 200 to 300 inhabitants each, beside a common trait of all theree of them: influence of the German colonization, especially in Nova Friburgo and Petrópolis, also known as the Imperial City, where emperor D. Pedro II spent his summers. Shopping, ecological outings and a tourism infrastructure with good hotels and restaurants invite visitors to enjoy the bucolic climate and tranquillity of those cities.

Towards the Vale do Paraíba, the visitor finds attractions like the 63 year old National Park of Itatiaia, Brazil's first one.Neighboring Penedo has Finland colonization, and accessto the ecological Park of Visconde de Mauá. All those cities have tourism as their main activity, and consequently offering good hotels, inns and restaurants, at about two hours from Rio, departing from the Via Dutra, between Rio and São Paulo. In Vale do Paraíba are centenary coffee farms of the Ciclo do Café, accessed through cities like Vassouras, Valença and Conservatória.