Museu do Primeiro Reinado, Rio de Janeiro

While most visitors to Rio stick to the affluent Zona Sul (South Zone), the north has plenty of attractions too. A good case in point is the Museu do Primeiro Reinado, a handsome building that was home to the Marquess of Santos during the 1800s. Today, the space is home to a museum that showcases furniture and other artifacts from Rio's belle epoque, alongside artworks from the likes of Taunay, Fachinetti and Stalloni. The rooms themselves, with their ornate furnishings, decadent chandeliers and impressive porcelain and glassware collections, are veritable works of art in their own right. The house is set in pleasant gardens that make a nice place for a cooling stroll in the shade on a baking-hot day. As the North Zone is less geared to tourism than the South Zone, visitors might want to take a taxi from the metro to the museum. - Lucy Bryson

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