Tiradentes

Tiradentes needs 1 day: touring its stone streets with 18th-century colonial mansions, the Igreja Matriz de Santo Antônio with its gold-bathed altar, and its craft and furniture workshops, in a single day. April-September brings the driest weather. It's mid-to-high priced, with a dining and boutique guesthouse offering above the average for colonial Minas Gerais. Smaller and less crowded than Ouro Preto, it preserves a historic center virtually intact from the gold cycle, and is recognized as one of Brazil's most important furniture design and craft hubs.