Paraty is a lovely colonial town, 125 miles from Rio de Janeiro on Ilha Grande Bay, Brazil's southeastern coast. It lies on the border between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states.
In the 1700's when the mines of Minas Gerais were pouring out gold, the perfect bay of Paraty was a busy port, the second most important in Brazil during the Ciclo de Ouro, or Golden Century.
Old town, the historic center is a national historic monument. Closed to vehicles, the streets and buildings are preserved. When the city was founded in 1531, the founders named Nossa Senhora dos Remédios.
