Three days is the classic Paraty stay: enough to walk the colonial town properly, spend a full day on the bay, and still get into the forest. Here is the shape we recommend to friends, with the chalé as your base above it all.
Day one — the town, slowly
Save the boats for tomorrow and give your first day to the historic centre. Go down the hill mid-morning, park outside the colonial grid (cars can't enter), and just walk. The town rewards aimlessness: whitewashed facades with blue and yellow trim, massive uneven cobblestones, churches at the end of every sightline. Visit the Igreja de Santa Rita — the postcard church by the water — and the larger Matriz on the main square, then drift along the waterfront where the schooners tie up.
Lunch long and late, the Brazilian way. In the afternoon, climb the short path north of town to the Forte Defensor Perpetuo for a view over the rooftops and the bay; you'll be able to pick out the ridge where the chalé sits. Evening is Paraty's best trick: the lanterns come on, the day-trippers leave, and the live music starts. Our nightlife guide covers how the evenings work. Then back up the hill for a night swim in the pool with the town glowing below.
Day two — the bay
This is the day you've seen from the deck. Take a schooner or charter a private boat from the pier and spend the day on the water: jungle-backed coves, island anchorages, a seafood lunch behind a beach, and the ride home in late light. The full how-to — schooner versus speedboat, the classic five-stop route, what to bring — is in our boat days guide.
If you'd rather skip the group boat, a quieter alternative: drive or taxi to Paraty-Mirim, take a boat-taxi into the Saco do Mamanguá — the still, fjord-like ria south of town — and swim where almost nobody goes. That version is in our quiet beaches guide.
Back at the chalé, time your return for sunset. The pool faces it.
Day three — forest and waterfalls
Head inland on the Cunha road, which climbs out of town through the rainforest. Twenty minutes up are the swimming holes: the Tobogã rock slide — where locals surf the rock standing up; watch, applaud, and slide on your backside if at all — and the deep, rope-swung Poço do Tarzan nearby. Several traditional cachaça distilleries sit along the same road, most with tastings; this is the region that gave Brazil some of its most respected cachaça, and a tasting at the source beats any souvenir shop.
If you'd rather end on a beach, swap the waterfalls for Trindade, forty minutes south: surfy village beaches and the boulder-ringed Cachadaço natural pool, reachable by trail or boat-taxi. With kids, see our notes in Paraty with kids.
Making it work
- Order matters less than weather. Put the boat on the clearest day; the town and waterfalls handle clouds well. A rainy-day plan exists if you need it.
- Book the boat one day ahead in high season; same-day works most of the year.
- Don't over-schedule evenings. Dinner in town, or cook at the chalé with the doors open — both are the right answer.
- Getting here: roughly four hours from Rio, five from São Paulo — details in getting here & around.
Come stay above the bay
Chalé Bel Air sits on the ridge that looks over everything in this guide. Tell us your dates and what kind of trip you are after — we answer personally.
Ask about your datesFrequently asked questions
Is three days enough for Paraty?
Yes — three days is the classic stay. It gives you one day for the historic centre and the fort, one full day on the bay, and one for the forest waterfalls or the down-coast beaches, all without rushing. A week lets you add Ilha Grande and Angra dos Reis on top.
How should I order a three-day Paraty trip?
Order matters less than weather. Put the boat day on the clearest forecast — the town and the waterfalls handle clouds well. We suggest the town slowly on day one, the bay on day two, and forest, waterfalls or a down-coast beach on day three.
What is there to do on day three near Paraty?
Head inland on the Cunha road to the swimming holes — the Tobogã rock slide and the rope-swung Poço do Tarzan — plus the cachaça distilleries along the same road. If you'd rather end on a beach, swap in Trindade, forty minutes south, with its surfy village beaches and the boulder-ringed Cachadaço natural pool.
Do I need to book the boat day in advance?
Book one day ahead in high season; same-day usually works for most of the year. Either way, time your return to the chalé for sunset — the pool faces it.
