Inhotim is a contemporary art museum and a botanical garden in one, in Brumadinho, about an hour and a quarter from Belo Horizonte. This guide is for you if you have one day for it. It helps you pick the day of the week, decide what to see in about five hours, and judge how much walking your group can do.
Which day to go
This is the first thing to settle, because Inhotim does not open every day. Its regular days are Wednesday to Sunday. On weekdays it opens from 9:30 to 16:30, and at weekends and on holidays it stays open an hour longer. Tuesday is normally its maintenance day, though in some school holiday months it has also opened on Tuesdays. The calendar has changed more than once in recent years, so we check the opening days for your date before we confirm. If you are going on your own, check the official site before you go.
Entry is free on Wednesdays and on the last Sunday of each month, but you still need to reserve a free ticket in advance. Free days bring more people. Inhotim caps entry at 5,000 visitors a day, and on a free day or a holiday weekend you share the paths with a lot of them. If you want a quieter visit, a Thursday or a Friday is the better choice. Weekends, holidays and Wednesdays are the busy ones.
The weather matters less than the calendar, but it still counts. Rain is more likely from November to March, and much of the day is spent outdoors between pavilions. The rest of the year is drier.
How the day fits together
You are collected at 07:00 and stop for coffee in Brumadinho at about 08:30, so you are at the gates when they open at 09:30. You leave at around 14:30 and are back at your hotel at about 16:00. That gives you about five hours inside, with lunch in the middle at one of the restaurants or cafés in the park. Your ticket, lunch and the carts inside the park are paid on the day.
There are two roads from the city. The BR-381 is the shorter, about an hour and a quarter to the main entrance. The BR-040 takes about an hour and a half and climbs past the Serra da Moeda. Either way, the coffee stop in Brumadinho breaks the drive.
If five hours will not be enough, say so when you book. We will collect you later.
Choosing what to see
Inhotim opened to the public in 2006 and has more than 800 permanent works, in galleries and out in the gardens. You will not see them all in a day, and trying is the usual mistake. Some people come back for a second day.
The park is organised along three routes, marked in yellow, orange and pink. You get a map with your ticket, and the official app adds themed routes with directions and notes on each work. One of them follows Brazilian-born artists across 25 stops, among them Cildo Meireles, Lygia Pape, Hélio Oiticica and Tunga. It covers about 10.9 km and takes around three hours, which gives you a sense of the distances involved.
A simple way to plan:
- Before the day, look at the map and choose five or six works or pavilions you most want to see.
- Spend the morning on the ones furthest from the entrance, while you are fresh and before it gets hot.
- Have lunch near the middle of the park at about 12:30.
- Use the early afternoon for the galleries closer in, or simply for the gardens.
The gardens are part of the point. Leave room for them rather than going gallery to gallery at a march.
Walking, and the carts
Inhotim is large and hilly. Expect to walk several kilometres, some of it uphill, much of it in the sun. Electric carts run along fixed routes inside the park, for a separate charge, and they save a lot of walking between distant pavilions. At busy times it helps to book them early.
For visitors with reduced mobility, Inhotim has offered cart rides and wheelchair loans that need to be arranged in advance. Check with the museum before your visit, and tell us when you book so we can plan the day around it.
By bus, or with a driver
You can get there by public transport. A direct bus runs from the Belo Horizonte bus station to Inhotim on a fixed timetable, out in the morning and back at the end of the day. That suits you if you want the full opening hours and are happy to start and finish at the bus station.
A private day gives you the run from your hotel door, a coffee stop on the way, and a return time you choose rather than one set by the timetable. You can leave early if the heat gets to someone, or stay later if you are not finished. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- Comfortable walking shoes. The paths go up and down between pavilions.
- Water, sun cream and a hat. Much of the day is spent outdoors.
- An umbrella or light rain jacket from November to March.
- Your phone, charged, with the official app downloaded before you arrive.
- A card or cash for your ticket, the carts and lunch.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits anyone who cares about contemporary art or gardens, and families with older children who enjoy walking. The works are spread out, so the day feels more like a walk through a park than a museum visit.
- You want history rather than art. The Ouro Preto and Mariana day or Congonhas and Sabará are the better fit.
- Your date is a Monday or a Tuesday. Inhotim is usually closed. The city tour with Pampulha is an option for those days, though some of its stops keep their own closing days.
- Someone finds long walks hard. Plan on the carts, and choose fewer works.
- You are a group of more than 16. Two vehicles travel together on one booking. Message us with your numbers.
Questions people ask
Is one day enough?
For a first visit, yes, if you choose your galleries before you go. If you know you will want more, plan a second visit.
Can we go on a free day?
Yes, if Inhotim is open and you reserve your free tickets in advance. Expect more people.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Choose a Thursday or Friday if you can, pick your galleries in advance and wear shoes for walking. If you are comparing our days out, the guide to day trips from Belo Horizonte sets all five side by side. The timings and what is included are on the Inhotim private day trip page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
