NOVA FRIBURGO , an attractive town of 90,000 people, lies in a valley surrounded by mountains to the northeast of Teresópolis. It was founded by a hundred Swiss immigrant families from the canton of Fribourg, transferred to the region by royal decree in 1818, and whose only other activity of note was that they introduced the first sauna into Brazil. The Germanic influence remains, principally in the architecture of the town's Conego area.

During the summer, Nova Friburgo's many hotels and campsites are brimming with city folk who come to enjoy the waterfalls and wooded trails or take on the local peaks - like Caledonia , a favourite with hang-gliders. Less of a hike, the dramatic rock formations of the Furnos da Catete forestry reserve on the road to Bom Jardim (23km north on the BR-492) offer an excellent walk; and for an easy view of the world a cable car (9am-5.30pm) from Praça dos Suspiros in town takes you to the summit of Morro da Cruz , some 1800m up.

You could easily stay awhile in this peaceful town, and there are a number of good hotels . Some, like Bucsky (phone 024/522-5052; $70-90), 4km along the Niterói road, lie a short distance outside of town; nearer the centre is the Hotel São Paulo, Rua Monsenhor Miranda 41 (phone 024/522-9135; $20-35). Other budget options include Hotel Montanus, Rua Fernando Bizzotto 26 (phone 024/522-1235; $20-35), or the Hotel Fabris (phone 024/522-2852; $10-20), at Av. Alberto Braune 148, the same street as the bus station.

For eating , try the Oberland delicatessen on Rua Fernando Bizzotto, which doubles as a restaurant with good, cheap Swiss and German food - veal sausage, sauerkraut and the like. The Churrascaria Majórica, Praça Getúlio Vargas 74, is good, too, and in the same square you can buy homemade preserves and liqueurs. For a major splurge, head out to the district of Amparo, 14km east of town on the RJ-150, and try the excellent French-Swiss restaurant the Auberge Suisse, located in a small and rather exclusive hotel of the same name.

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To reach Nova Friburgo from Rio takes about three hours by bus (departures from Novo Rio Rodoviária every 30min). You'll head across the Rio-Niterói bridge, and out on Highways 101, 104 and 116. It's also possible to get a bus from Teresópolis.

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