Summer rain rolls in over the Serra do Curral, drums on the awnings for an hour, then leaves the streets cool enough for bar tables to return to the sidewalk. From April the rain stops, the sky turns a hard blue and the ridge that gave the city its name stands sharp behind the towers.
Beyond downtown, Niemeyer's curving church sits on the shore of Lake Pampulha, and Mercado Central packs its counters with people drinking standing up. The climate is tropical, with warm, wet summers and dry, sunny winters. A Local Friend reads the boteco menu, the bus map and the mood of the evening for you, then picks the corner where the night should start.
