Attraction
Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor)
The Art Deco statue of Christ on the summit of Corcovado, dedicated in 1931 and reached by a rack railway that has run since 1884.
Parque Lage
A landscaped park at the foot of Corcovado around a 1920s mansion that now houses an art school and a café beside its courtyard pool.
At a glance
- Type
- Historic park and mansion
- Area
- Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Good to know
- Café in the mansion courtyard
- Art school
- Forest trail to Corcovado
- Grotto
Why we recommend it
Parque Lage is a public park in the Jardim Botânico district, at the foot of Corcovado on the edge of the Tijuca forest. Its centrepiece is a mansion built around a central pool, now home to an art school and a café, set within romantic gardens and woodland.
The estate's story begins in the early 1830s, when Antonio Martins Lage, married to the daughter of the Count of Labourdonnay, bought the property. A rustic landscape garden designed by John Tyndale dates from around 1840. In the early twentieth century the industrialist Henrique Lage lived here with the Italian opera singer Gabriella Besanzoni, and in the 1920s the Italian architect Mario Vodret remodelled the mansion for him, with interiors painted by Salvador Payols Sabaté. Brazil's heritage body listed the park on 14 June 1957, and in the 1960s it became a public park.
The mansion now houses the Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage, the city's well-known school of visual arts. Around the courtyard pool, Plage café serves breakfast combinations, sandwiches, omelettes, cakes and tartines; a 2021 CNN Brasil guide listed it as open daily from 09:00 to 17:00 and noted that the site was once a sugar mill in colonial times. Elsewhere in the grounds, look for the elaborate artificial grotto, whose secondary chamber holds twelve aquarium tanks.
For walkers, Parque Lage is the start of a trail through the subtropical forest of Tijuca National Park up to Christ the Redeemer on the summit of Corcovado. The park itself lies in the national park's Serra da Carioca sector, alongside Corcovado and the Vista Chinesa viewpoint.
The house has had its moments of fame. It appears in Snoop Dogg's 2003 music video for Beautiful, and during the 2016 Olympic Games the mansion served as the hospitality house for the British team.
Parque Lage suits families, photographers and anyone looking for a calm few hours with coffee in a historic setting, as well as hikers heading for Corcovado. The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden is in the same district, so the two are easily combined in a single outing, with the Corcovado train station in neighbouring Cosme Velho for those who would rather ride to the statue than walk.
Parque Lage FAQs
What is Parque Lage?
A public park at the foot of Corcovado around a 1920s mansion, with romantic gardens, a grotto and forest trails.
Is there a café?
Yes. Plage café has tables around the mansion's courtyard pool and serves breakfast, sandwiches and cakes.
What is the art school?
The Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage, which occupies the mansion.
Can you hike to Christ the Redeemer from Parque Lage?
Yes. A trail climbs through the forest of Tijuca National Park from the park to the summit of Corcovado.
Who lived in the mansion?
Industrialist Henrique Lage and the opera singer Gabriella Besanzoni, for whom Mario Vodret remodelled it in the 1920s.
When did it become a public park?
It was listed as heritage in 1957 and became a public park in the 1960s.
Has it appeared on screen?
Yes. The mansion appears in Snoop Dogg's 2003 music video for Beautiful.
What is nearby?
The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden is in the same district.