This Brazilian city has a grand central square with a UNESCO-protected trinity column, historic Catholic churches, and a castle museum. Students keep its microbreweries busy.
Duque de Caxias, a busy suburb of Rio de Janeiro, includes factories, historic buildings, and green spaces. Founded in 1943 and named after a 19th-century military figure, the city spans 465 square kilometers and is home to around 900,000 people. Visit the baroque Nossa Senhora do Pilar Church, constructed in 1720 using materials from Rio’s Monastery of St. Benedict. Explore the crumbling stone walls of Fazenda São Bento, a farm established by Benedictine monks in the 1500s. Walk through the Tinguá Biological Reserve’s dense Atlantic Forest or follow hiking paths in Taquara Municipal Nature Park. The city also has two football stadiums, Petrobras’ large oil refinery, and the Centro Cultural Oscar Niemeyer with its library and theater.
Colonial-Era Buildings and Local History
Duque de Caxias holds several structures from Brazil’s colonial period. The Nossa Senhora do Pilar Church, finished in 1720 along the Old Road of Pillar, displays detailed baroque carvings similar to those in Minas Gerais. Builders used stone and wood taken from Rio’s monasteries during its construction. Nearby, Fazenda São Bento’s ruins include a 17th-century chapel and remnants of sugar cane mills, reflecting the area’s farming history. The Duquecaxiense Academy of Letters hosts readings and exhibitions about writers from the region in a concrete-and-glass building opened in 1998.
Parks and Protected Forests
The Tinguá Biological Reserve spans 26,260 hectares of Atlantic Forest, supporting wildlife including golden lion tamarins and woolly spider monkeys. Guided hikes take you past waterfalls and plants like bromeliads and orchids. Taquara Municipal Nature Park, covering 19.4 hectares near the city center, has trails through native trees and open areas for picnics by shallow streams. For steep hikes, drive 40 minutes to Serra dos Órgãos National Park, where you can climb trails leading to rock formations like the Dedo de Deus peak.
Football Matches and Athletic Facilities
Local teams Duque de Caxias Futebol Clube and Esporte Clube Tigres do Brasil play at two main stadiums. Estádio Romário de Souza Faria, known as “Marrentão,” holds 10,000 fans and hosts weekend matches from March to November. Estádio De Los Larios in Xerém district seats 11,000 and sometimes stages regional youth tournaments. The Olympic Village training complex has a 50-meter swimming pool and running tracks used by athletes preparing for competitions.
Libraries, Theaters, and Festivals
The Centro Cultural Oscar Niemeyer houses the Leonel de Moura Brizola Public Library, which stores over 10,000 books, and the Raul Cortez Municipal Theater with nightly performances. G.R.E.S. Acadêmicos do Grande Rio, a samba school near downtown, creates floats and costumes for Rio’s Carnival each February. During the August 31st city anniversary celebration, streets fill with vendors selling fried pastries, grilled meats, and handmade jewelry.
Major Industries and Employment
Petrobras’ REDUC oil refinery processes 242,000 barrels of crude oil daily, producing gasoline and diesel for Brazil’s southeast region. Over 3,000 workers operate its distillation towers and pipelines visible from the BR-040 highway. Factories in Campos Elíseos district make medicines, clothing, and plastics, employing another 12,000 residents.
Transportation Options from Rio de Janeiro
Take bus line 612 from Rio’s Terminal Américo Fontenelle or board a van at Central do Brasil station for the 35-minute ride to Duque de Caxias. Trains on the Saracuruna line depart Central do Brasil every 20 minutes, stopping at Duque de Caxias station after 45 minutes. If driving, follow Kennedy Avenue northwest from Rio’s port area for 15 kilometers. The city is a 20-minute taxi ride from Galeão International Airport.
Weather Patterns and Travel Timing
Temperatures average 20°C in July and rise to 26.8°C in February. Expect frequent downpours from December to March, with January rainfall reaching 263 mm. August is driest, with light showers totaling 47 mm. Plan visits between April and November to avoid heavy rain and high humidity, which drops from 80% in April to 73% by September.
