The Palácio do Planalto is the official workplace of the President of Brazil — the equivalent of the White House's West Wing. Niemeyer designed it in 1958: a long horizontal slab raised on his signature slender white columns, which curve in delicate parabolas and barely seem to touch the ground at the top.
Free guided tours run on Sunday mornings only, with advance booking required. The tour covers the East Hall, the Cabinet meeting room, and the upper veranda overlooking the Three Powers Plaza — where presidents traditionally greet visiting heads of state at the famous "ramp" inauguration ceremony.