São Lourenço is one of the classic spa towns of southern Minas Gerais, part of the Circuito das Águas in the Mantiqueira foothills. Its identity is old-fashioned in a pleasant way: mineral springs, lake paths, family visitors, and a little tourist train rather than dramatic scenery or big-city culture.
The town is compact and easy. Parque das Águas is the main reason to come, with its springs and shaded paths in the middle of town. Add the Trem das Águas steam-train ride and the cable car viewpoint, and São Lourenço becomes a gentle one-day stop for travellers already moving through the water towns of Minas.