Tiradentes is small, beautifully preserved, and far more rewarding than its size suggests. Its cobbled lanes, whitewashed houses, and mountain backdrop make it one of the easiest colonial towns in Minas Gerais to enjoy on foot.
The Mother Church of Saint Anthony is the headline, with a gilded interior and an 18th-century organ, but the town is not a one-sight place. The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black People, Padre Toledo Museum, and Sao Jose Fountain fill in the story of gold, slavery, religion, and rebellion.
Tiradentes is best in no hurry. Walk up to Sao Francisco de Paula Church for the view, ride the Tiradentes Steam Train if it is running, and leave time for a long Mineiro meal. The August food festival is famous, but ordinary weekends already bring plenty of visitors from Belo Horizonte and Rio.