Grande Niterói

Grande Niterói (Greater Niterói) is a region of the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. The region is also known as Leste Metropolitano (Metropolitan East) and Leste Fluminense (Rio East).

Other destinations



 * (The Macacu river basin, a large hydrographic basin in the municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu)
 * (The hydrographic basin where the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve is located, in Cachoeiras de Macacu)
 * (A state park in the north of Cachoeiras de Macacu)
 * (A state park on the Tiririca mountain range, between the municipalities of Niterói and Maricá)
 * (A major park in the South Zone of Niterói, near the Guanabara Bay.)

Understand
The Grande Niterói region is the portion of the metropolis of Rio polarized by Niterói. It is a relatively isolated part of the periphery of the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, physically separated from the capital by Guanabara Bay. Its urban area has grown east of the metropolitan core from the downtown area of Niterói towards Rio Bonito (by the BR-101 highway), Cachoeiras de Macacu (by the RJ-116 highway) and Maricá (by the RJ-106 highway), especially after the construction of the Rio-Niterói Bridge. The region includes the municipalities of Niterói, São Gonçalo, Itaboraí, Tanguá, Rio Bonito, Cachoeiras de Macacu and Maricá.

Get in
Since the two main airports in the state of Rio de Janeiro are and, and the main long-distance bus station (served by buses that come from outside the metro area of Rio de Janeiro) is , it is probable that one arrives in Grande Rio through the state capital. To those who enter the metropolitan area through the Central Zone, it is available, in the Rio de Janeiro's downtown area, many urban public transport lines that connect directly the metropolitan core to the 7 municipalities of Grande Niterói.

However, the, in the Niterói city center, is also an important long-distance bus station, through which some visitors coming from cities outside the Rio's metropolitan area can arrive directly in the Leste Metropolitano (Grande Niterói) sub-region of the metropolis of Rio de Janeiro.

Get around
The internal connection between the municipalities of Leste Metropolitano is made by road transport. The region has a large number of urban intercity lines of buses and vans that connect its seven municipalities to each other, as well as municipal lines that complement the urban mobility within this area. Several urban bus and van lines also link all municipalities of Leste Metropolitano to the municipality of Rio de Janeiro.

The ferry, which crosses the Guanabara Bay, links only the municipality of Niterói to the state capital, Rio de Janeiro, and does not serve directly the other municipalities of Leste Metropolitano. There was also a train line that ran between the municipalities of Niterói and Itaboraí, crossing the municipality of São Gonçalo, however it stopped operating in the 2000s. ​

Environmental interest

 * Parque da Cidade de Niterói (Niteroi City Park) in Charitas, Niterói.
 * Parque Estadual da Serra da Tiririca (Serra da Tiririca State Park) Between Niterói and Maricá.
 * Área de Proteção Ambiental de Maricá - APA de Maricá (Maricá Environmental Protection Area) in the neighborhood Restinga de Maricá, municipality of Maricá.
 * Reserva Florestal Serra do Lagarto (Serra do Lagarto Forest Reserve) between the neighborhoods of Lagarto and Pilar, in Maricá, and the district of Pacheco, in Itaboraí.
 * Área de Proteção Ambiental do Engenho Pequeno - APA do Engenho Pequeno (Engenho Pequeno Environmental Protection Area) between Engenho Pequeno, Tribobó, and Colubandê, in the municipality of São Gonçalo.
 * Praia das Pedrinhas (Pedrinhas beach) located along Boa vista, Porto da Pedra, Porto Novo, and Gradim, in São Gonçalo.
 * Praia da Luz (Luz beach)
 * Estação Ecológica da Guanabara (Guanabara Ecological Station) between Itaboraí and São Gonçalo.
 * Parque Paleontológico de São José de Itaboraí (Paleontological Park of São José de Itaboraí) in São José, district of Cabuçu, in Itaboraí.
 * Parque Natural Municipal Serra do Barbosão (Serra do Barbosão Municipal Natural Park) between Itaboraí and Tanguá.
 * Parque Natural Municipal Morada dos Corrêas (Morada dos Corrêas Municipal Natural Park) located near the center of Rio Bonito.
 * Parque da Caixa d'Água (Water Tank Park) in the downtown area of Rio Bonito.
 * Parque Estadual dos Três Picos - PETP (Tres Picos State Park) in the north of the municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu.
 * Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu - REGUA (Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve) in Guapiaçu, Cachoeiras de Macacu.
 * Lagoa de Piratininga (Piratininga Lagoon) in the coastal neighborhood of Piratininga, Niterói.
 * Lagoa de Itaipu (Itaipu Lagoon) in Itaipu, Niterói.
 * Lagoa de Araçatiba (Araçatiba Lagoon) the biggest lagoon of Maricá.
 * Lagoa da Barra (Barra Lagoon) in Barra de Maricá, municipality of Maricá.
 * Lagoa do Padre (Padre Lagoon) in Guaratiba, Maricá.
 * Lagoa de Guarapina (Guarapina Lagoon) in Ponta Negra, Maricá.
 * Lagoa de Jaconé (Jaconé Lagoon) only half of it belongs to the municipality of Maricá.

Beaches

 * Praia de Gragoatá (Gragoatá beach) bathed by the Guanabara Bay, in Gragoatá, Niterói.
 * Praia da Boa Viagem (Boa Viagem beach) bathed by the Guanabara Bay, in Boa Viagem, Niterói.
 * Praia das Flechas (Flechas beach) bathed by the Guanabara Bay, in Ingá, Niterói.
 * Praia de Icaraí (Icaraí beach) bathed by the Guanabara Bay, in Icaraí, Niterói.
 * Praia de São Francisco (São Francisco beach) bathed by the Guanabara Bay, in São Francisco, Niterói.
 * Praia de Charitas (Charitas beach) bathed by the Guanabara Bay, in Charitas, Niterói.
 * Praia de Piratininga (Piratininga beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Piratininga, Niterói.
 * Praia do Sossego (Sossego beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, between Piratininga and Camboinhas, in Niterói.
 * Praia de Camboinhas (Camboinhas beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Camboinhas, Niterói.
 * Praia de Itaipu (Itaipu beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Itaipu, Niterói.
 * Praia de Itaquatiara (Itaquatiara beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Itaquatiara, Niterói.
 * Praia do Recanto (Recanto beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Recanto, district of Itaipuaçu, Maricá.
 * Praia de Itaipuaçu (Itaipuaçu beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Itaipuaçu, Maricá.
 * Praia do Francês (Francês beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Jardim Atlãntico Leste, Maricá
 * Praia da Barra de Maricá (Barra de Maricá beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in the neighborhood Barra de Maricá, municipality of Maricá.
 * Praia de Guaratiba (Guaratiba beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Guaratiba, Maricá.
 * Praia do Cordeirinho (Cordeirinho beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Cordeirinho, Maricá.
 * Praia de Ponta Negra (Ponta Negra beach) bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, in Ponta Negra, Maricá.

Historical landmarks

 * Forte Barão do Rio Branco (Fort Barão do Rio Branco) in Jurujuba, Niterói.
 * Fortes do Pico e São Luiz (Forts of Pico and São Luiz) two interconnected forts, in Jurujuba, Niterói.
 * Fortaleza de Santa Cruz (Fortress of Santa Cruz) Fortress at the entrance of the Guanabara Bay, in Jurujuba, Niterói.
 * Estação ferroviária de Maruí (Maruí train station) in Barreto, Niterói.
 * Biblioteca Parque de Niterói (Niterói Park Library) in downtown Niterói.
 * Teatro Municipal de Niterói (Municipal Theater of Niteroi) historical theater in downtown Niterói.
 * Igreja de Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora (Church of Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora) in Santa Rosa, Niterói.
 * Igrejinha de São Francisco Xavier (Church of São Francisco Xavier) in São Francisco, Niterói.
 * Igreja de São Gonçalo de Amarante (Church of São Gonçalo de Amarante) in downtown São Gonçalo.
 * Fazenda Colubandê (Colubandê Farm) colonial farm in the neighborhood of Colubandê, São Gonçalo.
 * Fazenda Engenho Novo (Engenho Novo Farm) in Santa Izabel, São Gonçalo.
 * Igreja de São Barnabé (Church of São Barnabé) in Itambi, Itaboraí.
 * Ruínas do Convento de São Boaventura (Ruins of the Convent of São Boaventura) in Itaboraí, close to the municipal limit of Cachoeiras de Macacu.
 * Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Amparo (Church of Nossa Senhora do Amparo) in downtown Maricá.
 * Antiga estação ferroviária de Tanguá (Old train station of Tanguá) in the Tanguá city center.
 * Ruínas da estação ferroviária de Rio Bonito (Ruins of the train station of Rio Bonito) in downtown Rio Bonito.

Do
Unlike Baixada Fluminense (which has only a short coast in the municipality of Itaguaí, along the shoreline of the Sepetiba Bay, and other in the region of Magé, at the Guanabara Bay), the Grande Niterói region has, besides the beaches bathed by the Guanabara Bay, an extensive oceanic coastline that stretches along the municipalities of Niterói and Maricá. The stretch of the Niterói's sea shore begins at Fortress of Santa Cruz, in Jurujuba, and ends at the Elephant Stone (Pedra do Elefante), on the limit between Niterói and Maricá. In this part of the ocean coast, there are beaches such as Piratininga, Camboinhas, Itaipu and Itacoatiara. In Maricá, the oceanic coast continues from Pedra do Elefante, in the district of Itaipuaçu, to the Jaconé beach, in the district of Ponta Negra, passing through the municipality's headquarters district, where the city center is located. Between the neighborhood of Recanto de Itaipuaçu, in the extreme west of the municipality of Maricá, and the neighborhood of Ponta Negra, in the extreme east, a single strip of sand extends across almost the entire coastal line of the municipality.

Grande Rio

 * Rio de Janeiro


 * Baixada Fluminense

Rio de Janeiro state

 * Serrana Region


 * Baixadas Litorâneas