real gabinete portugues da leitura

as a teacher i really LOVE THIS OLD PLACE !!!!!!the arquiteture , the books , all there is fantastic ! you can use the metro , and near there are many old buildings too !

Beautiful, almost magical. You may even check the catalog, ask for a book, and spend some time reading it there.

It is a beautiful place in Rio de Janeiro! It is a small oasis downtown. So quiet and so beautiful! It is a small, quaint library from the 1900's and after the noise of the surrounding area, it is very good to step inside. It was used in several movies that despict the "old" Rio de Janeiro.

I never thought I could find such a beautiful place near the craziest part of town! It's beautiful and impressive, you feel like you travel back in time the moment you step in. It's free and quite quick to visit, it only opens on weekdays. Loved it!

The building is really beautifull and internally is something special! Miss more touristic information and trained people to guide or better indicate the visit. Books could be better preserved. No bathrooms working when we did the visit.Anyway, it is a nice place to be visited in Rio, I recomend!

Built in 1837 this charming little royal library is absolutely worth a visit. You will be able to boast to have seen something most people of this city have never even heard about.

This is a marvelous place in downtown Rio. Nevertheless, the visit is limited to the entrance floor and hall. It is magic for those who like libraries!

Old library, very well maintained, worth the visit. Be careful on the surroundings. Also, make sure to check visiting hours.

If you have already been in Portugal you'll be familiar with this Manuelino style – very decorative style. It's nothing anything you'll find in Rio. It's woth to make it a short visit to Rio's downtown: try churches and the Paço Imperial before lunch, and perhaps, try Centro De Arte Helio Oiticica, Gabinete and Gentil Carioca Gallery after lunch.

This is a Library with 5 Hundred years Old of History, with books you NEVER be alloud to toch, but just to get in there and see the wooden scarved columns, and see the most older books in portuguese language, maps of the Portuguese Exploration of The New World, Portuguese Original poems and romance, all of the beautifull treasures that became with the Portuguese Royal Family, when they became to Brazil, running from Napoleonic Invasion into Portugal, aroud 15th Century. It is located in downtown, so, be aware to go there with a guide, in day -light....Just for safety.

This library's beauty is comparable to those of the Library in Coimbra, Portugal, and St. Gallen in Switzerland. This is an amazing piece of architecture, one of Rio's most significant historical buildings and collections, in my opinion. If you treasure visiting old libraries as I do, this is definetly one of the most impressive libraries I have ever visited.

This is more than a library, this is history, to see to smell and to appreciate. The structure of the building with the exposed iron and the vast collection of works is truly inspiring.

If you are visiting Rio, in the Centro, this library is well worth the visit. In my opinion is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. Inside is ever better. On top of it, it is free, so I would advise everybody to do a small detour and go over there.

It is for a quick visit to see the exterior and inteior part of it! And still works as a library where you can actually borrow books to read!

This is a great little gem. The neighborhood surrounding it is very nice and the library itself is outstanding. It is so old, and the books are so well preserved. The glass ceiling is so nice as well.