--- title: "Brazilian cinema locations: Cidade de Deus (City of God), Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad), Central do Brasil (Central Station) — a real itinerary" excerpt: "Brazilian set-jetting exists and works, but it has a layer Hollywood doesn't have: many locations are living favelas, with residents who never asked to become tourist attractions. An honest guide to the locations of 8 iconic BR films, with official community agencies, safe alternatives and what NOT to do." description: "Brazilian set-jetting exists and works, but it has a layer Hollywood doesn't have: many locations are living favelas, with residents who never asked to become tourist attractions. An honest guide to the locations of 8 iconic BR films, with official community agencies, safe alternatives and what NOT to do." slug: "brazilian-cinema-locations-city-of-god-elite-squad" locale: "en" canonical: "https://voyspark.com/en/journal/brazilian-cinema-locations-city-of-god-elite-squad" author: "Curadoria Voyspark" published_at: "Sun May 10 2026 03:32:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)" updated_at: "Wed Jun 03 2026 15:30:15 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)" vertical: "culture" reading_time_minutes: 15 word_count: 2900 hero_image: "https://s3.voyspark.com/voyspark-images/articles/locacoes-cinema-brasileiro-cidade-de-deus-tropa-elite/hero.jpg" tags: - "cinema-brasileiro" - "cidade-de-deus" - "tropa-de-elite" - "bacurau" --- # Brazilian cinema locations: Cidade de Deus (City of God), Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad), Central do Brasil (Central Station) — a real itinerary Brazilian set-jetting became a global topic after streamers redistributed Cidade de Deus (City of God), Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad) and Bacurau worldwide. A tourist arrives in Rio with a screenshot of Vidigal and asks at the front desk: "how do I get to Captain Nascimento's hill?". The clerk takes a deep breath. The problem isn't the interest — it's the approach. Set-jetting works in Petra (Indiana Jones) or Dubrovnik (Game of Thrones) because they are set-cities or ruins. In Brazil, half the iconic locations are favelas with 20,000 residents who still live there. Set-jetting without ethics becomes poverty voyeurism. This guide starts from one premise: you can visit Brazilian film locations with respect, safety and depth — as long as you use the right channel, at the right time, with the right guide. AliExpress hobby drones are not part of the conversation. --- ### Cidade de Deus / City of God (2002) — Cidade Alta + original CDD, Rio Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund filmed **mostly in Cidade Alta (Cordovil, Rio's north zone)**, not in the original Cidade de Deus. Practical reason: in 2001, CDD was still under territorial dispute and the production needed cover. Cidade Alta was controlled and offered filming conditions. The **original CDD** is in Jacarepaguá, west zone. It was partly pacified in 2009-2014, the UPP cycle, today again disputed between militia and trafficking (2026 status). Independent visit: **not recommended**. **How to visit ethically:** - **Cidade de Deus Tour Comunitário** (local project): 3h guided visit run by residents who grew up there. R$ 80-120/person. Includes a stop at the Cufa CDD NGO, optional home-cooked lunch (R$ 25). Book via community WhatsApp 5-7 days in advance. - **Cidade Alta**: even more restricted visit. No commercial tour. Researchers and journalists enter with prior contact via Observatório de Favelas. **What to avoid:** - "Favela safari" jeep tours — an early-2000s model, today considered predatory by the community itself. - Photos of residents without explicit permission. - Drones, even "just from afar". A favela's line of sight includes lookouts and tactical operations — you become a problem instantly. **Nearby lodging:** None. CDD is far from the tourist circuit. Recommended base: **Botafogo** (Yoo2, Z.Hotel) or **Santa Teresa** (Mama Ruisa, Casa Cool Beans). From there, 40min Uber to CDD. --- ### Tropa de Elite / Elite Squad 1 and 2 (2007/2010) — Vidigal, Alemão, Tavares Bastos José Padilha shot the first Tropa de Elite **at Favela Tavares Bastos (Catete, south zone)**, where the real BOPE battalion sits. The hill operation scenes were shot in **Morro do Vidigal** and in controlled locations in **Complexo do Alemão** (with military support, exterior scenes). Tropa de Elite 2 expanded to **Praça Seca, Cidade de Deus and Complexo da Maré**. **Locations visitable today:** - **Vidigal**: the most consolidated case of community tourism in Rio. Go up via Mototáxi Vidigal (R$ 5-8 per ride) or the Morro Dois Irmãos trail (R$ 20 entrance, mandatory guide R$ 50). Hostels: **Mirante do Arvrão** (legendary view, R$ 350-500/night), **Alto Vidigal**. - **Tavares Bastos**: walkable from Largo do Machado. Has rooftop bars (Bar do David — sugarcane snack that became famous). Safe during the day, avoid at night without a resident. - **Complexo do Alemão**: cable car deactivated since 2016. No viable tourist access. **Vidigal on-foot itinerary (half-day):** 1. Mototáxi up to Praça Aroeira (15min). 2. Breakfast at **Alto Vidigal** (view of São Conrado). 3. Guided Dois Irmãos trail (3h round-trip). 4. Lunch at **Bar da Laje** (R$ 50-80 dish). 5. Walk down to Leblon. --- ### Central do Brasil / Central Station (1998) — Central station Rio + Bahia/Ceará backcountry Walter Salles filmed in **real, public locations**: - **Central do Brasil station** (Rio): free, operating. Walk via Rua 1º de Março, exit at Praça Cristiano Ottoni. Dora's letter-writing scenes were filmed in the main concourse. - **Bahia sertão** (Bom Jesus da Lapa, Iguatu, Quixadá in Ceará): Iguatu → Milagres → Catimbau Valley route. Today this is the **Ceará Cariri**, with active cultural tourism. **Central do Brasil itinerary (4 days):** | Day | City | What to do | Avg cost | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Rio | Central station + Cinelândia | R$ 0 | | 2 | Flight Rio-Fortaleza | Rental car, base in Fortaleza | R$ 800 flight + R$ 150 car/day | | 3 | Cariri (Juazeiro do Norte, Crato) | Padre Cícero, geopark | R$ 200 lodging | | 4 | Quixadá | Monument rocks, paragliding | R$ 180 lodging + R$ 280 paraglide | **Why it's worth it:** It's the opposite of favela voyeurism. You visit small cities that profit from cultural tourism and are happy to host. Top-tier regional food — baião de dois, carne de sol at **Restaurante Estoril** (Juazeiro). --- ### Bacurau (2019) — Barra, interior of Pernambuco Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles filmed in **Barra, a district of Parnamirim/PE**, deep sertão 3h from Recife. The film village was built as a set but used the real hamlet's infrastructure. **Uncomfortable truth:** Bacurau has no organized tourism. No guesthouse, no traveler restaurant, no local guide. You arrive, walk, talk, leave. Those chasing a "Bacurau experience" are disappointed — it's exactly a sertão hamlet, with everything that includes (heat, distance, simplicity). **How to do it meaningfully:** - Base in **Recife** or **Petrolina**. - Rental car mandatory. - Make it part of a larger itinerary: Catimbau Valley (National Park, Bacurau-vibe landscapes) + Triunfo (mountain town in PE) + Petrolina/Juazeiro (São Francisco wines). - 4-5 well-used days. **Lodging on route:** Pousada Brejo dos Cavalos (Triunfo, R$ 280/night), Hotel Fazenda Pedra do Reino (R$ 320). --- ### Que Horas Ela Volta? / The Second Mother (2015) — Morumbi and Vila Madalena, SP Anna Muylaert filmed the main house in **Morumbi**, a private house (not visitable). Jéssica's exteriors used **Vila Madalena, Sumaré and Pinheiros**. **Walkable itinerary (1 day):** - Morning: Beco do Batman (Vila Madalena) + coffee at **Coffee Lab** (Rua Fradique Coutinho). - Lunch: **Mocotó** (Vila Medeiros, off-route but mandatory) or **Bráz Pizzaria** (Pinheiros). - Afternoon: Avenida Sumaré (walk with the view that appears in the film). - Evening: drinks at **Astor** (Vila Madalena) or **Pirajá** (Pinheiros). **Lodging:** **Hotel Emiliano Jardins** (luxury, R$ 1,800/night), **Casa Hospedaria Vila Madalena** (boutique, R$ 450), **Selina Aurora** (backpacker, R$ 180). --- ### Pixote (1981) — Brás and Bom Retiro, SP Héctor Babenco filmed in real locations in **Brás, Bom Retiro and the Tatuapé Reformatory** (today deactivated). Forty-five years later, Brás is still a zone of intense popular commerce, cheap lodging, Bolivian and Peruvian immigration. **Honest visit:** Brás by day is alive and safe, especially Rua 25 de Março and around. Bom Retiro too (Jewish + Korean district, excellent food — **Komah** Korean-Pernambucan, **Tomodachi** ramen). **What NOT to expect:** a film monument, commemorative plaque, tour. Brazil almost never preserves cinema locations. You walk, feel the urban texture, understand. --- ### Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus (2005) — Pernambuco sertão Marcelo Gomes filmed in the Pernambuco sertão, axis **Triunfo → Serra Talhada → Salgueiro**. A road with views that fill the whole film. Can be combined with the Bacurau route above — same region, complementary. **Time:** 2-3 days added to the Bacurau itinerary. --- ### Aquarius (2016) — Recife, Boa Viagem Kleber Mendonça Filho again, now at **Edifício Oceania** (Avenida Boa Viagem, Recife). The building is real, visitable from outside (the promenade is public). Sea view, 1970s modernist architecture. **Recife itinerary (2 days):** - Day 1: Recife Antigo (Marco Zero, Casa da Cultura) + dinner at **Oficina do Sabor** in Olinda. - Day 2: Boa Viagem (Edifício Oceania walk + beach) + lunch at **Beira Mar** (fish on a tile). **Lodging:** **Bugan Recife** (Boa Viagem, R$ 380), **Pousada do Amparo** (colonial Olinda, R$ 320). --- ### Full "BR Cinema" itinerary — 10 days | Day | City | Locations | Lodging | |---|---|---|---| | 1-3 | Rio | Central station, Vidigal, Tavares Bastos, CDD tour | Botafogo | | 4 | Flight Rio→São Paulo | Vila Madalena, Avenida Sumaré | Vila Madalena | | 5 | Flight SP→Recife | Recife Antigo, Boa Viagem (Aquarius) | Boa Viagem | | 6 | Olinda + Triunfo | Cinema, Aspirinas... | Triunfo | | 7-8 | PE sertão (Bacurau zone) | Catimbau, Parnamirim | Pedra do Reino | | 9 | Flight Recife→Fortaleza | Cariri | Juazeiro do Norte | | 10 | Quixadá + return flight | Monument rocks | — | **Estimated total cost per person (couple, mid-range):** R$ 6,800-8,500, outside peak season (Jan/Feb/Jul). --- ### Ethics of Brazilian set-jetting — 5 rules 1. **A favela is not a set.** It has residents, routines, pain. You're a guest, not a customer. 2. **Always through a local community guide.** Pay for the tour, the snack, the photo. Money stays in the territory. 3. **No drones.** Seriously. Fines, seizure, real risk of being mistaken for gang surveillance. 4. **Photos of people: ask permission.** Children, never, without a guardian present and consenting. 5. **Avoid police operation hours.** No fixed time, but avoid weekend nights and early mornings. Ask the guide. Brazilian set-jetting done right is one of the richest experiences you can have in the country. Done wrong, it becomes an embarrassing chapter of international TikTok. --- ### See also - [Set-jetting Brazil 2026 — destinations](/set-jetting-series-2026-destinos) - [Crowd-free New Year's Eve in Brazil](/reveillon-sem-multidao) ## Practical appendix - **Cidade de Deus Tour Comunitário**: contact via Cufa Rio (@cufacdd). - **Rocinha/Vidigal Walking Tour**: booking via Mirante do Arvrão. - **ANAC drone**: mandatory registration at sistemas.anac.gov.br/sarpas. In a favela, simply don't fly. - **Northeast car rental**: Movida or Localiza, pick up at the airport. A small car (Onix/HB20) is enough. Daily R$ 130-180. - **Currency**: a multi-currency card (Wise, Nomad) only makes sense if coming from abroad. Brazilians pay in reais, no mystery.