World Cup 2014 city guide: Brasilia

The surreal urban dreamscape of Brasilia’s central administrative region — the plano piloto, so called because of its striking plane-shaped design — is as visually far removed from most big Brazilian cities as the city itself is geographically distant from the rest of Brazil.

Carved out of the red earth of the country’s previously empty heartland in the late 1950s, with materials and residents alike shipped in from Rio de Janeiro and the north-east, Brasilia is a fascinating, if an oddly artificial place to visit. Everyone drives, the traffic flows smoothly, neighbourhoods are zoned according to function and the ever- present hustle and bustle you’d expect is strangely lacking, mainly because Brasilia’s low wage workers live outside the city. On the plus side, its role as Brazil’s capital means Brasilia is home to the nation’s politicians and because they’re not opposed to the high life, the city doesn’t lack eating and drinking options. And there are always those unforgettable buildings, the work of legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer, to gaze at.

Along with Manaus and Cuiaba, Brasilia is the white elephant hunters’ favourite target — probably with good reason. While the other two cities at least had the common sense to limit stadium capacity to around the 40,000 mark, Brasilia’s hubris meant that the 72,000-capacity Arena Nacional Mane Garrincha cost a whopping £538million — making it the most expensive at the World Cup. Needless to say, poorly supported lower division local teams such as Brasiliense, Brasilia and Gama are unlikely to fill it. The cost and long-term prospects of the stadium have made it a focus of critics’ ire and a worker died during construction in 2012.

Minority demonstrations continue in Brasilia and just a couple of weeks ago the police came under bow and arrow attack during a march by indigenous peoples. Regarding the climate, expect scorching sun during the day and a fresh crispness at night.