World Cup 2014 city guide: Belo Horizonte

Overshadowed by Rio’s swagger and Sao Paulo’s size, the other big city in Brazil’s south-eastern power belt, Belo Horizonte, is nonetheless a pleasant place to visit.

The marvellously stodgy local cuisine, comida mineira (a pork dish in a bean and flour sauce), will have fans loosening their belts and is best enjoyed in one of the city’s many bars.

It is said that landlocked Belo Horizonte has more drinking spots per head than any other city in Brazil, giving rise to the saying “Nao tem mar, vamos pro bar” — “there’s no beach, so we may as well go to the pub”.

Perhaps the most interesting things to do during a visit to Belo Horizonte, where England play their final group game against Costa Rica on June 24, lie outside the city. The historic cities of Ouro Preto, Tiradentes and Sao Joao del Rei are a few hours to the south while, to the west, lies the glorious country park/modern art installation of Inhotim, where multi-coloured VW Beetles and other conceptual art mysteries lurk among forest trails and 5,000 different types of tropical plant.

Belo Horizonte might live in the shadow of Rio and Sao Paulo off the pitch but the situation has recently been reversed on it. Atletico Mineiro won South America’s biggest competition, the Copa Libertadores, last year and rivals Cruzeiro are the Brazilian champions, making the city the current capital of Brazilian club football.

During the World Cup the weather should be pleasant — sunny but with a freshness that makes a nice change from the mugginess further north. As befits its unshowy status, World Cup preparations in Belo Horizonte have gone relatively smoothly but the city witnessed one of Brazil’s largest and most violent street demonstrations during the Confederations Cup.