Set in the former Arts Academy, the Fine Arts Museum is in a beautiful neoclassical building right on Rio Branco in downtown Rio, across from the stunning Teatro Municipal. Entrance is free but you still need to get a ticket (as the museum tracks the number of visitors). The collection includes a vast number of European and Brazilian works, from the colonial period as well as from the 19th and 20th centuries. Upstairs you’ll find one of the world’s largest oil paintings, Pedro Américo’s "The Battle of Avay" (1877). Also don’t forget to visit the 20th-century Brazilian art gallery showing work, among others, of one of the country's most important artists: Cândido Portinario. Unfortunately, the signage and guides are not in English.