Museum of Tomorrow

The Museum of Tomorrow is the symbol of the regeneration of Rio's old port, and one of the most striking modern buildings in South America. Designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it opened in December 2015 on the Pier Maua, jutting into Guanabara Bay, with a long white body and a roof of movable steel fins that track the sun to power the building, surrounded by reflecting pools filled with water drawn from the bay. Inside, it is a science museum unlike any other. Rather than display objects, it asks five big questions — where do we come from, who are we, where are we, where are we going, and how do we want to go — and answers them in a sequence of immersive spaces. The tour begins in a dome where a film on the origins of the universe is projected overhead, moves through galleries on matter, life and thought, and arrives at the Anthropocene, the age in which humans have become a geological force, represented by giant totems covered in screens showing the scale of our impact on the planet. The final sections look at possible futures for cities, energy, food and society, and invite visitors to think about the choices ahead, before ending in a contemplative space with views over the bay. Displays are interactive and in Portuguese and English. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and events. It stands at the end of the Orla Conde, the seafront promenade created when an elevated highway was demolished, which runs past the Praca Maua, the Museu de Arte do Rio, the huge street murals of the Boulevard Olimpico and the AquaRio aquarium. The building is closed on Mondays, and tickets are sold online and at the door, with one weekday each week traditionally free for everyone; check the museum's site for current hours and prices before you go.

The port area around the museum, known as Porto Maravilha, was rebuilt for the 2016 Olympics. Its centrepiece is the Boulevard Olimpico, a long pedestrian promenade with food trucks, a giant Ferris wheel and enormous murals, including the record-breaking Etnias mural by the Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, painted for the Games and showing faces from five continents. Opposite the Museum of Tomorrow, across Praca Maua, the Museu de Arte do Rio, or MAR, exhibits art and the history of the city in two linked buildings with a wave-shaped canopy and a rooftop with views.

How to visit well: buy tickets online to avoid the queue, especially on weekends and holidays. Allow about two hours for the main exhibition and arrive early, as school groups fill the galleries later in the morning. The free day is very busy. The VLT light rail connects the port with the centre and Santos Dumont airport, and the area is lively by day but empties at night, so plan to leave by early evening. Bring a hat; the plaza and the promenade have little shade.

Who it suits: families with curious children, design and architecture fans, and anyone who enjoys big ideas. It works well on a rainy day or a cloudy one when the mountains are hidden. Pair it with Little Africa and Pedra do Sal, which begin a few blocks away, for a day that covers both the history and the future of the city. Architecture fans should walk around the outside of the building and out to the end of the pier before going in, to see how the roof fins and the pools frame the bay, the Rio-Niteroi bridge and the ships passing in and out of the harbour.