Paraty is a city in Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro and has about 37,600 inhabitants. It is located on the border with the state of São Paulo, on the road from Santos to Rio (BR-101). In 1958, the historic old town was declared a monument. In 2019, the old town, together with four nature reserves in the area, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as Paraty and Ilha Grande - Culture and Biodiversity.
The old town, the Centro Historico, is largely closed to traffic and has almost completely preserved historic architecture from the 17th century. The houses are all painted white with colorful window and door frames. The streets have rough cobblestones that were laid by slaves. When the water is high, the flood flows into the alleys.