Congonhas' roads were under renovation in summer 2025 and getting to the basilica, the only portion inscribed in this site, was a bit difficult. Not impossible but one has to drive through the small roads from the south end. The basilica is at the end of steep, cobbled streets up the hill. You can sort of see it from the main road but it also blends it well with the suroundings, but there are no high buildings nearby. I suppose once you know what you are looking for it is easier and NOT concentrating on small streets and speed bumps helps enormously. If you arrive at the south end you can park your car. Just at the basilica is official off-limits but I saw plenty of people park there too, not that parking 10 meters away bothered me much.

So by "the only portion" I don't mean just the basilica but all the seven side chapels around it are included too - just not the actual village surrounding all this. Unfortunately the side chapels were all closed and as they contain polychrome sculpture made by the artist Aleijadinho I think the major part of this site was missed as these are Baroque art masterpieces.

Seeing the basilica alone is ok but it's nothing special. I did enjoy looking around for the 10 minutes I was there and you can also sit down so perhaps after a steep walk outside you can relax here while enjoying the frescoes (and cool down). Wikipedia has a good plan of the sanctuary to give you an idea of how it looks like but note that from the basilica at I to the small chapel at A is a huge drop. I also made a kora around the basilica, which is flat, to see the exterior and statues a bit more. All I can say is that it's nice and clean. The main gate was unfortunately hogged by a bucktee so I took the long way around.

There are many shops around it but those are not really useful especially for non-religious people. One should, however, also then visit the nearby museum which is west of the sanctuary. I wouldn't want to mention an extra museum seeing that it's not inscribed in the property but you will miss out on the best parts to see here. For one there are replicas of Aleijadinho and more art, either related to the stuff onsite (which is mainly religious btw or just in general. It's a large, clean museum that gives you an insight into the basilica and art surrounding it and thus adds a lot to your visit. Even though it's technically not included in the site I think it makes a visit better. Note that the museum is closed on Mondays.

Overall you are in the hub around Belo Horizonte and thus not too far away plus Ouro Preto is an hour away too. Worth adding to your itinerary.