News If you're coming to Rio for the Olympic or Paralympic Games, there's a good chance you'll be making a journey of discovery into one of the city's least known but most hospitable and unpretentious neighbourhoods – Deodoro Located in western Rio, Deodoro will be home to the second largest number of venues during Rio 2016 In total, Deodoro Olympic Park will host 11 different Olympic disciplines  The little-known district also has a full programme of attractions that will keep visitors busy in between the Olympic events Parks, waterfalls, an aerospace museum, architectural history and an idyllic provincial air are all within a 30-minute train journey from the centre of Rio de Janeiro Coming from the city’s South Zone (Zona Sul), where most tourists will be staying, the quickest way to arrive in Deodoro is by train Just jump on the metro and head to Central station to change for the express train service to Santa Cruz As we found out when we made the trip this weekend, the train journey to Deodoro includes a few spectacular sights of its own The Maracanã will host the key matches in Olympic football tournament as well as being the stage for the opening and closing ceremonies of Rio 2016 Ten minutes after leaving Central, you will come face to face with the majestic Maracanã stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies for Rio 2016 as well as decisive matches in the men's and women's Olympic football competition Another five minutes and it is the turn of the Olympic Stadium, where Usain Bolt and other athletic superstars will soon be setting the world alight The Olympic Stadium will host the Olympic and Paralympic athletics events Deodoro has two stations so be careful here The one that bears the name of the neighbourhood actually lies further away from the Olympic venues The station you want if you are visiting for the Games is Vila Militar Inaugurated in 1910, the station maintains its original charming yellow façade complete with Gothic Revival turrets and iron gate “It is an unusual building, inspired by English architecture of the era,” says Pedro da Luz, chairman of the Rio branch of the Brazilian Institute of Architects   Vila Militar train station will provide easy access to the Deodoro Olympic complex Once in Deodoro, our guide Carlos Alvarenga, who has worked in the area for 24 years, takes us around for a insider's view of the neighbourhood Ten minutes’ walk away from the Aquatics Centre where the swimming event of the modern pentathlon will be contested is the military barracks, a major feature of the neighbourhood since its construction back in 1912 Its turn-of-the-century architecture is well preserved to this day The largest military complex of its kind in Brazil, it also houses the largest concentration of military personnel in Latin America with over 60,000 people in total Check out Deodoro's nine Olympic venues At the weekends, Carlos tells us, it is common for locals to go for a walk, bike ride or a skate down Avenida Duque de Caxias, the main road in the area Another tourist hotspot in the region is the verdant Parque do Mendanha, where various nature trails and waterfalls lie just 20km (12 4 miles) from the Olympic Shooting Centre   Four kilometres (2 5 miles) from the X-Park, the venue for canoe slalom and the BMX and mountain bike circuits  is the attractive district of Marechal Hermes Created in 1913, it was the first planned working-class neighbourhood in Brazil Its long tree-lined streets are an indication of locals’ preferred pastime of going for a gentle stroll The district is also home to the Armando Gonzaga Theatre Opened in 1954, it is a classic of Brazilian modernism, designed by Affonso Reidy who was also the architect of Rio’s celebrated Modern Art Museum and the Gustavo Capanema Palace “The theatre is a gem, a super-important example of Brazilian modernism,” our architectural expert, Pedro da Luz, says Another major attraction in the area is the Aerospace Museum, where more than 90 planes are on show Among the museum’s collection, the jewel in the crown is a 1941 Focke-Wulf FW 58 B-2 Weihe – hard to say and even harder to find apparently “This is the only example of this model in the world, not even the Germans have one,” says a proud Marcio Bhering Cardoso, the museum's director As you can see, aside from enjoying a huge variety of Olympic and Paralympic events, visitors to Deodoro won't be short of cool things to do and fun places to hang out “We hope that you enjoy not only the Games but all the great stuff we have in the city,” were the parting words of our host Carlos as he saw us back onto the train for the short journey back to the hustle and bustle of the city centre