All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.
Martin Buber
Florianópolis
Florianópolis, or called by its nickname Floripa, is my favorite town of Brazil. This is because the city itself is quite clean and modern, without the many favelas of Rio, São Paulo or Salvador. Moreover, the whole Island of Santa Catarina is -officially- part of Florianópolis which has great beaches and nature. I was also impressed by the many mountains. Moreover, the climate is great, it felt similar to the climate in Brisbane, Australia. The island is extensive, if you take a bus from one to the other end, you might need three hours. Thus, if you live in Floripa or stay there for longer, you have plenty to do and to access by local public transport.
The city
When I was walking around within Floripa, I didn’t recognize many colonial buildings. I assume that the historic buildings have not all been protected before any “monument protection” has been implemented by Brazil. Thus, there are very few buildings like some spots across the center which look more historic. Otherwise, it’s very modern. The center of Floripa has mainly skyscrapers with apartments and shopping centers. Further away from the center, around the island, the houses are on average smaller and non-historic.
Trilha da Boa Vista e Galheta and Dólmen da Oração
Close to my hostel in the Barra da Lagoa district, there is the Trilha da Boa Vista. A walking trail across the mountain facing Barra da Lagoa. When I arrived in Floripa, I was positively surprised by the many hills on the island. Since I like the combination of mountains and water/ coast, I liked my stay in this area.
The trail passes through amazing nature, it is rather steep to go uphill but as soon as you’re on the mountain, you continuously have stunning views. I even saw a family of little monkeys. A part of the trail brings you to the Galheta beach which you either reach crossing this mountain or from another beach and a little stony separation. So if you like to be on a beach almost alone, you might pick Galheta.
Similar to Stonehenge or some constellations of Maoi (on Rapa Nui), there are constellations of stones on top of this mountain which have astronomical meaning. It is quite interesting that stone constellations are distributed across the world. So many native people understood the passages of sun and moon with respect to the earth.
Beaches like Praia Mole
Next to the Praia Galheta is the Praia Mole which is very famous for surfing. The Mole beach is accessible from the road, has a parking area as well as a bus stop. Actually, there is a great restaurant and bar which allows you to chill for a while. Of course, you pay for the view, but it’s good quality and worth it. There are so many more beaches which I didn’t visit because it takes quite a while to get around by bus, to the other end even more than 2 hours. I do understand why people from northern Argentina and Uruguay come to Floripa for holiday (for more than a week).
Holiday atmosphere
I stayed in the Barra da Lagoa district, in the Nômades Hostel and Coworking. Within this quarter you will find many smaller but nice buildings. It looks like a rather rich neighborhood. Looking back, I would have picked a hostel at the other side of the Canal da Barra. This is because the walk to the closest bus station was up- and downhill taking 20 minutes. On the other side of the canal, it’s flat and there is a walkway right at the canal, great for a relaxing walk.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed my hostel and the atmosphere. I also recognized that many tourists from Argentina and Uruguay like traveling to Floripa. They come because of its beaches and surfing conditions. This is also why many people speak “portuñol”, slow Portuguese with some Spanish influence to be able to communicate with the Spanish-speaking tourists.
A possible stop-over in Blumenau
On the way from Florianópolis to Curitiba, Blumenau could be a stop on the way. It’s not located on the direct road between the two cities, but there are definitely bus connections available. Blumenau is very famous as a German-style town. I didn’t stop there because I read that the part with German houses was rather small, and the rest is not too special. So I did not want to go there for half a day with all my luggage and coordinating the next bus to continue to Curitiba.
I met a woman who told me she doesn’t speak any Spanish or English but German since she lives in Blumenau. I heard that in Blumenau, German is still a spoken language. However, I don’t know if kids have to learn it at school or if it’s dependent on the language of communication in families.
Curitiba
The city of Curitiba is known as the green city. I assume this is due to the many parks across the city. You won’t find green everywhere, but I recognized the positive advantage for air quality and temperature of the many green areas. I walked around in the historic center and afterward jumped on the Hop on Hop off bus.
Historic Center
I like the historic center of Curitiba, I walked around visiting Calcadao da XV, Praça Tiradentes, Cathedral Basilica Menor de Nossa Senhora da Luz dos Pinhais, and the Museum Largo da Ordem. The Passeio Público is a great park to walk around, I would not walk around at night though as it’s quite dark.
Hop on Hop off Bus
The route of the hop on hop off bus (“tourism line”) is quite long. Thus, if you just intend to get from one to another spot, take an Uber. If you have half a day available, you may take the bus to get a great impression of Curitiba. If you also intend to explore some parks or museums (stops), you should better use a full day.
I had half a day and explored the Parque Tingui and Botanical Garden as stops. Other parks like the Parque Tanguá, Palacio Avenida or Rua 24 hours were well visible from the bus. There were many more stops. More detailed information on operating hours as well as the stops are found on the respective website.
