Florianópolis, Brazil: Travel Guide
stunning beaches + wild night life. FLORIPA HAS MY HEART.
FLORIANóPOLIS, BRAZIL
Don’t just come to Brazil to sit back and watch. Instead, participate and immerse yourself in the Brazilian culture because it will light your soul on fire.
I came to Brazil with the goal of learning Portuguese and making Brazilian friends. Therefore, this guide provides my tips on where to go, where to eat, and things to do if you’re a gringo trying to be Brazilian, like me...
Let’s dive in.
My Favorite Places to Eat
Location: Santa Monica, Florianópolis:
Forneria Caterina – The best pizza I’ve ever had. The food is a little bit pricey but they really put heart and soul into their pizza. * Gringo Tip: You are not in The States, here in Brazil you eat pizza with a fork and a knife, not with your hands. ;)
Via Natural – I went here pretty much everyday for lunch. They have the healthiest, most delicious salads and really tasty smoothies!
Simples e Natural – This restaurant is right across the street from the language school (Step 1 Idiomas). Simples e Natural offer a buffet style lunch with THE BEST healthy Brazilian food you will ever have. You must go here!
Location: Lagoa da Conceição, Florianópolis:
Café Cultura – The owner is from California so this restaurant has a very California vibe. I recommend getting their coffee shake or Brazilian Iced Coffee. I also really enjoy their salmon and risotto plate. YUM!
Só Açaí – The best Açaí that I found in Florianópolis, they have 3 locations! I really enjoyed Só Açaí because their açaí is not too sweet with added sugars and guaraná, it is natural just the way I like it!
Aragua Surf Club – This restaurant is located right on the beach of Praia Mole (my favorite beach). This restaurant serves incredible (healthy) food and is right next to a yoga studio and surf board rental shop. It’s a little slice of paradise with a hint of California vibes!
Language School Information
Step 1 Idiomas
My number one goal is to learn Portuguese, therefore, before my trip I did an excess amount of research to find the best language school in the safest city in Brazil. Low and behold, I found Step 1 Idiomas. Step 1 Idiomas’ is a language school located in Santa Monica, Florianópolis and extremely close to the other two universities’ in Florianópolis, UFSC and NDSC. At this language school they teach Portuguese classes to foreigners in the morning and many other languages including Spanish, English, and French to Brazilians in the afternoon.
I really enjoyed starting my trip off with this language school for many reasons. They have amazing, compassionate teachers who only speak Portuguese so you are immediately thrown into the language and are forced to speak Portuguese. The 3 hour/ day course is intense but so worth it. I never knew that I could learn a language SO fast. After only 6 weeks at Step 1, I was having full on conversations with Brazilians and I grew my wings so that I could fly free and survive in Brazil.
Another amazing perk of Step 1 is that they give you an option to be placed with a host family, which is exactly what you want when you are trying to be immersed into a new culture. Regina and Clemente were my Brazilian host family parents for 6 weeks. They are amazing people and receive their guests very well (just like all Brazilians I am finding out). They have 3-4 other rooms in their home where they host other students from the school which is awesome because you immediately have other foreign friends who are learning Portuguese with you! This is where I met my good friend, Marte, who is Norwegian. We had the best 6 weeks together. It really is crazy how quickly you can get close with someone when you are traveling. It felt as if Marte and I had been friends for years, we even cried when we said goodbye to each other.
ACTIVITIES:
DANCING, HIKING, BeacHING, + CROSSFIT
There is always something to do in Brazil, prepare for zero sleep.
Dancing
First Choice: My favorite Brazilian Dance is Forró. If you want to learn one of the most fun and beautiful Brazilian dances you must go to a bar or club that offers Forró. Pretty much everyday of the week you can find a location that offers forró.
Marte, Caio and I - Tourada XIX - Funk and Sertanaja Music!
- Tuesday Night:
- They have Forró in Lagoa do Conceição
- Wednesday Night:
- Lambretta Bar in the center of the city has forró. If you get there at 8:30PM, you can jump into a free group lesson with my friend Gabriel!
- Thursday Night:
- This was my first forró experience. They host forró in the street right next to the gas station in front of Angeloni’s across the street from Shopping Iguatemi. It is such an awesome Brazilian experience. I highly recommend it!
Second Choice: Samba
Third Choice: Funk
- 1007 Club in the Center of Florianópolis offers amazing parties (usually themed) during the weekend. Each floor of the club offers different type of music - usually Hip Hop, Funk, and Sertaneja.
If you are interested in dance classes in Forro, Samba, even Funk. Check out CAZU Dance, I took a few classes there and it was so much fun!
BEACHES
Something that I love so much about the Brazilian culture is that Brazilians LOVE the beach. I mean, they really know how to hit the beach hard. We are talking about some serious professional beach goers. The way that Brazilians “beach” is so different than the way that we do it in The States or at least in California and Hawaii. Here, Brazilians bring a fully loaded beach kit which includes a sun umbrella, beach chairs, a speaker, cervejas (beers) allowing them to post up for the entire day. I found it extremely intriguing when I arrived at the beach around 3:00pm and noticed that everyone had their chairs turned so that their bodies were facing the sun and their backs towards the ocean. I thought to myself, “Excuse me, what is this? I have never turned my back to the ocean.” But hey, here in Brazil, it’s all about feeling the warmth of the sun, getting tan, and having extremely small tan lines.
Here are some of my favorite beaches in Florianopolis that you cannot miss!
Praia do Mozambique
Mozambique is located in the north-eastern part of the island. It is extremely secluded and has a desert like feel to it because it is completely surrounded by forrest and trees. This was one of my favorite beaches because there is nothing there, just pure nature. Do not go here alone, especially at night, always go with a friend and never leave your belongings alone when you go swimming in the water.
Praia do Campeche
Campeche is an awesome beach because it is big and open. This was another one of my favorite beaches. It is really fun for surfing and kite-surfing as well. The wind starts to come up around noon!
Ilha do Campeche!
Praia da Joaquina
Joaquina is an awesome beach for many reasons: Joaquina has nice restaurants and bars on the beach, great waves for surfing, and they have the best dunes in Brazil for sand boarding!
Ilha do Campeche
I highly recommend that you take a day to visit Ilha do Campeche, it was an incredible experience!
About Ilha do Campeche:
Ilha do Campeche is considered the Caribbean of Florianópolis. With it’s beautiful turquoise water in contrast with the vast and luscious green forrest, Ilha do Campeche is paradise.
The island offers amazing trails, sandy white beaches, warm, crystal clear water, and a guided hiking tour so you can learn about the history of the island and Florianópolis.
Getting there:
There are two locations where you can get a boat ride to the island: Barra da Lagoa and Armação e Campeche. The boat rides start to leave these locations at 9am in the morning until 12:30pm. You will likely have 5-6 hours on the island (The last boat leaves at 5pm).
In the summer time, it is smart to reserve a boat ride because they only allow 800 people on the island at a time to preserve the nature.
Hiking Trail:
The hiking trails on the island are magnificent! They take you to the other side of the island where you will find yourself turning the corner and losing your breathe to beautiful ocean cliff views! There is a tax fee to do the trail for conservation. The fee is about 10-25 Brazilian Reais.
Trilhas (Trails):
Trilha do Gravata
Trilha do Gravata was my favorite hikes in Florianópolis because it is the perfect distance (about 1.5-2 hours in total, short and easy), it has breath-taking views throughout the hike, and you end the hike at a beautiful, private beach! The trail is called "Trilha do Gravatá" because gravatá is the type of plant (spikey and cactus-like) that covers most of the trail. The trail and private beach is located in between Praia Mole and Praia da Joaquina.
The entrance of the trail is marked with a sign that reads "Parapente Sul" and is located on the main road of Barra da Lagoa where the nightclub called "Latitude 27" is located. This one is a must and is walking distance from Lagoa and the Sunset Backpackers Hostel!
Lagoinha do Leste
Many locals says that Lagoinha do Leste is the best hiking trail in Florianópolis and I have to say that I agree with them. Lagoinha do Leste is located on the southern part of the island. There are two entrances to the trail; Praia do Matadeiro and Praia do Pântano Su. The longer trail (about 6 hours in total) starts in Praia do Matadeiro and ends in Praia do Pântano Su. The shorter trail (about 3 hours there and back) starts and ends in Praia do Pântano Su. I wasn't able to do the longer trail but I think that the shorter trail was a perfect amount of time and equally as beautiful. No matter what trail you decide to take, I recommend doing the extra thirty-minute trail to the famous rock called Morro da Coroa. The entrance to Morro da Caroa is located at the base of the hill/ mountian to the right of the beach if you are looking at the ocean. There is a sign at the entrance which says, "Morro da Caroa". This thirty minute trail is extremely hard and tiring, you are basically rock climbing and scaling the side of a mountain, but the views from the top make it all worth it! Morro da Coroa translates to Hill of the Crown which makes sense because at the top of the hill you will find jagged rocks protruding from the earth looking like a spike-y crown!
After you have completed your three or 6 hour long hike, treat yourself to the best restaurant in Florianópolis, Bar do Arante. They have the best seafood buffet and meals. I'd recommend starting with their Pastel de Camarão e Queijo (shrimp and cheese). We didn't make it in time for their lunch buffet so we ordered the recommended dish which includes a variety of options of seafood. They started by bringing out bowls of shrimp, crab, oysters, and fresh fish. When we thought they were done bringing out food, the waiter came up to us and said, "Are you ready for the main course?". We thought it was joke. We left the restaurant that night with happy belly's and leftovers to bring to our buddies back at the hostel.
Fitness
- Fell in love with Crossfit (“Crossfitcheyy”) in Brazil! Academia Elite in Santa Monica, Florianópolis is an extremely nice gym and it is also walking distance from Step 1 Idiomas. They offer Crossfit classes at almost every hour of the day and Brazilians really know how to work you! I highly recommend taking a class or two!
Where to Stay
I recommend moving around and checking out all parts of the island because every part of this island is breathe taking in its own way. The northern part of the island (Jurerê) is more fancy and the beaches are smaller and crowded with vendors, bars, restaurants, and clubs. The southern part of the island is beautiful, surrounded by wildlife and natural forests. The eastern part of the island is my favorite because the beaches are big and there is the perfect amount of bars and restaurants, while at the same time being surrounded by vast green jungle and nature.
As far as places to stay, I would recommend trying out different types of accommodation; Hostels (so you can meet other travelers) and Airbnb or Couch surfing (so you can meet some locals).
The sunset view from our room at Sunset Backpackers!
- Jurerê Art Hostel
- Jurerê Art Hostel is located in Jurerê Traditional (the less fancy part of Jurerê, which I loved)! The Hostel is owned by the sweetest Uruguayan/ Brazilian lady, Illenia, who truly took me in and showed me many Brazilian customs including; Samba and Cachaça (Brazilian vodka). Which is really all you need right? With the little Portuguese that I knew, it was so sweet to have her patience and feel her warm energy.
- Sunset Backpackers
- Great location and amazing vibes! The staff at this Hostel are amazing. They make you feel so welcome and always have a party to invite you to! I highly recommend this Hostel. It is also walking distance from Lagoa do Conceição and Praia Mole!
- Airbnb in Lagoa do Conceiçao
If you are thinking about going to Brazil, I highly recommend spending some time in Florianópolis. It is absolute paradise!
Beijos,
Erin