The state of Amapá
São Luís
(Maranhão)
Itaúnas
(Espírito Santo)
Brasília
(Federal District)
Belo Horizonte
(Minas Gerais)
Southern Bahia
The state of Roraima
Porto Alegre
(Rio Grande do Sul)
Olinda
(Pernambuco)
Paraty
(Rio de Janeiro)
Jalapão
(Tocantins)
Fernando de Noronha
(Pernambuco)
Ilhabela
(São Paulo)
Parintins
(Amazonas)
Lençóis Maranhenses
(Maranhão)
Florianópolis
(Santa Catarina)
Bonito
(Mato Grosso do Sul)
Curitiba
(Paraná)
Salvador
(Bahia)
Jericoacoara
(Ceará)
Tiradentes
(Minas Gerais)
Gramado
(Rio Grande do Sul)
Porto de Galinhas
(Pernambuco)
Búzios
(Rio de Janeiro)
Chapada dos Veadeiros
(Goiás)
THE STATE OF AMAPÁ
Climate
The climate is tropical, with a lot of rainfall between January and May. Temperatures are at their highest during the dry season between June and December.
The state capital, Macapá, has an airport that is served by domestic flights. For many visitors, however, the first stop in Amapá is Porto do Santana, about 30km from Macapá, having travelled down the Amazon by boat from Santarém or Belém.
Accommodation
Macapá has a few mid-range hotels and numerous cheap, friendly guesthouses (pousadas).
Most people who visit Amapá spend some time in the capital, Macapá, which lies on the Amazon delta and is home to around 200,000 people, more than half of the state's total population. It has the distinction of being the only Brazilian city lying on the equator, and has a special monument, the Marco Zero, situated right on the equatorial line.
Places to visit include one of Brazil's best preserved forts, the Fortaleza de São José do Macapá, built in the 18th century to discourage foreign powers from staking a claim to the north bank of the Amazon. There is also a 'sustainable development museum' (Museu do Desenvolvimento Sustentável), which contains a range of crafts made by different indigenous tribes from the local region. Unsurprisingly, given its location, Macapá has a number of excellent fish restaurants.
Visit northern Brazil's answer to the world-famous Iguaçu falls in the far south: the smaller but still spectacular Santo Antônio waterfalls on the Jari river in the far south-west of the state, near the town of Laranjal do Jari.
Visit the Cabo Orange National Park in the far north of the state, which boasts a huge area of dense virgin rainforest and extraordinary biodiversity. Its mangrove swamps, home to flamingos, scarlet ibises and toucans, are a paradise for birdwatchers.
SÃO LUÍS (Maranhão)
The capital of the northeastern state of Maranhão, São Luís is home to just under a million people and is steeped in history. It was founded by the French (a distinction it shares with Rio de Janeiro) and is the only Brazilian city to have been ruled by three European countries. After the French were driven out by the Portuguese in 1615, the Dutch invaded the city and held it for a brief period in the mid-seventeenth century, building the fort whose ruins are still visible on a headland between the beaches of Ponta da Areia and Calhau.
Climate
The climate is very warm, but benefits from sea breezes that prevent the coastline region from becoming as hot as the interior of Maranhão. The year is divided into a wet (Dec-Jun) and dry (Jul-Nov) season, with humidity significantly higher during the former.
How to get there
São Luís is well served by intercity buses, and its small airport receives flights from São Paulo, Brasília and the main northeastern cities.
Accommodation
Most of the cheapest places to stay are in the historic centre, while beachside accommodation consists mainly of medium-range hotels.
What to do there
Stroll around the atmospheric colonial centre, or Zona, which is small enough to be covered on foot. The area is an unending feast of Portuguese colonial architecture, well deserving of its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is undeniably dilapidated in places, but the Reviver renovation project is making huge strides. The Praça Dom Pedro II is lined with beautiful pre-Baroque buildings including the municipal hall, which dates from 1688. Adjacent to it is the elegant Palácio dos Leões, built between 1761 and 1776. The steep Beco Catarina runs into the heart of the Zona, with its maze of cobbled streets, and leads to Rua do Trapiche, where the tiled façades are perhaps the most impressive array of azulejos in the city. Also, far from being a museum piece, the centre is a vibrant, bustling commercial hub, and its location on the headland above the confluence of the Atlantic and the Rio Anil means it also offers great views.
Fans of Brazilian reggae will feel very much at home in São Luís. There are regular live outdoor performances, both in the historic centre and across the bridge in São Francisco. And the parties are not restricted to weekends – Wednesday also seems to have become established as a big reggae night.
If you’re able to visit São Luís in June, don't miss the spectacular mix of music, dance and extravagant costumes that is the bumba-meu-boi popular festival. The festivities – which re-enact the story of a plantation owner who leaves a bull in the care of a slave, after which the animal dies but then magically comes back to life – usually start on Santo Antônio's day, 13 June, and reach a climax over the weekend nearest 24 June.
The city has excellent beaches, and unsurprisingly many thousands of locals flock to them at weekends. The closest to the city centre is Ponta da Areia, followed by Calhau, notable for its dunes. At low tide it is possible to take a beautiful stroll along the shoreline walk from one to the other. Perhaps the most attractive beach of all is Araçagi, about 20km away, which has numerous small bars and restaurants. Sample the delicious maranhense seafood, including crab and huge prawns. The area’s signature seafood dish is cuxá, made with shrimp, garlic and distinctively-flavoured leaves from local plants.
Related links
www.turismo.ma.gov.br [en]
en.wikipedia.org [en]
ITAÚNAS (Espírito Santo)
Sleepy fishing villages flanked by expanses of golden sand are hardly a rarity in Brazil, but Itaúnas deserves a special mention. Situated in the far north of Espírito Santo state, close to the border with Bahia, the village is part of a nature reserve that stretches for 25km along the Atlantic coast. With its simple houses, unpaved streets and little fishing boats (the main source of income for many local residents), Itaúnas has a rustic feel and is very quiet for most of the year. In summer, however, things liven up considerably as thousands of young Brazilians arrive in search of sun, sea and forró music. There is also a frenetic burst of mid-winter activity, in July, in the form of the annual forró festival.
Climate
Daytime temperatures in summer (Dec-Mar) often exceed 30 degrees, and on sunny days in winter (Jun-Sep) it is still warm enough to sunbathe.
How to get there
The nearest major airport is in the state capital, Vitória (250km down the coast), to which there are regular flights from many other Brazilian cities. Itaúnas is well served by buses from the nearest large town, Conceição da Barra, about 30km away.
Accommodation
There are around fifty pousadas (guesthouses), most of which offer delicious homemade breakfasts.
What to do there
Relax into the slow rhythm of local life, and enjoy the sun, sea and sand. The Atlantic along this stretch of the Brazilian coastline is invitingly warm and clear, as are the waters of the Itaúnas river. Those who scramble to the top of the dunes, some of which are 30m high, are rewarded with a fabulous view of the ocean and mangrove forests.
For those not content with sitting in the sun, or the shade of a palm tree, there are picturesque walking and horse-riding trails through the dunes, and plentiful kayaking opportunities along the Itaúnas river.
Itaúnas is one of the focal points for Projeto Tamar, dedicated to the protection of Brazil’s sea turtles. From September to March you can actually see the turtles hatching on the beach. Other wildlife in the state reserve includes monkeys, sloths, otters, parrots and jaguatiricas (a species of wild cat).
Itaúnas has established a nationwide reputation for forró, the energetic accordion-driven music associated with northeastern Brazil. The annual forró festival, held every July, entails 24-hour dancing and attracts thousands of young people. If you’re not sure of the moves, drinking a couple of the local caipirinhas will probably free you of your inhibitions!
Savour the local cooking, which naturally includes a lot of freshly-caught fish and other seafood.
Related links
www.braziltour.com [en]
www.40graus.com.br [pt]
BRASÍLIA (Federal District)
In the 1950s the idea of an inland capital for Brazil was not a new one, but the man who provided the crucial political impetus was President Juscelino Kubitschek, for whom the new city represented the centrepiece of a push to achieve ‘fifty years' progress in five’. In fact, Brasília was built even more quickly than that: it began to rise from the savannah in 1956, and was officially inaugurated in April 1960.
Many of Brasília’s buildings embody a bold, futuristic vision dating from the 1950s and 60s. They therefore have a very distinctive feel – simultaneously space age and retro – and explain why the city has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Climate
The high plain (planalto) on which Brasília is situated has a reasonably comfortable climate: temperatures rarely exceed 30 degrees in summer (Dec-March) or fall below 15 degrees in winter (June-September). Rainfall is lower than the Brazilian average, and the city is well known for its clear blue skies. Nevertheless, the numerous parks and gardens remain pleasantly green for most of the year, the exception being the very dry and dusty months of July-September.
How to get there
Brasília's airport (12km south of the city centre) is served by regular flights from all the other major cities in the country. The capital also has excellent roads fanning out in every direction across the planalto. The bus journeys to São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Goiânia take around fifteen, ten and three hours respectively.
Accommodation
In addition to the top-of-the-range hotels catering to business, governmental and diplomatic visitors, there are plenty of cheap options for those on a tighter budget.
What to do there
Perhaps the first thing visitors need to do is get a feel for the city’s unique lay-out, often compared to an aeroplane. The principal government and public buildings are to be found in the ‘fuselage’, while the ‘wings’ contain the residential areas along with a great many bars and restaurants. Visitors should also be aware that attempting to get around on foot can soon become tiring. Indeed, the city was planned on the assumption that its residents would have access to automated transport. Fortunately there is a good bus service, and no shortage of taxis.
Running through the ‘fuselage’ is the Eixo Monumental (‘Monumental Axis’), lined by gleaming government buildings including the huge Palácio do Itamaraty that houses Brazil’s foreign ministry. The nose of the fuselage includes the national parliament buildings (Congresso Nacional) and the office of the president (Palácio do Planalto). The outstanding architectural features in this part of the city are far too numerous to list here, but the Congresso Nacional (one of Niemeyer’s most famous creations) perhaps deserves a special mention as it consists of two 28-story-high towers flanked by the futuristic dome of the Senate (the upper house of parliament) and ‘saucer’ of the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house). It is possible to arrange guided tours of the Congresso Nacional, the Palácio do Planalto and Palácio do Itamaraty, and to watch parliamentary debates from a public gallery.
Not far from the ministry buildings is yet another of Niemeyer’s creations, the stunning Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida, built in the form of an inverted chalice and crown of thorns. It is well worth going inside to admire the enormous stained glass roof.
The pyramid-shaped Teatro Nacional (National Theatre) is also a very striking building. Its three auditoriums are used for a wide range of cultural events, including concerts by Brasilia’s very own symphony orchestra.
To get a view of the city as a whole, there’s no better place than the 220-metre-high platform on the Torre de Televisão (TV Tower) on the Eixo Monumental.
Anyone seeking a shady green space for a walk, a jog or a picnic should head for the Parque Sara Kubitschek (named after the former president’s wife), which runs along one side of the Eixo Monumental.
There is also a huge area of wild countryside right on the edge of the city in the form of the Parque Nacional de Brasília, which includes natural pools for swimming and numerous hiking trails.
Brasília might not be the country’s cultural epicentre, but it has a highly-regarded international film festival every October, a vibrant live-music scene, and a huge number of restaurants (amply representing both international and Brazilian regional cuisine).
Finally, Brasília also serves as the main point of departure for the burgeoning ecotourism opportunities in the cerrado region. There are various waterfalls and cave systems within easy reach of the city, and the spectacular Chapada dos Veadeiros national park (also listed in Destinations) is less than 250km away.
Related links
www.wikitravel.org [en]
www.braziltour.com [en]
BELO HORIZONTE (Minas Gerais)
Climate
The climate is very pleasant, with temperatures rarely falling below 15 degrees in winter (June-September) or rising above 30 degrees in summer (December-February). Very little rain falls between May and September.
How to get there
The city has two airports: Pampulha, 10km from the city centre, which mainly handles flights from elsewhere in Minas Gerais, plus a few from other Brazilian cities; and the busier Tancredo Neves airport (usually known as Confins), 30km away, which receives the majority of domestic flights, plus a small number of international ones. By road, perhaps the best way to approach Belo Horizonte is from the south, through the beautiful hills of the Serra do Espinhaço (the view of which gave the city its name).
Accommodation
There are dozens of hotels in and around the city centre, many of them very reasonably priced.
What to do there
Belo Horizonte has some outstanding art galleries, including the Palácio das Artes, Instituto Moreira Salles and Centro de Cultura Belo Horizonte in the city centre, and the Museu de Arte da Pampulha about 10km to the north in the district of Pampulha.
Dotted among the skyscrapers are some buildings of great architectural interest, such as the French art-nouveau-style Palácio da Liberdade, which serves as the official residence of the Minas Gerais state governor; the São Francisco de Assis church, with its remarkable curves, decorated with a series of murals by the Brazilian modernist artist Candido Portinari; and the flowing lines of the Edifício Niemeyer (designed, as its name suggests, by the world-famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer).
Hunt for local delicacies at the Mercado Central, a huge indoor market that takes place seven days a week in the city centre. Anyone who has developed a taste for queijo minas, the delicious white cheese produced in Minas Gerais, should certainly pay a visit.
On a Sunday, anyone with an interest in handicrafts should head for the enormous Feira de Arte e Artesanato, which takes place alongside the Parque Municipal. Producers of lace, jewellery, leather goods, paintings, ceramics and countless other goods come from many different parts of Brazil to sell their wares.
Connoisseurs of the sugar-cane spirit cachaça will love the Alambique Cachaçaria, which produces and sells many different types of this fiery drink, including some that are infused with herbs or honey. It is widely accepted that Minas Gerais produces the best cachaças in Brazil.
For nightlife, the best districts of the city are arguably Savassi and Funcionários, where there are several lively bars. Rua da Bahia, in the city centre, is also good place to mingle with the locals until the early hours of the morning. The city’s clubbing scene centres on Barro Preto.
Take a break from the bustle of the city centre in the shady and attractively laid-out Parque Municipal, which includes a boating lake and more than two thousand different species of tree, or the huge Parque das Mangabeiras nature reserve on the southern edge of the city. Just outside the Parque das Mangabeiras is the Mirante da Cidade, which offers a panoramic view of the city.
Go to Pampulha to see a football match at the Minerão, one of Brazil’s largest and most atmospheric football stadiums. The local derby between Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro, the city’s two major clubs, is a particularly highly-charged occasion.
If you fancy yourself as a draughts player you could take on one of the many purveyors of ‘street draughts’ in the area around Praça Sete. These enterprising locals set up their boards on the pavements and play all comers for money – needless to say they are rarely beaten.
Take a train to the coastal city of Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo state. Brazil is not well known for its railways, but this line, surviving from the beginning of the last century, offers a fascinating ride through the eastern part of Minas Gerais. Even if you don’t intend to catch the train, the neoclassical architecture of the station building, situated on Praça da Estação in the city centre, is well worth a visit.
Belo Horizonte is a good base from which to set off and the charming old colonial towns of Minas Gerais such as Tiradentes (also listed in Destinations) and Ouro Preto.
Related links
www.i-escape.com [en]
dg.travelnow.com [en]
www.agendabh.org.br [pt]
SOUTHERN BAHIA
Climate
Along the coast the weather is warm and dry almost all year round, without ever getting blisteringly hot.
How to get there
Salvador international airport in the north of Bahia receives flights from Europe and North America, as well as from all the other major cities in Brazil. From Salvador, the main route south is the BR-101 highway – it’s about six hours by bus to Ilhéus and eleven hours to Porto Seguro. An alternative option is to fly to the small airport at Porto Seguro from Salvador or Rio de Janeiro.
Accommodation
The large towns have a wide range of pousadas (guesthouses) and hotels to choose from, while most of the accommodation in smaller places, such as Trancoso and Caraíva, tends to be fairly simple.
What to do there
Just off the mainland about 70km south of Salvador, the village of Morro de São Paulo is situated on the small island of Tinharé. Many visitors arrive direct from Salvador either by boat (a two-hour journey) or small aircraft (only 20 minutes). Morro de São Paulo has developed a reputation for lively nightlife during the summer months, and is a popular destination for young Brazilian tourists. The island has good beaches, the nearby coral reefs offer superb scuba diving, and it is also one of the best spots in Bahia for surfing.
Itacaré, 330km south of Salvador, is a busy beach town and fishing port that has become something of a centre for water-based adventure sports such as canoeing and rafting.
Another 70km down the coast, the town of Ilhéus was the birthplace of the novelist Jorge Amado, the creator of classic s such as Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon and Dona Flor and her two Husbands. Fans of his work will not want to miss the Casa da Cultura, once the home of Amado himself. The town also has a number of beaches, though they pale alongside the beautiful stretches of sand to the south of the town near the village of Olivença.
The bustling resort of Porto Seguro, where the first Portuguese sailors landed on Brazilian soil in 1500, is the most popular destination in southern Bahia. It was founded in 1526, and some of its sixteenth-century buildings still survive. The town attracts large numbers of Brazilian tourists throughout the year, but is particularly busy during from December to February. There is abundant nightlife all year round, and the annual carnaval – definitely a participative rather than a spectator event – is reputed to be one of the best in Brazil. The best of the beaches around Porto Seguro are probably those to the north of the town, starting with Praia Curuípe. Slightly further up the coast road is Praia Itacimirim, followed by Mundaí and Taperapuã, both of which are good for scuba diving.
Arraial d’Ajuda, a slightly quieter and yet still lively beach resort, is just a ten-minute ferry ride from Porto Seguro across the Buranhém river.
About 45 minutes’ drive south from Arraial d’Ajuda (or, for the more adventurous, a 12km walk along stunning beaches) the laid-back little town of Trancoso has long been popular with the backpacking fraternity.
For those seeking a really peaceful tropical hideaway, the sleepy village of Caraíva, not easily reached by road, is accessible by boat from Trancoso (two hours) and Porto Seguro (four hours). There are no cars, the only electricity is provided by generators, and the surrounding beaches are second to none.
In the far south of Bahia is the pretty colonial town of Caravelas, founded in 1503. Apart from being a relaxing place to spend time in, it is also the point of departure for the Abrolhos National Marine Park. Tour companies in the town offer trips to the park, which consists of five islands about 50km from the coastline. It is an excellent place to see turtles, rare birds and also, between July and October, humpback whales.
Related links
www.bahia.com.br [en, pt]
www.morrodesaopaulo.com.br [en, pt]
www.itacare.com.br [en, pt]
THE STATE OF RORAIMA
Visitors to the Monte Roraima national park, in the region where the borders of Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana meet, will find huge, flat-topped mountains rising dramatically out of the flat savannah – a strange and yet stunningly beautiful landscape that is said to have inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel The Lost World.
The huge potential for ecotourism in Roraima is already being exploited. A variety of organised, guided tours can be arranged in the state capital, Boa Vista, and there is also scope for independent travel. Visitors should be aware however, that indigenous territories cannot be entered without permission from the National Foundation for the Indian (Funai), and that trips to many of the principal destinations require authorisation from Ibama, Brazil’s national environmental protection agency.
Climate
As you’d expect in a state lying on the equator, the weather is warm and quite humid all year round. The annual mean daytime temperature is 26 degrees centigrade.
How to get there
Boa Vista airport has regular connections to other cities in northern Brazil (including Manaus, Belém and Santarém) and to Georgetown in Guyana. There is also a bus service to Manaus, and to Puerto La Cruz in Venezuela.
Accommodation
Boa Vista has a reasonable number of hotels in the mid-range and budget categories. Accommodation elsewhere tends to be fairly simple.
What to do there
Most people who visit Roraima spend some time in Boa Vista, home to more than a third of the state’s total population. It is a modern city laid out in a radial pattern with the major thoroughfares converging in the central square. It occupies an attractive position alongside the Rio Branco, and its wide, tree-lined avenues give it a spacious feel. Attractions include an interesting selection of handicrafts at the Casa do Artesanato, live music by local bands at weekends, and some good riverfront restaurants serving fish dishes.
Away from the capital, the following are the main places where ecotourism has been developed:
Monte Roraima (2,875m), the world’s highest table-top mountain, standing at the triple border point between Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana. Unless you are an expert rock climber the only route to the top is from the village of Paraitepui in Venezuela, although the less arduous option of circling the peak in a helicopter is also available. The rocky surface of the mountain top has an extremely unusual ecosystem, including a variety of carnivorous plants.
The Monte Roraima national park, which contains other table-top mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and unusual vegetation including wild orchids.
The ecological reserve of Ilha do Maracá, one of the biggest river islands in the world, where the rich variety of animal life includes buffaloes, tapirs and jaguars. It is situated about 100km to the north of Boa Vista, where the rainforest begins to give way to open savannah.
The region of Caracaraí, which offers excellent kayaking on the stretch of river known as the ‘Corredeiras do Bem-Querer’, along with boat trips and hiking trails on the Ilha de Jarú.
Lake Caracaranã, ringed by pretty beaches and cashew-nut trees – great for swimming and wind-surfing.
The Serra Grande region, with numerous walking trails and waterfalls.
Pedra Pintada, a 40-metre-high, 60-metre-wide rock that is considered one of the most significant archaeological sites in Brazil. The base of the rock contains a cave with in which paintings by prehistoric peoples are clearly visible.
Related links
www.v-brazil.com [en]
www.carnaval.com/brazil/boavista [en]
www.rr.gov.br/turismo [pt]
PORTO ALEGRE (Rio Grande do Sul)
Porto Alegre, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is one of the largest and most vibrant cities in southern Brazil, and yet manages to retain the welcoming feel of a small town. For many years its standard of living has been among the highest out of all the major Brazilian conurbations, and despite its surprisingly low profile as a tourist destination it has a great deal to offer to visitors.
The city has a population of about 1.5 million and is situated on the estuary of Guaíba Lake (popularly referred to as 'Guaíba River'), close to the Atlantic coast. It is a relatively pedestrian-friendly city, and sightseeing is further facilitated by an urban transport system regarded as one of the best in Brazil. With more than a million trees it is also, in the literal sense, one of the greenest cities in the world. Parts of the Zona Sul, the southern part of the city, even have a rural feel, with attractive walking trails, nature reserves, and numerous spots for fishing.
Porto Alegre has a reputation for innovative local government which derives primarily from the system of 'participatory budgeting' pioneered in the late 1980s, and which has since attracted the interest of municipal authorities in various other parts of the world, including the UK. Participatory budgeting gave local people an unprecedented degree of control over the way money was spent by the city authorities.
In 2001 Porto Alegre also hosted the first World Social Forum (WSF), a gathering of activists from non-governmental organizations in dozens of different countries. The WSF has since been held in the city on three other occasions.
Occupying a strategic geographical location in Mercosur (the trading block comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), equidistant from Buenos Aires and Montevideo, the city is also an important business centre.
Climate
Daytime temperatures in summer (December-February) often rise above 30 degrees, but average less than 20 degrees in winter (June-September). Mid-winter visitors might even experience temperatures as low as two degrees.
How to get there
The city's busy airport receives daily flights from other Brazilian state capitals, as well as from Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Asunción. There are also good road connections to neighbouring Brazilian states, Uruguay and Argentina.
Accommodation
As you’d expect in a city of its size, Porto Alegre has hotels and guesthouses to suit every budget.
What to do there
Admire the handsome architecture of the city centre, where numerous buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries stand alongside impressive modern constructions such as Farroupilha Palace, the seat of the Rio Grande do Sul state government. One of the most imposing buildings is the Mercado Central (Central Market), dating from 1869 and built in an intricate, distinctively Portuguese style. It houses an impressive array of stalls selling household goods, food (including local specialities), herbs and handicrafts. Another elegant neoclassical building is the Casa de Cultura Mário Quintana, one of the largest cultural centres in Latin America.
Take a boat trip on the enormous Guaíba Lake. Destinations include the Ilha da Pintada, one of the 28 islands comprising the Delta do Jacuí State Park, home to more than a hundred different bird species. On clear days, the view of the sunset from the shoreline of Guaíba Lake is famously spectacular.
The city has pleasant parks such as Moinhos de Vento, Marinha do Brasil and Farroupilha. The latter is one of the biggest urban parks in South America, and serves as a traditional meeting place at weekends when you’ll see hundreds of porto-alegrenses passing the time of day over a chimarrão, a strong, hot tea made with the leaves of erva mate. On Sundays the park hosts the ever-popular Brique da Redenção, a huge arts, crafts and food fair consisting of hundreds of stalls.
The city has an active cultural life, with a lively underground music scene and several film and visual-arts exhibitions – for example it hosts the Mercosur Biennial, considered one of the foremost visual-art events in Latin America. One of the most popular cultural centres is the imposing Usina do Gasômetro, a disused power station that now houses cafes, cinemas and galleries. The city’s nightlife, meanwhile, is vibrant and diverse, ranging in styles from the sophisticated Moinhos de Vento to the alternative scene in the Cidade Baixa.
Anyone interested in traditional culture of the far south of Brazil should visit Porto Alegre during the Semana Farroupilha, a week-long celebration of gaúcho music and gastronomy that takes