Cascavel
Brazil · Americas
About Cascavel
Cascavel is a city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. It is the fifth most populous city in the state with 368,195 inhabitants, according to IBGE 2025 estimate. The distance to Curitiba, the state capital, is 491 kilometers by freeway.
Relatively new and with a privileged topography, Cascavel's development was planned, which gives it wide streets and well distributed neighborhoods. With an area of 2,100.831 km2, it is considered a strategic hub of Mercosul. It is the main city in the Cascavel Metropolitan Area.
The city is on a plateau 781 meters above sea level. It is 504 km west of the state capital of Curitiba and 605 km west of the sea port of Paranaguá, 140 km from the three borders (Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil) at 24° 58' South, 53° 26' West.
The name of the city means rattlesnake in Portuguese; it arises from a variation of the classical Latin "cascabus", meaning "bubbling water boiling". According to legend, a group of settlers camped one night in the region and they were woken by the sound of a rattle; later they realized they set up the camp next to a rattlesnake.
The Caingangue natives inhabited western Paraná, which...
Cascavel travel guide
See
Danilo José Galafassi Municipal Zoo (Zoológico Municipal Danilo José Galafassi). Small zoo with 37 birds species, 23 mammal species, and 8 reptile species, including some endangered animals. Nossa Senhora Aparecida Cathedral (Catedral Nossa Senhora Aparecida). Paulo Gorski Ecological Park (Parque Ecológico Paulo Gorski). Praça do Migrante. Contains a monument with five giant concrete ramps pointing to different regions of Brazil, representing the various migrant populations which make up the city. Suely Marcondes de Moura Festugatto Environmental Education Center (Centro de Educação Ambiental Suely Marcondes de Moura Festugatto).
Eat
Casa Do Marquês: All kinds of good food, including pizza! It hosts major events, such as the Cascavel de Ouro racing event, the Coopavel Rural Show, the Livestock Show, and well-known motorsport events, such as Stock Car Brasil.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.