Curitiba

Understand

Curitiba is one of the largest cities in the prosperous Southern region, and its population is largely descended from German, Ukrainian, Russian, Italian and Polish immigrants. The city is known to urban planners worldwide for its innovative public transit system.

Climate

Many visitors from outside Brazil are not prepared to feel cold in this mainly tropical country. However, Curitiba, though close to the Tropic of Capricorn, is at an elevation of 932 meters (3,058 ft) above the sea level. These factors mean that winters (from June to September) can reach freezing temperatures, especially at night, making coats and other protection from the cold necessary. Even in the other seasons, cold nights are not unusual, though it rarely descends to 0 °C except during the winter. Summers, between December to March tend to be mild, with some hotter days of maximum through 30s °C or 90' °F, but occasional nights of 10s °C or 50s °F. Curitiba receives ample rain, there's no dry season, and it is rare to go more than 5 days without showers. Periods of a steady light rain or drizzle may last several weeks, typically foggy and grey, somewhat similar to London weather. As in São Paulo, it is common for a day to start with a clear sky, start a thunderstorm for a few minutes and end with a beautiful sunset. Despite this, the months when it usually rains more in Curitiba are between October and March. Snow is very rare, with the last occurrence in 2013 and before that, 1975. But there are many places within 3-4 hours by car with snows every year in the winter, specially Palmas (364 km, 226 mi) and São Joaquim (438 km, 272 mi). Frost, nevertheless, is very common within the city limits and produces painting-like landscapes in the urban parks, notably Barigui Park and Jardim Botânico (until 08:00, before the sunlight starts to melt the frost).

Getting there

By bus Curitiba's Bus & Train Station (Estaçao Rodoferroviária) is a large station with 3 terminals (train terminal, interstate bus terminal and intrastate bus terminal) provides scheduled bus service from Curitiba to all over Brazil, as well as locations in Argentina, Chile and Paraguay. The bus is the best way to come from or go through São Paulo and Florianópolis, since the travel doesn't last too long and the bus terminals are downtown in these cities (avoiding traffic jams and long transfers to distant airports). São Paulo Station is not exactly downtown but is nearby, and has a subway station inside the terminal. Curitiba-São Paulo: travel time 6 hr, R$60–80, departures every hour (there's no need to book in advance). Curitiba-Florianopolis: travel time 4 hr 30 min, R$50–70, lots of departures every day (although not so widespread than to São Paulo).

By plane 1 Aeroporto Afonso Pena (CWB IATA) (in the nearby city of São José dos Pinhais and about 17 km (11 mi) from Curitiba city center). There are daily scheduled departures to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Brasília and other major cities. It also serves flights to other Paraná State cities, such as Foz do Iguaçu, Londrina and Maringá. International destinations with scheduled flights from Curitiba are Buenos Aires (Ezeiza), although other destinations may be eventually served on a non-scheduled basis. Major airlines such as Gol, Pluna and LATAM provide scheduled services to other cities, including those in Paraná State, and international destinations. Other minor airlines, such as Passaredo and TRIP, also serve Curitiba in scheduled and non-scheduled basis. In winter months (June–August), fog often causes the airport to close in the morning. Flights will then be cancelled or rerouted to nearby Joinville (130 km away) and Navegantes (230 km away) airports. If you want to avoid any trouble, during winter months choose flights landing or taking off after 09:00. There are different options of ground transportation between Afonso Pena Airport and Curitiba city center. Regular city buses depart every 20–30 minutes on business days to Terminal Boqueirão, from where it's possible to transfer free of charge to buses going downtown. To find the bus stop, on the arrivals floor walk on the same direction of cars until you see the tube-like structure. The R$ 4.30 fee can be paid in cash on the spot. The Airport Shuttle departs every 20 minutes on business days and is quicker than the city buses and much more comfortable, but its fare is R$ 15. Taxis are available 24 hours per day, plan on roug

Getting around

Curitiba is a household name among transit geeks worldwide and has for a time been a "pilgrimage site" for fans and proponents of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The idea behind the concept is to give buses many of the aspects of rapid transit without relying on rail vehicles, while being implemented for much cheaper and faster than any rail alternatives. As such, the system, known as Rede Integrada de Transporte (Integrated Transportation Network) features dedicated grade separated busways, bi-articulated and articulated buses with higher capacities than normal buses (in fact, comparable to a subway in many cases), express and "local" services that can overtake each other along the way, dedicated stations instead of mere "stops", level boarding, and offboard fare payment to make passengers to able get on and off at all doors. The system has been widely praised for its success, emulated throughout the Americas, and has spurred transit oriented development near many stations, but it has in a sense been a victim of its own success with overcrowding making it difficult to handle the increase in population over the last years. Thus the city is supplementing the busiest routes with a rail-based underground metro system. Driving can be difficult for those who are not used to the traffic in Curitiba, especially for first comers. In the central area, there are many one-way streets, parking restrictions as well as pedestrian-only and bus-only streets. Bus lanes are very common in Curitiba, as the city has over 60 km (38 miles) of them. Most avenues are wide and have spacious sidewalks and they are mostly laid out in a grid system in the city center area. Public transportation is probably the best option for those visiting the city. The fare is R$ 6.00 on Sundays, and you can connect for free between the bus routes if you connect inside the bus depots or the tube stations. There are also special services, like the City Center Circulator, which costs only R$1.50, the Touristic Route, which serves more than 20 attractions and allows each rider visit 4 of them paying only one fare, although expensive (R$27), and the Airport Shuttle, operated with mini-buses between Curitiba downtown and Afonso Pena Airport (R$8). Actually the best way to come from the airport to downtown is a city bus lane called "aeroporto", which final stop is on the tube just next to the airport's main entrance. The fare is R$2.60, cheaper than the Airport Shuttle (R$10) and way cheaper than by taxi (R$50). The public bus system is generally good in comparison with other Brazilian capitals, but overcrowd

See

Many tourist attractions are closed on Monday. The tourist bus is not running on that day either. Municipal libraries, located at schools or public places, with a reference collection of five thousand books inspired by two ancient landmarks: the library and the lighthouse from Alexandria. The modular building, with a metallic structure, has a height of 17 meters and 98 square meters of built area. The internal division is simple: the ground floor – where the books are, a hall and a spiral staircase, leading to the top of the tower, where there is a lair, covered with a metallic vault and above it a rooster. The Farol das Cidades, João Gava Street, s/n° - Abranches. M-F 09:00-21:00, and on Sa 09:00-13:00. The only one of its kind, is different from the others because of its collection, made of videos and CD-ROMs, equipped with computers and connected to the Internet and to the City Hall geoprocessing, with free access to the population.

1 Jerusalem Fountain, Sete de Setembro Avenue (corner with Arthur Bernardes Avenue – Seminário). Pays homage to the 3,000 years of Jerusalem. The construction in concrete and masonry has a height of 14.5 meters and was designed by the architect Fernando Canalli. At the top there are three bronze angels, of approximately 600 kilos each, sculpted by the artist Lys Áurea Buzzi, representing the three main monotheistic religions in the world, who believe in the existence of angels and for which Jerusalem is a sacred city: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. (updated Jan 2025) 2 Memory Fountain (at Garibaldi Square – São Francisco.). Authored by Ricardo Tod, the horse head in bronze characterizing the fountain pays homage to the old immigrant colonists, who with their carts would come from their small farms at the city's outskirts to sell their agricultural products at the center. (updated Jan 2025) 3 Maria Lata D'Água Fountain, Generoso Marques Square (Center, at the vicinity of the Paranaense Museum). Together with the historic houses, it was inaugurated on May 15, 1996. Structured in concrete, it occupies an area of approximately 36 square meters and has a 60 centimeters deep water mirror. The highlight from the fountain is a reproduction of the sculpture "Água pro Morro", from the beginning of the 1940s, from Erbo Stenzel, one of the most important artists from Paraná. (updated Jan 2025) 4 Arab Memorial, Gibran Khalil Gibran Square (Center). M-F 09:00-18:00, Sa 09:00-13:00. Paying homage to the Middle-Eastern culture, it works as a specialized library. The building reminds of the architectural style of the Moorish buildings,

Do

The Serra Verde Express, a train to the coastal town of Morretes (4 hours), makes an excellent day trip and is for many tourists the main reason to visit Curitiba. The views from the train are unforgettable. The ride departs daily at 08:30 in the morning, descends through some of last remaining Atlantic rainforest and offers some spectacular views (not to mention it is one of the few train rides in Brazil). Return trips from Morretes to Curitiba leave at 15:00. As of September 2025, one-way tickets start at R$199, and can be purchased on the official website. If you keep getting a "no availability" error on the mobile site when selecting the number of passengers, it's because you forgot to select which direction you're taking the train after choosing the date. Be aware that a day that appears to have availability on in the first page may only have tickets left for expensive classes. The regular-price tickets can sell out well in advance, especially for popular dates. In addition to the regular train, there's a high-class tourist service, the litorina, which mostly runs on weekends, sometimes an hour later than the regular train, and costs R$495. The trains do not run 7 days a week except in high season (Dec-Feb), but usually run at least F-Su and on holidays - see the official calendar. There is no longer a weekly train service beyond Morretes to Paranaguá. One fun day trip is to leave the train in Morretes, and hitch a ride upstream by taxi or farmer's cart along the Nhundiaquara river. There is a bridge a few miles upstream in a municipality called 'Porto de cima' where you can rent an innertube (boia cross in Portuguese), and get a ride a few miles upstream on dirt roads. A fun float down the river through the tropical jungle is spectacular, refreshing, and you won't find a cleaner place in Brazil. An unforgettable day, especially if it is not a holiday time or weekend when it may be more crowded. Look for the bottle-hotel near the tube take-out point - that would be a memorable place to stay if it is open (seasonally).

Buy

1 Feira do Largo da Ordem (Largo da Ordem's Street Fair). It is an open market, happens on all Sunday mornings, there you can find craftmanship, paintings, sculptures, typical foods, street artists, ecological pencils (Natural de Curitiba), old car exhibition and a lot more. 2 Feira da Praça da Espanha (Spain Square's Fair). Open on Saturdays, from 10:00-17:00. It is a fair with many antiquities and book dealers, placed at the Spain Square. (updated Aug 2016) Some of the best places to go shopping in Curitiba, just like in any other place in Brazil, are the Shopping Malls. There are 6 main shopping malls in Curitiba: 3 Mueller, 4 Estação, 5 Curitiba, 6 Crystal, 7 Park Barigüi, 8 Palladium, besides several other smaller ones, such as 9 Jardim das Américas and 10 Itália. If you like to walk outside, there are some nice places in Batel. Walk along Carlos de Carvalho street and its crossing streets. If you are looking for something from well-known international brands like Prada, Dior, Armani, D&G and Diesel, you might like "Maison Capoani" a boutique at end of Comendador Araújo Street on Batel, near the Crystal Shopping Center.

Eat

Curitiba has a good variety of restaurants, ranging from modest to upscale restaurants.

Budget 1 Montesquieu Bar, R. Alferes Poli, 646 (Corner of Westphalen and Silva Jardim St. (downtown)). These are probably the biggest sandwiches in Brazil - "x-montanha" is a sandwich that one can customize with layers of bread and meat. it's very inexpensive (around R$5.50). (updated Jan 2025) 2 Spich Restaurant (in front of Osorio Square (downtown)). Inexpensive downtown restaurant, very simple but will supply the daily needs of calories. A variety of food complements combined with two options of meat. R$5.50. (updated Jan 2025)

Mid-range Santa Felicidade is a neighborhood where you can find Italian food restaurants. 3 Taco El Pancho, Rua Bispo Dom José, 2293 (Bairro: Batel). Good Mexican restaurant. 4 Piola Pizzeria, Alameda Dom Pedro II, 105, ☏ +55 41 3225-7725. Very nice pizza, pasta and drinks. 5 Famiglia Originale, Avenida Munhoz da Rocha, 665 (Cabral), ☏ +55 41 3019-0909. Excellent Italian food, the best Strognoff Pizza! 6 Tropilha Grill, Rua Emiliano Perneta, 700 (Centro), ☏ +55 41 3085-5444. Great meat and service.

Splurge 7 Durski, Avenida Jaime Reis, 254. Slavic cuisine (Ukrainian, Polish and Russian) in the Old Town. 8 Le Rechaud, Rua Julia Wanderley, 1050, ☏ +55 41 3339-6006. Very good Swiss restaurant good for couples, with a very reserved atmosphere. 9 Saanga Grill, Avenida Iguaçu, 2423, ☏ +55 41 9972-0543. (updated Aug 2017) Taisho The best and most traditional Japanese in Curitiba. For around R$60, one can eat almost every speciality of this cuisine.

Drink & nightlife

1 James Bar, Alameda Dr. Carlos de Carvalho, 680 (Downtown), ☏ +55 41 3222-1426. If you want to more "alternative" club, James is a good option. Wednesday night rock parties and Saturdays (Indie/Electronica) are highly recommended. Gay friendly. 2 Wonka Bar, Rua Trajano Reis, 326 (São Francisco), ☏ +55 41 3026-6272. Classic club in old downtown. Some of the best local bands play here. A plenty of good looking girls (boys) in the weekends? 3 Sheridan's Irish Pub, Rua Bispo Dom José, 2293 (Batel), ☏ +55 41 99759-6000. Good place to get a pint. Don´t miss the local artesanal beers. 4 Sociedade Operária Beneficente 13 de Maio, Rua Desembargador Clotário Portugal, 274, ☏ +55 41 9198-6607, [email protected]. M 20:00 - 21:30; Tu 20:00 - 22:30; W 20:00 - 23:00; F 22:30 - 04:00; Sa 16:00 - 19:30, 23:00 - 05:00; Su 20:30 - 01:00. Founded in 1888 by former slaves, the May 13th Worker's Benificent Society holds parties that display Afro-Brazilian culture, music and dance. R$10-30. (updated Dec 2017) The Homebrewer and Craft Beer movement in Brazil are very strong in Curitiba. If you like craft beer you could visit some of its breweries:

5 Bodebrown, Rua Carlos de Laet, 1015, Hauer, ☏ +55 41 3082-6354. One of the most prized Brazilian craft breweries. Try Cacau IPA, Perigosa and Wee Heavy. (updated Apr 2017) 6 Gauden Bier, Av. Manoel Ribas, 6995, Santa Felicidade, ☏ +55 41 99699-0701. (updated Apr 2017)

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge 1 Hotel Deville Curitiba, Rua Comendador Araújo 99, ☏ +55 41 3883-4777, fax: +55 41 3883-4776, [email protected]. 2 Pestana Curitiba Hotel, Rua Comendador Araújo 499, ☏ +55 41 3017-9900, fax: +55 41 3017-9901, [email protected]. 3 Bourbon Curitiba Convention Hotel, Rua Cândido Lopes 102 - CEP: 80020-060, ☏ +55 41 3221-4600. 4 Radisson Hotel Curitiba, Avenida Sete de Setembro 5190, ☏ +55 41 3351-2222, toll-free: +1-800-967-9033 (US/Canada), [email protected].