Florianópolis
Island Capital Of Santa Catarina State, With More Than Forty Beaches On Santa Catarina Island · Florianópolis, Santa Catarina
Florianópolis, Floripa to Brazilians, is a state capital mostly built on an island, Santa Catarina Island, and it is one of the favourite beach destinations in South America. The island has more than forty beaches: busy party beaches in the north like Jurerê, the surf beaches of the east coast such as Joaquina and Praia Mole, and quieter, wilder ones in the south, some reached only on foot. In the middle lies the Lagoa da Conceição, a lagoon ringed by restaurants and bars, with huge sand dunes beside it used for sandboarding. Fishing villages founded by settlers from the Azores keep their colonial churches and oyster farms; Floripa grows most of Brazil's oysters. Every summer the island fills with Argentines, Uruguayans and Brazilians from the whole south, which makes it one of the most international beach towns on the continent. Whales come to the coast south of the island in winter. The water is colder than in the Brazilian north-east, and the summer traffic on the bridges and island roads is notorious.
Ilha de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Beaches are public and open at all times, but the island runs on two very different calendars. Summer, roughly December to February, is peak season: lifeguard posts are staffed on the main beaches, beach restaurants and clubs open daily, and traffic on the bridges and the few island roads is so heavy that a short drive can take hours, with the worst jams on weekend afternoons as everyone leaves the beaches at once. Outside summer, many beach restaurants, kiosks and rental shops reduce hours or close entirely from about May to September, and lifeguards are absent from most beaches - confirm before counting on either. Boats to Campeche Island run mainly in season, weather permitting, with a daily visitor limit, so book ahead. Carnival and New Year bring the highest prices and minimum stays. Cold fronts can end a beach day suddenly.