---
title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Florianópolis, Brazil | Wimup"
description: "Florianópolis in one page: the Joaquina dunes and their sandboards, Ilha do Campeche, oysters at Ribeirão da Ilha and the Lagoinha do Leste trail."
url: https://wimup.com/city/florianopolis
type: City guide
updated: 2026-09-05
publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com)
---

# Top 10 Things To Do in Florianópolis

Florianópolis, Brazil · South America · By Wimup Editorial, 13 min read

Santa Catarina Island runs about 54 km down Brazil's southern coast and carries the state capital on its western shore, tied to the mainland by three bridges. The Atlantic side takes the swell, the surf schools and the dunes. The bay side keeps the Azorean villages, the oyster rafts and the flat water.

## Quick answer

Base yourself at Lagoa da Conceição, in the middle of the island, and work outward from there. Give one day to the east coast: the Joaquina dunes, a sandboard, and Praia Mole for the afternoon. Give one to the south, where the Lagoinha do Leste trail ends at a beach no road reaches. Keep a third for the bay side, which means the Hercílio Luz bridge, the Mercado Público and oysters at Ribeirão da Ilha.

## Quick facts

- **Best months:** Mar · Apr · Nov
- **Ideal length:** 4 days
- **Budget per day:** R$300–700
- **Language:** Portuguese
- **Getting around:** A rental car for the length of the island, Consórcio Fênix buses through the integration terminals, ride apps in the centre and the north
- **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://descubra.sc.gov.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## The 10 best things to do in Florianópolis

### 1. Lagoa da Conceição

Nature · Lagoa da Conceição, Florianópolis, SC

The saltwater lagoon in the middle of the island, and the island's centre of gravity. Kitesurfers work the shallow end, boats run up to Costa da Lagoa where no road goes, and the bars along the lagoon stay open long after the beaches have emptied.

- **Time:** Half a day
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** The Costa da Lagoa boat is a scheduled public service, not a tour, and it leaves from beside the bridge

### 2. Praia da Joaquina and the dunes

Beach · Praia da Joaquina, Florianópolis, SC

Brazil's best known contest beach, and the place sandboarding was invented. The dunes sit behind it, between the surf and the lagoon, and boards hire by the hour at the top of the access road. The wave is heavy for a first lesson. The sand is not.

- **Time:** 3 hr
- **Cost:** Free, sandboards from about R$30 an hour
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Hire the board at the dunes themselves rather than at the beach

### 3. Ilha do Campeche

Beach · Ilha do Campeche, Florianópolis, SC

An island off the island, listed by IPHAN in 2000 for more than 150 rock engravings, the largest concentration on the Brazilian coast. Clear water, one beach you can be left on without a guide, and a daily cap of 800 visitors that is now enforced by permit.

- **Time:** Full day
- **Cost:** Permit plus a licensed boat fare
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Issue the permit online before you go; boarding runs between 9am and 5pm and stops in rough seas

Links: [Website](https://ilhadocampeche.pmf.sc.gov.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 4. Ribeirão da Ilha

Food · Ribeirão da Ilha, Florianópolis, SC

The Azorean village on the bay's south-western shore, settled in the eighteenth century and now the centre of Brazil's oyster farming. Pastel houses, the colonial church of Nossa Senhora da Lapa, and a line of waterfront restaurants shucking what the rafts offshore grew.

- **Time:** Half a day
- **Cost:** Free to walk
- **Best at:** Lunch
- **Tip:** Eat on the water side; the church and the pastel row are two minutes from the restaurants

### 5. Ponte Hercílio Luz

History · Ponte Hercílio Luz, Centro, Florianópolis, SC

The 821 m eyebar suspension bridge that first joined the island to the mainland in 1926, closed in 1991 and reopened in December 2019 after most of its structure had been replaced. Traffic never came back. It carries walkers and cyclists, and it is lit after dark.

- **Time:** 45 min
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** After dark
- **Tip:** The lighting comes on at nightfall and the view back is of the whole north bay

### 6. Lagoinha do Leste

Beach · Lagoinha do Leste, Florianópolis, SC

A beach with no road to it, held between two headlands on the south-east coast. Two trails reach it: roughly two hours along the coast from Praia do Matadeiro, or a shorter and steeper climb over the hill from Pântano do Sul. Carry water. Nothing is sold on the sand.

- **Time:** 6 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Early morning
- **Tip:** Walk in from Matadeiro and out over Pântano do Sul, so the long half is done on fresh legs

### 7. Fortaleza de São José da Ponta Grossa

History · Praia do Forte, Jurerê, Florianópolis, SC

Begun in 1740 to a design by Brigadier José da Silva Paes, one of three forts that closed the northern entrance to the bay. The Federal University of Santa Catarina has run it since 1989, and the restoration is legible: barracks, chapel, powder magazine and the gun line above the water.

- **Time:** 1.5 hr
- **Cost:** Paid entry
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Open Tuesday to Sunday, 8.30am to 6.30pm

Links: [Website](https://fortalezas.ufsc.br/fortaleza-ponta-grossa/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 8. Mercado Público

Food · R. Conselheiro Mafra, Centro, Florianópolis, SC

Two wings and more than a hundred stalls. The first opened in 1899, the second went up on reclaimed land in 1915, with towers and a bridge joining them. Fishmongers and grocers below, bars above. This is where the city eats a plate of oysters standing up.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free to enter
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Hours vary by trade, so the fish counters shut well before the bars do

Links: [Website](https://mercadopublicofloripa.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 9. Santo Antônio de Lisboa

History · Santo Antônio de Lisboa, Florianópolis, SC

The oldest of the Azorean parishes on the north bay shore, a row of whitewashed houses facing water that goes flat at dusk. Oysters come off the rafts in front of you and are shucked on the spot. The village looks west across the bay, which is why people drive out for the sunset.

- **Time:** 3 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Sunset
- **Tip:** Come out in the late afternoon and stay to eat; the restaurants line the waterfront road

### 10. Projeto TAMAR

Nature · Barra da Lagoa, Florianópolis, SC

The sea turtle programme's island station, 50 m from the beach at Barra da Lagoa and open since 2005. Five observation tanks hold four of the five species that nest in Brazil, alongside a video room and a children's space. The whole site is step-free.

- **Time:** 1.5 hr
- **Cost:** Paid entry
- **Best at:** A wet afternoon
- **Tip:** There is free parking outside the visitor centre

Links: [Website](https://www.tamar.org.br/centros_visitantes.php?cod=8&utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## Best beaches in Florianópolis

Ten beaches on one island, grouped by which coast they sit on and what the water does there.

1. **Jurerê Internacional** (North · Calm water · Jurerê): Flat, warm and shallow almost all year, and the island's most expensive stretch of sand.
2. **Praia Mole** (East · Surf · Mole): Soft steep sand, a young crowd, and a wave that suits intermediates upward.
3. **Praia da Joaquina** (East · Surf · Joaquina): The contest beach, with the sandboarding dunes behind it.
4. **Praia do Campeche** (South-east · Surf · Campeche): Kilometres of open sand, and the heaviest beach break on the island when a south swell lands.
5. **Praia do Santinho** (North-east · Surf · Santinho): Solid waves without the party, and Indigenous rock carvings at the northern end.
6. **Barra da Lagoa** (East · Beginner surf · Barra da Lagoa): The island's beginner beach: a long slope that softens the swell before it lands.
7. **Praia dos Ingleses** (North · Family · Ingleses): The north's package-holiday beach, with everything within a walk of the sand.
8. **Praia da Armação** (South · Calm · Armação): An old whaling and fishing beach, and one of the boat points for Ilha do Campeche.
9. **Praia do Matadeiro** (South · Walk-in · Matadeiro): Reached on foot from Armação, and the start of the long trail to Lagoinha do Leste.
10. **Praia de Canasvieiras** (North · Family · Canasvieiras): Calm north-coast water with a hotel strip a block behind the sand.

## Best restaurants in Florianópolis

Oysters, shrimp and mullet, mostly with the water in view.

1. **Ostradamus** (Seafood · $$$ · Ribeirão da Ilha): Oysters served a dozen ways, on the water at Ribeirão da Ilha.
2. **Bar do Arante** (Seafood · $$ · Pântano do Sul): Open since 1958 at Pântano do Sul, its walls and ceiling papered in handwritten notes left by customers since the 1970s.
3. **Rancho Açoriano** (Azorean seafood · $$$ · Coqueiros): Founded at Ribeirão da Ilha in 1997 and at Coqueiros since 2004. Grilled oysters and moqueca. [Website](https://www.ranchoacoriano.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
4. **Ponta das Caranhas** (Seafood · $$$ · Lagoa da Conceição): Contemporary cooking on the edge of Lagoa da Conceição, open for more than 25 years. [Website](https://pontadascaranhas.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
5. **Box 32** (Bar and seafood · $$ · Centro): A market stall turned institution inside the Mercado Público. Oysters and pastéis, eaten standing.
6. **Zeca Bar** (Seafood · $$ · Campeche): Trading at Campeche since 1984, and still cooking the island's own seafood repertoire.
7. **Café Cultura** (Café · $ · Lagoa da Conceição): The local specialty-coffee chain, with a branch at Lagoa da Conceição. Breakfast rather than dinner. [Website](https://cafeculturabrasil.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## Best surf breaks in Florianópolis

The east and south coasts face the open Atlantic. These five are where the island surfs.

1. **Joaquina** (Advanced · Beach break · Joaquina): The island's best known break, and a fixture of the Brazilian circuit for decades.
2. **Campeche** (Advanced · Beach break · Campeche): Faces due south into the full Atlantic swell window, and turns heavy on a big day.
3. **Praia Mole** (Intermediate · Beach break · Mole): Lefts and rights, and the break most visitors settle on once they can stand up.
4. **Barra da Lagoa** (Beginner · Beach break · Barra da Lagoa): A long shallow slope that takes the sting out of the swell. The surf schools work here daily.
5. **Santinho** (Intermediate · Beach break · Santinho): Picks up south and east swell, so it works year round, and is wider and quieter than Joaquina.

## Best nature & trails in Florianópolis

Five walks and open spaces, from a lagoon village with no road to the dunes where sandboarding started.

1. **Trilha da Costa da Lagoa** (Easy · Half a day · Lagoa da Conceição): A lagoon-edge path to a fishing village reachable only on foot or by boat.
2. **Trilha da Lagoinha do Leste** (Hard · 5 to 7 hr · Pântano do Sul): About two hours from Matadeiro, rocky throughout, and steepest in the first half hour.
3. **Trilha de Naufragados** (Moderate · Half a day · Naufragados): Forty-five minutes through Atlantic forest from the end of the road, to a beach and a lighthouse.
4. **Parque Municipal da Lagoa do Peri** (Park · 2 to 4 hr · Armação): 2,030 hectares around the coast's largest freshwater lagoon, and the island's drinking-water source.
5. **Dunas da Joaquina** (Easy · 1 to 2 hr · Joaquina): The dune field between the beach and the lagoon, and the birthplace of sandboarding.

## Best bars & nightlife in Florianópolis

Two poles: the beach clubs at Jurerê in the north, and the bars around the lagoon in the middle.

1. **P12** (Beach club · Jurerê · Jurerê Internacional): The beach club on the sand at Jurerê Internacional, with pools, cabanas and a seafront deck.
2. **Café de La Musique** (Beach club · Jurerê · Jurerê Internacional): Jurerê's other big room, and the one that books the visiting names in high season.
3. **Confraria das Artes** (Club · Lagoa · Lagoa da Conceição): A long-running Lagoa da Conceição room, and the reliable one out of season.
4. **John Bull Layback Brew Pub** (Pub · Lagoa · Lagoa da Conceição): Craft beer and live music by the lagoon, and a slower start to the evening than the beach clubs.

## Best neighborhoods in Florianópolis

Six districts, and what each one gets you within a short drive.

1. **Lagoa da Conceição** (Central · All budgets · Lagoa): The middle of the island, and the shortest drive to both coasts. Bars, restaurants, and the lagoon.
2. **Centro** (Mainland side · $$ · Centro): The business city, the Mercado Público and the bridges. Cheaper, and not a beach base.
3. **Jurerê Internacional** (North · $$$ · Jurerê): Calm water, beach clubs and the island's highest prices. Family-friendly by day.
4. **Campeche** (South · $$ · Campeche): The surf side of the south, with a long open beach and boats to Ilha do Campeche.
5. **Canasvieiras** (North · $$ · Canasvieiras): Calm north-coast swimming and a hotel strip. Busiest in January and February.
6. **Barra da Lagoa** (East · $ · Barra da Lagoa): A working fishing village at the end of the lagoon, and the beginner surf beach.

## Best day trips from Florianópolis

Four trips down the coast and across the bay, three of them on the southern right whale route.

1. **Praia do Rosa** (90 km · 1.5 hr · Imbituba): About 90 km south, and the sheltered bay where southern right whales calve between July and November.
2. **Garopaba** (80 km · 1.5 hr · Garopaba): A surf town on the same coast, and one of the bases for whale-route trips by land.
3. **Imbituba** (90 km · 1.5 hr · Imbituba): The whale route's centre, where the season runs from July to November and peaks August to October.
4. **Fortaleza de Santa Cruz de Anhatomirim** (Boat trip · Half a day · Governador Celso Ramos): One of the three forts that guarded the bay, on its own island north of the city and reached by boat.

## Festivals & annual events in Florianópolis (2026)

- **Réveillon** (31 December): The island sees in the new year on the sand, dressed in white, with fireworks over the north bay.
- **Berbigão do Boca** (Early February): The bloco that opens Carnival, named after the local cockle, with giant puppets through the old centre.
- **Carnaval** (February): Parades and street blocos across the centre and Lagoa da Conceição, and the island's busiest week.
- **Ciclo do Divino Espírito Santo** (May to September): An Azorean cycle of processions, crownings and shared feasts across fourteen island communities.
- **Safra da tainha** (June and July): The mullet run, worked by the beach-seine crews, and the one season the fish appears on every menu.
- **Temporada da baleia franca** (July to November): Southern right whales calve down the coast at Imbituba, Garopaba and Praia do Rosa. August to October is the peak.
- **Maratona Internacional de Floripa** (Late August): A flat sea-level course along the Beira-Mar, with the half on the Saturday and the marathon on the Sunday.
- **Fenaostra** (October): The national oyster and Azorean culture festival, running since 1999: raw, grilled and gratinated, plus folklore.

## Must-try dishes in Florianópolis, Brazil

- **Ostras**: Santa Catarina grows about 90% of Brazil's oysters, eaten raw with lemon or gratinated.
- **Sequência de camarão**: Shrimp in four or five preparations, brought out in courses and sized to share.
- **Tainha assada**: Mullet, grilled whole with garlic, lemon and herbs. A June and July dish.
- **Moqueca de tainha**: The same fish in a broth of tomato, onion, pepper and coriander.
- **Berbigão**: A small cockle, cooked in vinaigrette or flambéed in cachaça, eaten as a starter.
- **Pastel de berbigão**: The cockle again, this time as a fried pastry. Market food, eaten standing.
- **Camarão na moranga**: Shrimp baked in a whole pumpkin with cream cheese, and one course of the sequência.
- **Pirão de peixe**: Fish broth thickened with cassava flour. It arrives beside almost everything.

## Florianópolis transport & airports

- **Florianópolis Hercílio Luz Airport** (FLN): The island's own airport, about 14 km south of the bus terminal, with a terminal opened in 2019. Bus 1830 runs into the TICEN terminal downtown. [Website](https://www.floripa-airport.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Terminal Rodoviário Rita Maria** (Coaches): The intercity coach station at the island end of the bridges, open around the clock, with services the length of Brazil. The TICEN city terminal is next door.
- **City buses** (Bus): One operator, Consórcio Fênix, runs the island network through its integration terminals, with three hours of transfers on a single fare. Cash is R$7.70, the tourist card R$7.20. [Website](https://www.consorciofenix.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Car and ride apps** (Road): The island runs about 54 km end to end with the sights spread down both coasts, so most visitors rent a car. Three bridges reach the mainland, where BR-101 runs north and south.

## Florianópolis at a glance

- **Country:** Brazil
- **Region:** Santa Catarina, southern Brazil
- **Population:** 537,211 in the municipality (IBGE 2022 census)
- **Founded:** The village of Nossa Senhora do Desterro, 1673. Renamed Florianópolis in 1894.
- **Nickname:** Ilha da Magia, the Magic Island. Island natives are manezinhos.
- **Language:** Portuguese
- **Currency:** Brazilian real (BRL)
- **Time zone:** BRT (UTC-3). Brazil dropped its summer clock in 2019.
- **Calling code:** +55, area code 48
- **Airports:** Florianópolis Hercílio Luz (FLN), on the island itself
- **Power:** 220V in Santa Catarina, type N sockets
- **Emergency:** 190 police, 192 ambulance, 193 fire

## Interesting facts

- Santa Catarina grows roughly 90% of Brazil's farmed oysters, most of them on rafts in the bay off Ribeirão da Ilha.
- Florianópolis joined the UNESCO Creative Cities network as a City of Gastronomy in December 2014, the first in Brazil.
- Sandboarding was invented on the Joaquina dunes, the field that sits between the surf beach and the lagoon.
- The Hercílio Luz bridge was the longest eyebar suspension span in the world when it opened in 1926.
- Ilha do Campeche carries more than 150 rock engravings, the largest concentration on the Brazilian coast.

## Florianópolis travel FAQ

### How many days do you need in Florianópolis?

Four. One for the east coast beaches and the Joaquina dunes, one for the south and the Lagoinha do Leste trail, one for the bay side (the Hercílio Luz bridge, the Mercado Público and oysters at Ribeirão da Ilha), and one held back for whatever the swell and the weather allow.

### When is the best time to visit Florianópolis?

March and April, or October and November. The water is still warm, the rain has eased off its January peak and the beaches are no longer carrying the summer crowd. December to February is hot, crowded and expensive, and it is also when the island is at its liveliest.

### Do you need a car in Florianópolis?

It helps. The island is about 54 km end to end and the best beaches sit on both coasts. Consórcio Fênix buses reach everywhere through the integration terminals, with three hours of transfers on one fare, but the journeys are long. Ride apps cover the centre and the north.

### Is Florianópolis good for surfing?

Yes, and for learning too. Joaquina and Campeche take the full south swell and turn heavy on a big day. Barra da Lagoa slopes gently and is where the surf schools work. Praia Mole sits between the two and suits intermediates.

### How do you visit Ilha do Campeche?

Get the permit first at ilhadocampeche.pmf.sc.gov.br, then take a licensed boat from Praia do Campeche, Praia da Armação or Barra da Lagoa. The island caps visitors at 800 a day, boarding runs between 9am and 5pm, and trips stop in rough seas.

## Nearby guides

- [Curitiba](https://wimup.com/city/curitiba.md): Brazil · 10 picks
- [Porto Alegre](https://wimup.com/city/porto-alegre.md): Brazil · 10 picks
- [São Paulo](https://wimup.com/city/sao-paulo.md): Brazil · 10 picks
- [All of South America →](https://wimup.com/south-america): 39 cities

Part of the [Brazil guide](https://wimup.com/country/brazil.md) · [South America](https://wimup.com/south-america.md)

## Sources

- [Florianópolis tourism board](https://descubra.sc.gov.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Ilha do Campeche (official site)](https://ilhadocampeche.pmf.sc.gov.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Fortaleza de São José da Ponta Grossa (official site)](https://fortalezas.ufsc.br/fortaleza-ponta-grossa/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Mercado Público (official site)](https://mercadopublicofloripa.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Projeto TAMAR (official site)](https://www.tamar.org.br/centros_visitantes.php?cod=8&utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Rancho Açoriano (official site)](https://www.ranchoacoriano.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Ponta das Caranhas (official site)](https://pontadascaranhas.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Café Cultura (official site)](https://cafeculturabrasil.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Florianópolis Hercílio Luz Airport (official site)](https://www.floripa-airport.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [City buses (official site)](https://www.consorciofenix.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.