Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Florianópolis is the capital of Santa Catarina state in southern Brazil, a city spread mostly over Santa Catarina Island. Nicknamed Floripa and the Island of Magic, it is famous for its dozens of beaches, the Lagoa da Conceição lagoon and the Hercílio Luz Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in Brazil.
The island was settled by the Portuguese in the 17th century as Nossa Senhora do Desterro, and 18th-century settlers from the Azores left fishing villages, churches and a lacemaking tradition that still shape it. Forts were built to guard the northern bay, and today the city is also known for its high quality of life and technology industry.
Spend a day in the center around Praça XV, the cathedral and the Public Market, ending at the bridge at sunset. Then head out to the Lagoa da Conceição, the surf beaches of Joaquina and Praia Mole, and the Azorean villages of Santo Antônio de Lisboa and Ribeirão da Ilha. December to March is beach season.
Hercílio Luz Bridge in Florianópolis was the first bridge linking Santa Catarina Island to the mainland, built from 1922 to 1926. At about 821 m it is the longest suspension bridge in Brazil and the city's best-known symbol. Closed in 1991, it reopened in 2019 after a full restoration.
Florianópolis Public Market is a historic market building in the city center, made up of two long wings separated by a central passage. Its origins go back to market stalls of the late 18th century. It sells food, crafts and household goods, and its bars and restaurants are a lively meeting point.
Metropolitan Cathedral of Florianópolis stands above Praça XV de Novembro, where the city was founded, and is dedicated to Our Lady of Desterro. The first church here was begun by the settler Francisco Dias Velho around 1679, and it has been the city's cathedral since 1908.
Cruz e Sousa Palace is a grand pink palace facing Praça XV de Novembro in central Florianópolis, long the seat of the state government. Its history goes back to an 18th-century government house, much rebuilt since. Since 1986 it has housed the Santa Catarina History Museum.
Lagoa da Conceição is the largest lagoon on Santa Catarina Island in Florianópolis, set between green hills, sand dunes and the Atlantic. The lively village on its shore is a favorite place for food, nightlife and water sports, with a weekend craft market by the little bridge.
Joaquina Beach is a 3 km ocean beach on the east coast of Santa Catarina Island, about 15 km from the center of Florianópolis. Its powerful waves have hosted world surfing championships, and the tall sand dunes of a protected park rise behind it, where visitors go sandboarding down the slopes.
Praia Mole is a 960 m ocean beach near the Lagoa da Conceição in Florianópolis, named for its soft, loose sand. It is one of the most natural beaches on the island, with few buildings, good surf and paragliders landing from the hills above. Beach bars line the sand, some with live music in summer.
Campeche Island lies about 1.6 km off Campeche Beach in Florianópolis and is one of the city's best-loved postcard views. Protected for its natural beauty and prehistoric rock carvings, the small forested island is reached by boat, with clear water, a sandy beach and guided trails.
Santo Antônio de Lisboa is a historic fishing village on the bay side of Santa Catarina Island in Florianópolis, founded by settlers from the Azores and made a parish in 1751. Its colonial church, old houses and many seafood restaurants by the water make it a favorite place for lunch and sunset.
Ribeirão da Ilha is an old Azorean district on the south bay of Santa Catarina Island in Florianópolis, created in 1809. It is the largest oyster producer in Brazil, and its colonial village center is lined with restaurants serving fresh oysters. Above it rises the island's highest point, at 532 m.
São José da Ponta Grossa Fortress stands on a hillside between Forte and Jurerê beaches in the north of Florianópolis. Designed by José da Silva Paes, the first governor of Santa Catarina, it formed a triangle of forts with Anhatomirim and Ratones to guard the north bay in the 18th century.
Lagoinha do Leste is a wild beach in the southeast of Santa Catarina Island in Florianópolis, named for the S-shaped lagoon behind it. Reached only by forest trails, one about 4 km long, it lies in a 453-hectare park created in 1992 to protect one of the island's last stretches of Atlantic Forest.
No reviews yet. Been to Florianópolis? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Florianópolis? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Rodrigo Soldon from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Luluhgomes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: User Sleepycat5 on en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Herbert VAlterE assumed (based on copyright, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5
Photo: Ajmcbarreto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Papa Pic, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Fernando Dall'Acqua, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Boaventuravinicius, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Boaventuravinicius, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: GLandovsky, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Leandro Kibisz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: User:LuisGuilherme~commonswiki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5
Photo: Herr stahlhoefer, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Rodrigo Soldon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Daniel Becher, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Thiagomalkowski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Fernando Dall'Acqua, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Fernando Dall'Acqua, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: TaBoaBunita, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Lionel Baur, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: pepsiline, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Ezarate, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Lionel Baur, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Rodrigo.Argenton, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Rodrigo.Argenton, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Lionel Baur, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Rodrigo Soldon from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Rodrigo Soldon from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Rodrigo Soldon from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Luís Guilherme, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Luís Guilherme, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Lionel Baur, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Germano Roberto Schüür, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Luiz Pantoja from São Paulo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: TheHvalros, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Every honest review and real photo earns points. Collect 100 and you're in the round.
No purchase necessary. US residents 18+. Official rules
