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Itajaí is a port city at the mouth of the Itajaí-Açu River on the northern coast of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil, famous for one of the country's busiest container ports, its fishing and boatbuilding traditions and surf beaches such as Praia Brava. It is about 94 kilometres north of Florianópolis.
Settlers from Madeira and the Azores arrived in the 18th century, followed by many German and Italian immigrants, and the town became a municipality in 1860. Its centre keeps reminders of that past in the Palácio Marcos Konder, built in 1921 to 1925 and now the Museu Histórico de Itajaí, and in the Mercado Público on the riverside avenue.
Beyond the river mouth runs a string of beaches, from calm Praia de Cabeçudas, the city's main beach, and the Bico do Papagaio rock to Praia do Morcego, reached only by trail, and Praia Brava, a venue for international surf contests. Every October the Marejada festival celebrates Portuguese folklore and seafood.
Praia Brava is the most upmarket beach district of Itajaí, Santa Catarina, a stretch of sand with rough seas that makes it one of the state's main venues for international surfing and jet ski championships. In 2024 its seafront avenue ranked seventh among Brazil's most expensive streets.
Praia de Cabeçudas is considered the main beach of Itajaí, Santa Catarina, the busiest on the city's coast and the one with the best facilities, thanks to its calm water. The Farol de Cabeçudas lookout gives wide views over much of the city, and the Bico do Papagaio rock is nearby.
Praia do Morcego is a beach in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, that is hard to reach, only by a trail or a walk from the end of Praia Brava, and is popular with surfers. Its name, Portuguese for bat, comes from a cave about four metres high and 50 metres deep where many bats live.
Praia da Atalaia is a beach in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, considered one of the beaches with the most regular waves in Brazil. It belongs to the string of city beaches that runs from Molhes and Geremias past Cabeçudas and Morcego to Praia Brava and Praia dos Amores.
Bico do Papagaio is a rock formation about 4.5 metres high at the end of Praia de Geremias in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, and one of the city's postcard sights. It was shaped when rocks were blasted to open the road from the centre to Cabeçudas, leaving a stone in the form of a bird.
Molhes de Itajaí are the breakwaters at the mouth of the Itajaí-Açu River in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, where work on the south jetty began on 17 July 1912 after the great flood of 1911. They guard the entrance channel to the Porto de Itajaí, and ships bound for the port pass close by.
Marina de Itajaí is a modern marina at the mouth of the Itajaí-Açu River on the Beira-Rio waterfront of Itajaí, Santa Catarina, with room for up to 405 boats of up to 172 feet. It hosts regattas, a boat show and other nautical events, and the city is a stopover of The Ocean Race.
Porto de Itajaí is the port of Itajaí, Santa Catarina, the main one in its region and the second largest in Brazil for container handling, shipping out almost all of the state's production. It lies on the right bank of the Itajaí-Açu River about 3.2 km from its mouth, facing the port of Navegantes.
The Palácio Marcos Konder is an eclectic palace in Itajaí built between 1921 and 1925, whose three towers stand for the three powers of the republic. Once the town hall, it has housed the Museu Histórico de Itajaí since 1982, with a collection of about 12,000 items.
Mercado Público de Itajaí is the municipal market of Itajaí, Santa Catarina, on Avenida Ministro Victor Konder, the Beira-Rio riverside avenue that is the city's main street for food and culture. Restaurants, shops, historic houses and Praça Genésio Miranda Lins line the same stretch.
Centreventos de Itajaí is the events centre of Itajaí, Santa Catarina, on the banks of the Itajaí-Açu River beside the Marina, named after the late governor Luiz Henrique da Silveira. It hosts the Marejada, the Festa Nacional do Colono, the city's anniversary and The Ocean Race stopover.
The Marejada is a festival held every October in Itajaí that celebrates the sea and the city's Portuguese heritage. Its stages present folk dance, music and crafts, while stalls serve fish and seafood dishes, and the event has drawn more than 100,000 visitors in a single year.
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