Attractions in Southern Brazil & Highlands
Where waterfalls roar and hydrangeas bloom 💦🌸
Showing 63 attractions · Sorted by importance
Aparados da Serra National Park
📍 Cambará do Sul
🌲 NatureThis park protects the stunning Itaimbezinho Canyon, offering dramatic vertical walls and family-friendly trails through araucaria forests.
Beto Carrero World
📍 Penha
🎢 Theme ParkThe largest theme park in Latin America, featuring diverse themed areas, world-class roller coasters, and Broadway-style live performances.
Botanical Garden of Curitiba
📍 Curitiba
🌿 GardenAn iconic Art Nouveau glass greenhouse inspired by London's Crystal Palace, surrounded by French-style geometric gardens.
Caracol Falls
📍 Canela
🏔 Scenic ViewA stunning 430-foot waterfall set within a state park featuring a cable car, observation tower, and forest trails.
Caracol State Park
📍 Canela
🌲 NatureThe most visited nature reserve in the Serra Gaúcha highlands, famous for its 131-meter waterfall and accessible forest walkways.
Hercílio Luz Bridge
📍 Florianópolis
🏛 LandmarkA historic landmark suspension bridge that serves as the iconic gateway connecting the island to the mainland.
Iberê Camargo Foundation
📍 Porto Alegre
🖼 Art GalleryAn award-winning modernist building overlooking the Guaíba River, dedicated to contemporary art and the legacy of Iberê Camargo.
Iguaçu National Park
📍 Foz do Iguaçu
🌲 NatureA UNESCO World Heritage site home to the world's most spectacular waterfall system, featuring 275 individual drops within a lush rainforest.
Iguazu Falls
📍 Foz do Iguaçu
🏛 LandmarkOne of the world's most spectacular waterfall systems, offering breathtaking walkway views through lush rainforest.
Ilha do Campeche
📍 Florianópolis
⛱ BeachAn island paradise offering crystal-clear Caribbean-like waters and ancient archaeological sites, perfect for snorkeling and nature walks.
Itaimbezinho Canyon
📍 Cambará do Sul
🏔 Scenic ViewOne of Brazil's most famous canyons, featuring vertical basalt walls over 700 meters deep and two spectacular waterfalls.
Itaipu Dam
📍 Foz do Iguaçu
🏛 LandmarkA massive feat of engineering, this binational hydroelectric dam offers panoramic tours of its concrete spillways and turbines.
Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON)
📍 Curitiba
🖼 Art GalleryKnown as 'The Eye', this major architectural landmark houses a vast collection of contemporary art and regional works.
Parque das Aves
📍 Foz do Iguaçu
🦁 ZooA world-renowned sanctuary for birds of the Atlantic Forest, featuring massive immersive walk-through aviaries and conservation programs.
Praia da Joaquina
📍 Florianópolis
⛱ BeachA world-renowned surfing beach famous for its massive sand dunes where families can enjoy sandboarding and scenic coastal views.
Serra do Rio do Rastro
📍 Lauro Müller
🏔 Scenic ViewA legendary mountain pass with steep switchbacks and hairpin turns offering panoramic views of the coastal plain from 1,460 meters.
Sítio Arqueológico de São Miguel Arcanjo
📍 São Miguel das Missões
🏰 CastleA UNESCO World Heritage site featuring the majestic red sandstone ruins of an 18th-century Jesuit mission church.
Acquamotion
📍 Gramado
🌊 Water ParkSouth America's first indoor thermal water park, offering a climate-controlled environment with hot springs and themed pools.
Alpen Park
📍 Canela
🧗 AdventureAn expansive adventure park featuring mountain sleds, ziplines, and a quad bike trail overlooking the Araucaria forests.
Gramadozoo
📍 Gramado
🦁 ZooAn innovative zoo exclusively focused on Brazilian fauna, featuring spacious enclosures with floor-to-ceiling glass and night safari tours.
Macuco Safari
📍 Foz do Iguaçu
🧗 AdventureA premier outdoor activity center inside the Iguaçu National Park offering high-speed boat adventures into the waterfall mist.
Morretes Historic Center
📍 Morretes
🏘 Town / VillageA charming colonial town accessible by a scenic jungle train, famous for its well-preserved 18th-century architecture and Barreado stew.
Oceanic Aquarium
📍 Balneário Camboriú
🐠 AquariumThe largest aquarium in Southern Brazil featuring over 170 species across 30 themed habitats in a modern facility.
Parque da Ovelha
📍 Bento Gonçalves
🐄 FarmAn interactive dairy sheep farm in the stone-built Caminhos de Pedra district where visitors participate in herding, milking, and feeding demonstrations.
Parque Olivas de Gramado
📍 Gramado
🐄 FarmA spectacular canyon-top olive farm featuring heritage farm animals, tractor tours through groves, and gourmet olive oil tastings.
Parque Unipraias
📍 Balneário Camboriú
🧗 AdventureA unique complex where cable cars connect beaches via a hilltop station offering mountain sledding and high-speed ziplining.
Skyglass Canela
📍 Canela
🧗 AdventureA high-altitude adventure destination featuring the world's largest glass-bottomed platform and the 'Abusado' suspended monorail.
Snowland
📍 Gramado
🧗 AdventureThe first indoor snow park in Latin America, offering skiing, snowboarding, and tubing in a realistic mountain-village setting.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes
📍 Canela
🏛 LandmarkKnown as the 'Stone Church', this imposing basalt-stone Gothic structure is a symbol of the European-influenced highlands.
Fortaleza Canyon
📍 Cambará do Sul
🏔 Scenic ViewThe largest canyon in the Serra Geral National Park, offering vast horizons and rugged trails with dramatic cliffside overlooks.
Fortaleza de São José da Ponta Grossa
📍 Florianópolis
🏰 CastleA well-preserved 18th-century coastal fortress offering historical exhibits and panoramic ocean views for families.
Jurerê Internacional
📍 Florianópolis
⛱ BeachA sophisticated resort beach with calm waters, upscale amenities, and a well-planned neighborhood feel that appeals to international families.
Museu de Arte do Rio Grande do Sul (MARGS)
📍 Porto Alegre
🖼 Art GalleryThe state's premier art museum, located in a grand neoclassical building, featuring a significant collection of southern Brazilian art.
Palácio Piratini
📍 Porto Alegre
🏰 CastleThe elegant neoclassical seat of government featuring grand architecture and murals by renowned artist Aldo Locatelli.
Porto Alegre Botanical Garden
📍 Porto Alegre
🌿 GardenOne of Brazil's largest botanical institutions, offering vast collections of native flora and serene walking trails for families.
Praia da Guarita
📍 Torres
⛱ BeachThe most iconic beach in Rio Grande do Sul, framed by dramatic basaltic cliffs and towers that provide spectacular hiking and photography.
Praia do Rosa
📍 Imbituba
⛱ BeachA stunning crescent-shaped bay known for its rustic charm, whale watching opportunities, and high-quality surf breaks.
Santo Antônio de Lisboa
📍 Florianópolis
🏘 Town / VillageOne of the oldest Azorean settlements in Brazil, featuring traditional 18th-century architecture, a historic church, and oyster farms.
Serra Geral National Park
📍 Cambará do Sul
🌲 NatureHome to the Fortaleza Canyon, the widest in the region, providing breathtaking vistas that stretch all the way to the Atlantic coast.
Usina do Gasômetro
📍 Porto Alegre
🏛 LandmarkA former power plant turned cultural center, famous for being the premier spot to watch the sunset over Lake Guaíba.
Vila Velha State Park
📍 Ponta Grossa
🌲 NatureA geological site featuring ancient sandstone formations shaped like chalices and animals, alongside deep water-filled sinkholes.
Wire Opera House
📍 Curitiba
🏛 LandmarkA unique circular theater built with steel tubes and glass located inside a former quarry surrounded by nature.
Acqua Lokos
📍 Capão da Canoa
🌊 Water ParkA vast complex combining a water park, amusement park, and rural farm experiences on the Rio Grande do Sul coast.
Água Show Park
📍 Florianópolis
🌊 Water ParkA premier water park on Santa Catarina Island featuring 30 slides and 10 swimming pools for all ages.
AquaFoz
📍 Foz do Iguaçu
🐠 AquariumOne of the largest aquariums in South America, featuring 3.3 million liters of water and around 300 species from the Paraná and Iguazu river basins, including the critically endangered Iguazu surubim, sharks, rays, and golden dorado.
Bela Vista Biological Sanctuary
📍 Foz do Iguaçu
🦁 ZooA conservation center linked to the Itaipu Dam that allows families to walk through restored Atlantic Forest to see native species.
Blue Park
📍 Foz do Iguaçu
🎢 Theme ParkA massive thermal water park built atop the Guarani Aquifer, featuring one of the world's largest thermal wave pools.
Caminhos de Pedra
📍 Bento Gonçalves
🏰 CastleA historic heritage route lined with 19th-century stone houses built by Italian immigrants, showcasing colonial traditions.
Ekôa Park
📍 Morretes
🧗 AdventureAn ecological adventure center in the Atlantic Forest featuring tree-top canopy walks, ziplining, and nature trails.
Le Jardin Parque de Lavanda
📍 Gramado
🌿 GardenA charming French-style garden specialized in lavender varieties, offering vibrant flower beds and views of the Serra Gaúcha hills.
Parque Aquático Cascanéia
📍 Gaspar
🌊 Water ParkConsistently ranked among Brazil's best water parks, it offers massive slides and family attractions nestled in a lush valley.
Parque Gaúcho
📍 Gramado
🐄 FarmA cultural and rural theme park that showcases the history of the South American cowboy through traditional livestock, rustic structures, and folk skills.
Praia de Bombinhas
📍 Bombinhas
⛱ BeachA family favorite known as the diving capital of Southern Brazil, featuring calm, transparent waters ideal for swimming and snorkeling.
Projeto TAMAR Florianópolis
📍 Florianópolis
🐠 AquariumA vital sea turtle conservation center featuring large observation tanks, interactive exhibits, and a museum for all ages.
Rota do Enxaimel
📍 Pomerode
🏘 Town / VillageA historic route in the 'most German city in Brazil' showcasing the largest collection of half-timbered houses outside of Germany.
Terra Mágica Florybal
📍 Canela
🎢 Theme ParkA fantasy-themed park set in a forest, featuring life-sized dinosaur sculptures, mythological creatures, and interactive play areas.
Zoo Pomerode
📍 Pomerode
🦁 ZooThe oldest zoo in Southern Brazil, located in the heart of the European Highlands and home to over 240 different animal species.
Castelinho Caracol
📍 Canela
🏰 CastleOne of the first residences in the region, this historic half-timbered German house is now a museum of colonial life.
Farol Santander Porto Alegre
📍 Porto Alegre
🖼 Art GalleryA historic bank building transformed into a cultural hub featuring immersive art exhibitions, galleries, and a memory center.
Santa Catarina Art Museum (MASC)
📍 Florianópolis
🖼 Art GalleryLocated within the Integrated Culture Center, this museum preserves the visual arts heritage of Santa Catarina state.
