Considered one of the best tourist cities in Santa Catarina, Balneário Camboriú is the perfect option for those looking for a mix of excitement and contact with nature.
An hour's drive from Florianópolis, the city has some of the most beautiful beaches in the state, and an infrastructure to receive tourists that is very reminiscent of first world countries.
I confess that even though I live in Magic Island my whole life, I only discovered the city recently, and I was enchanted. The coolest thing is that even with little time available, you can visit a lot of things, and the most famous spots are mostly very close to each other.
Therefore, if you intend to get to know the Balneário region, a good idea is to stop by there on the way to Floripa, or even do a day trip on one of the days you are getting to know the island. To help you, I put together a one-day itinerary in Balneário Camboriú, combining the main attractions in the region.
It includes beaches, adventure activities, gastronomy and… well, more beaches, lol.
How to get to and around Balneário Camboriú?
The city does not have its own airport, so if you are arriving in Santa Catarina by plane, the best options are to fly to Navegantes or Florianópolis. The first is much closer to Balneário, but as the number of flights is smaller, prices tend to not be as attractive.
Regardless of your choice, the best option after disembarking is to rent a car and continue your journey. If you are looking for an affordable alternative, I recommend getting a quote with Rentcars. By doing a simulation, I found cars for the season whose daily cost is less than R$100, and it is even possible to pay in installments and interest-free!
If you don't want to drive, you can also take a bus from the Florianópolis bus station to your destination. I didn't find a similar alternative leaving Navegantes.
To get around the city, I also recommend having a car, especially if you are only spending one day in Balneário Camboriú. This way you save time and don't need to rely on public transport. If this is not a viable option, however, all of the tours I will mention are accessible by bus. 🙂
A day in Balneário Camboriú
Morning – Central Beach
The ideal is to start exploring the city at Praia Central. It is not the prettiest in the region, but it is closest to the center and has a great infrastructure, with free showers, wifi on almost the entire coastline and numerous kiosks selling churros and corn, as well as renting chairs and umbrellas.
The view is impressive, considering that there are several skyscrapers facing the sea.
You can either take the opportunity to walk along Avenida Atlântica or enjoy the sand and sea. If you are going to walk, I suggest starting around street number 3000 and heading downwards, towards Praça Almirante Tamandaré.
For lunch, there are several seafood restaurants and well-known franchises on the waterfront, such as Madero. The off-season prices were not absurd, ranging from R$65 to R$165 for two people, the latter being the cost of the shrimp sequence.
If you want to escape the sun for a bit, another suggestion is to eat in one of the shopping malls. The city is known for its shopping complexes, and the best known is Balneário Shopping. There is a very ok food court and some restaurants, such as Burger Break and Outback.
Afternoon – Unipraias and Interpraias
After lunch, the suggestion is to visit one of the most famous spots in Balneário Camboriú: Parque Unipraias. With the aim of being a “natural park surrounded by fun”, it is there that you will find adventure activities such as zip lining.
The place has three cable car stations, with most of the attractions being in the region of the Mata Atlântica station. Drive to the vicinity of Barra Sul station, and there take the cableway to other areas of the park. The ticket costs R$42 per adult, and entitles you to stop at all stations and then return in the opposite direction.
Barra Sul station basically only has shops and restaurants, so don't waste too much time and go straight to the Atlantic Forest. There, the cool thing is to walk through the Environmental Park, with trails that pass through the forest and two viewpoints with incredible views: Camboriu, overlooking Praia Central, and the Ocean, from where you can observe Laranjeiras beach.
In this area there is also the Chocolate House and the Santo Antônio de Aguada Oratory. Radical attractions are the Zipline to Laranjeiras station (ZipRider), and the YouHoo, the most modern mountain sled in the world. Both require separate tickets, costing R$45 and R$34, respectively.
The last station is named Laranjeiras, the same as the beach in the region. There you will find calm waters and several seafood restaurants. If you want to enjoy the rest of the day near the sea in peace, my suggestion is to stay there until the end of the afternoon.
If you prefer to continue exploring on your day in Balneário Camboriú, return to Barra Sul station, take the car and follow the Interpraias path. The road can be seen when you are on the cable car, and connects the beaches of Laranjeiras, Taquara, Pinho (nudist) and Estaleiro. Follow the road and stop at each one to get to know them.
If you're going back to Florianópolis after that, you don't need to go the other way to Balneário and continue your journey from there. Just follow Av. Interpraias and you will reach BR-101.
Night – Cristo and Barra Sul
If you are spending the night in the city, take the opportunity to discover the Cristo Luz tourist complex, with a 33-meter statue of Christ holding the sun symbol. This symbol is nothing more than a spotlight that illuminates the city and tourists. The body of the statue is also illuminated every day by a different color, each with its own meaning.
Until 19pm the ticket costs R$00, so it's a good option to enjoy the sunset in Balneário, as the complex is 20 meters high and has a great view of the beaches. After this time the price increases to R$150 per person.
For dinner, the best option is to go to Barra Sul (near the entrance to Unipraias) and enjoy some of the many bars and restaurants in the area.
And here is a very complete itinerary for spending a day in Balneário Camboriú! If you have more time in the region, I also recommend visiting Praia Brava and taking the Morro do Careca trail. You can also spend time in Florianópolis – here on the blog there is a post with an itinerary for two on the island.
If you want to get to know the surroundings of the state, I recommend reading the Viagem em Detail post with Tips for exploring southern Brazil!
Do you think I left out any important points? Do you already know the city and do you have any tips? Talk in the comments!
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There are many things to do in Balneário Camboriú! We ❤ BC