Attractions Nearby Porto Alegre, Day Trips and Excursions

(Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)

Rio Grande do Sul is an especially pleasant part of Brazil and there are many wonderful attractions surrounding Porto Alegre, being highly suitable for day trips. These include hiking trails through the Serra Geral mountain range, river valleys, modern Brazilian cities and traditional Alpine villages.

The Parque Nacional de Aparados da Serra (Aparados da Serra National Park) is located around 120 km / 75 miles to the north-east of Porto Alegre and is teeming with wildlife. Notable attractions at the Aparados da Serra include plateaus and escarpments created by ancient volcanic activity, countless waterfalls and many brightly coloured parakeets.

General Information

Located right next door to Porto Alegre, just 20 minutes to the north, is the bustling city of Canoas, which is actually Rio Grande do Sul's fourth-biggest city, with a population exceeding 300,000 people. Many of the attractions in Canoas are based around the campus of the Universidade Luterana do Brasil - ULBRA (Lutheran University of Brazil).

A little further north is the city of Novo Hamburgo (New Hamburg), which is approximately an hour from Porto Alegre and sited alongside the Rota Romantica (Romantic Route). Further attractions await tourists in the cities of Sao Leopoldo (33 km / 21 miles to the north) and Viamao (43 km / 27 miles to the south-east). In particular, the tourism scene in Viamao is well developed, with attractions such as the Parque Saint Hilaire (Saint Hilaire Park), the Taruma Racecourse and the National Heritage site of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao (Church of Immaculate Conception), which dates back to the 1760s and features colonial baroque architecture.

The region's rich Italian heritage is very much present at Bento Goncalves, some 130 km / 81 miles to the north of Porto Alegre. Bento Goncalves contains a wealth of successful vineyards, with organised rows of grapevines being visible at the Vale dos Vinhedos (Valley of the Vineyards).

To the west of Bento Goncalves and around 125 km / 78 miles north of Porto Alegre is the mountain resort of Gramado, which has the appearance of a Swiss mountain community. Just minutes away and to the west are the attractions of Canela, many of which are grouped around a leafy public plaza, such as the Catedral de Pedra (Stone Cathedral) and its distinctive Gothic-style architecture. Also worth looking out for in Canela is the Parque Estadual do Caracol and its stunning Cascata do Caracol waterfall, the Parque Floresta Encantada de Canela and its elevated chairlift, and the Parque da Ferradura, where an enormous horeshoe-shaped canyon offers hiking trails and impressive vantage points.