Skip the midday heat and snag a riverside table for barreado, the slow-cooked beef stew that defines this town. Roam the colorful backstreets for an hour before catching the Sunset Train back to Curitiba for the best views. If you want a real workout, book the private cycling tour down Estrada da Graciosa instead of the basic van transfer. It is a massive flex for your social feed and beats sitting in traffic. Bring cash for local cachaça.
Spending time in this riverside settlement involves pacing yourself through the dense, humid air of the coastal plains to sample the region's culinary identity. While travelers often rush the arrival, the core experience centers on slow-cooked meat dishes served in clay pots, specifically found at establishments lining the Nhundiaquara River. Expect crumbling colonial facades and weathered stone paths rather than manicured urban spaces. Focusing on local cachaça distilleries provides a necessary alternative to the standard tourist flow, offering a raw look at how sugarcane processing has defined local life since the eighteenth century foundations were laid down.
The train station sits within easy walking distance of the main square, making it simple to reach after a meal, though arrive at least thirty minutes before departure to secure your assigned seating carriage.
Taking the train provides access to the mountain scenery that road traffic misses, but booking tickets in advance is required because peak weekend slots sell out weeks ahead of the actual travel date.
Arriving on a weekday rather than Saturday or Sunday allows for a quiet meal along the riverbanks, as weekend crowds from the capital often overwhelm the small dining rooms by early afternoon hours.
Barreado is fundamentally a beef-based dish cooked for twenty hours, so vegetarians should look for riverside restaurants offering locally sourced heart of palm or freshwater fish dishes instead of the traditional meat stew.
Bring a light raincoat for sudden coastal downpours and sturdy footwear for navigating uneven cobblestones on Rua das Flores, as the tropical climate brings humidity and quick weather shifts throughout the entire year.