The Magic Island. That's how it's known Florianópolis, the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, the place that joins party with an unexplored nature. There are beaches, dunes, mangues, forts, palaces and infrastructure to welcome tourists from all over the world. Florianópolis has over 100 beaches, some of them being still wild and unknown by the tourists. The forts of Santa Cruz do Anhatomirim, São José da Ponta Grossa and the Forte of Santo Antônio, are some of the attractions of the island and deserve a visit.

 

The beaches are great for the practice of aquatic sports as surf, jet-ski, sailing, kite surf, windsurf, among others. It is not a surprise that the town receives many national and international competitions during the year. With beautiful landscapes, it is a good choice to enjoy the 172 Km of coast to take a walk. On the north, the beaches are calmer, different from the ones on the south, where the walks will take a bit of effort as the hills are covered with Mata Atlântica. Still, there are many options of sports on the island: scuba diving, aquaplaning, trekking, surf, paragliding and sand board. It is a good idea to save your energy for the night in Florianópolis. The nightlife offers many options as bars, restaurants and nightclubs, many of them with live music of great quality.

All of it, spiced up with the genteelness and hospitality of the "manés", nickname give to the native people of the island (the word came from the "tupi" word "manema", meaning thick flour, the flour eater or naïve person). After visiting Florianópolis it gets easy to understand why the local tourism raised an average of  14% in the last three years, multiplying the population (around 350 thousand) by three during the high season. Besides the exuberant nature, the town inherited many interesting colonial buildings and a fabulous culinary from the Azorian immigrants, who first arrived in the island in 1748.

The dishes most wanted are the ones based on sea food, as the prawns' sequences, the prawn "ao bafo" and the very cheap oysters - the fresh dozen is costing R$ 8,00 - being Florianópolis the biggest producer of oysters in the country.

For the ones visiting the town for the first time, it is worth to come by car or to rent one. Independently of where you are staying, you should visit other beaches. Get to know the more desert beaches of the South of the Island, crossing the canal to get to the beach of Matadeiro, where the fisherman used to fish whales in former days. Watch the fisherman taking their boats in and out at the Pântano do Sul beach. Admire and visit the Ilha do Campeche (Campeche Island), located at the beach of Campeche.

The Lagoa da Conceição is another excellent place to visit. There is wonderful view (especially for the ones arriving through the hill of Lagoa), clear waters, boats and a good variety of shops and restaurants. Follow directions to Praia da Joaquina and Praia Mole to watch the waves and the beauty of those beaches.

In downtown you can find the best places to shop. The Mercado Público (Public Market), build in Portuguese style, The Felipe Schimidt street, the Praça XV de Novembro (XV of November Square) and the Catedral Metropolitana de Florianópolis (Metropolitan Cathedral of Florianópolis) are worth the visit. Near downtown, the Shopping Beira-Mar is the right place for the ones who want shopping. Around the shopping center there are good options of more sophisticated restaurants.

Going up North, the Praia do Forte shows a bit of the history of Florianópolis. Do not miss the wonderful view from above of Praia Brava. Swim calmly on the sea of Jurerê and walk on its clear and soft sand.