Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Morretes
Just 16km inland from the Atlantic, and for most of the week the terminus of the Serra
Verde Express (see box, p.551),
MORRETES
is a small colonial town founded in 1721
where the Rio Nhundiaquara meets the tidal waters of Paranaguá Bay. It remains a
sleepy little place noted mainly for its production of
cachaça
(see box below), for its
balas
de banana
(chewy sweets typical of the region) and for
fandango
, a local dance
introduced into the area during Spanish colonial times. Most people only stay long
enough for lunch - the local
barreado
(see box, p.558) is worth sampling - but the
cobbled riverside streets, pretty colonial-era houses and small-town atmosphere make
this an attractive spot to wander. The only real landmarks are the two main churches:
the nineteenth-century
Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Porto
on Largo da Matriz
overlooking the river, and the simple, all-white
São Benedito
church at the intersection
of Sinimbu and Fernando Amaro (on the northern edge of town), with roots in a
religious order of slaves and free blacks in the 1760s, but built in the nineteenth century.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
9
MORRETES
By train
The train station lies in the centre of town; the
Serra Verde Express (see box, p.551) departs Morretes daily
at 3pm for Vila Marumbi (45min) and Curitiba (3hr; from
R$65), plus 2.30pm Sat & Sun. Trains to Paranaguá (R$25)
run on Sun only.
By bus
The bus station lies just outside the centre; from
here buses run to Paranaguá every 30min (1hr; R$8.50),
7 times daily to Antonina (30min; R$3.90), 2 daily to
Guaraqueçaba (3hr; R$24.64) and 9 times daily to Curitiba
(1.5hr; R$15-16). See
W
www.viacaograciosa.com.br
for schedules.
By car
If you've rented a car, don't miss the Estrada da
Graciosa (PR-410), the winding, old colonial highway
across the Serra do Mar connecting Curitiba (BR-116,
north of the city) with Morretes and Paranaguá Bay.
Cutting through the Atlantic rainforest, the road features
plenty of hiking trails and places to stop to enjoy the
fresh air - it also cuts through the Parque Estadual de
Marumbi (see p.558).
Tourist information
Rua Coronel Rômulo Pereira,
in front of the post office (Sat & Sun 8am-6pm;
T
41 3462 1024).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Armazém Romanus
Rua Visconde do Rio Branco 141
T
41 3462 1500.
For the best seafood and
barreado
, head
for this unassuming place, where the dish is made
traditionally in a clay pot.
Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat
10am-5.30pm & 7-10pm, Sun 10am-5.30pm.
Casarão
Largo Dr. José Pereira 25
T
41 3462 1314,
W
barreado.com.br.
Colonial-style, old-fashioned place
picturesquely located with a balcony overlooking the river,
next to the Casa Rocha Pombo. Another good place to
sample
T
41 3462 1228,
W
nundiaquara.com.br.
Picturesquely
positioned on the river in the town centre, this hotel
occupies a seventeenth-century building and has been
managed by the Alpendre family since 1944. Rooms are
simple but cosy (the cheapest with shared bathroom) and
the restau
rant h
as great views, but the
barreado
is not the
best here.
R$80
Pousada Vista do Marumbi
Rua 15 de Novembro
1000
T
41 3462 1573.
One of the town's cheaper options,
500m from the rodoviária, wi
th sim
ple, well-kept rooms
and buffet breakfast included.
R$60
barreado
.
Mains
R$40-90.
Mon-Sat
11am-3.30pm, Sun 11am-5pm.
Hotel Nhundiaquara
Rua General Carneiro 13
MORRETES CACHAÇA
If you love
cachaça
you should linger in Morretes, the epicentre of some of the finest
distilleries in the country thanks to the high quality of the local sugar cane and water. Legend
has it that the tradition began when several Italian families emigrated to the area in the 1870s.
The Scucato family started producing
cachaça
in barrels made of local
araribá
wood around
1880, and they maintain the tradition at their distillery outside Morretes, Estrada do Anhaia
Km 8, (call
T
41 3462 1314 to schedule a visit), where the acclaimed
Engenho São Pedro
brand is produced. Out on Estrada Cruz Alta (4.5km from the centre), the
Porto Morretes
distillery (
T
41 3462 2743,
W
portomorretes.com.br) cooks up another popular brand of organic
cachaça
. Both places are open to visitors and tours (free), but call ahead to confirm.
FROM TOP
ILHA DO MEL
P.559
; ILHA SANTA CATARINA
P.579
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