Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
“
Centenary Fig
” tree. According to legend, walking three times around the tree will
guarantee you fame and fortune.
9
Museu Histórico de Santa Catarina
Praça XV de Novembro 227 • Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm • R$5; free on Sun •
T
48 3028 809,
W
fcc.sc.gov.br/mhsc
Now open to the public as the
Museu Histórico de Santa Catarina
,
the Palácio Cruz e
Souza is an ornate, pink confection dating back to the eighteenth century, but largely
built in its current form in the 1890s. It served as the o
cial governor's palace until
1984, and is named after local Afro-Brazilian poet
João da Cruz e Sousa
(1861-98) -
the latter's remains were reinterred here in 2007 (the urn lies in the memorial in the
garden next door to the palace). It's worth strolling the upper floor to admire the
nineteenth-century decor, parquet floors, touches of Art Nouveau and the Carrera
marble staircase, guarded, incongruously, by two fanciful statues of English kings
Arthur and Alfred. Rooms here have been restored to their gubernatorial glory
circa
1898 and are labelled in English, but the exhibits downstairs (on various historical
themes) tend to rotate and are labelled in Portuguese only.
Catedral Metropolitana
Praça XV de Novembro • Mon-Fri 6.15am-8pm, Sat 8am-noon & 4-8pm, Sun 7am-noon & 4-9pm • Free
Overlooking the Praça XV de Novembro from its highest point is the unremarkable
Catedral Metropolitana
. It was originally constructed between 1753 and 1773, but
was enlarged and totally remodelled in 1922 with a rather awkward twin-tower
configuration, and there's little to see inside.
Museu Victor Meirelles
Rua Victor Meirelles 59 • Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-2pm • R$2 •
T
48 3222 0692,
W
museuvictormeirelles.gov.br
A short walk behind the central plaza lies the enlightening
Museu Victor Meirelles
,
dedicated to the eponymous painter born in this building in 1832. Meirelles became
famous for his historically themed paintings, and the museum displays sixteen of them
on the first floor (the most notable being the
Battle of Guararapes
, which celebrates
Portugal's acquisition of northeastern Brazil from the Dutch in 1649).
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário
Rua Marechal Guilherme 60 • Open for services only • Free
The only church in the city centre dating back to the colonial era is the simple
but charming
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário
, built from 1787 to 1830 and
approached by a flight of steps at Rua Marechal Guilherme, two blocks north of
the Praça XV de Novembro.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
FLORIANÓPOLIS
YES, Av Deputado Diomicio Freitas (
T
048 3236 0229), are
all represented at the airport and can arrange delivery in
the city centre. During the peak summer season advance
reservations are essential.
BY PLANE
Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport
(
T
48 3331
4000)
is 12km south of the city centre, with daily flights
from Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Rio and Porto Alegre.
By taxi/bus to the city centre
You can get into the
centre by taxi (around R$38 to the city centre or R$50 to
Lagoa), or catch green bus #183 or #186 (every 10-30min
and labelled “Corredor do Sudoeste”; R$2.90), which will
end up at the Terminal de Integração Centro (TICEN) in the
centre (around 45min). All the major car rental firms have
desks in the terminal.
Car rental
Avis, Av Deputado Diomicio Freitas s/n (
T
48
3331 4176), Hertz, Rua Bocaiuva 2125 (
T
48 3224 9955),
Localiza, Rua Henrique Valgas 112A (
T
48 2107 6464) and
BY BUS
Buses arrive at the Terminal Rodoviária Rita María
(
T
48 3212 3100) at the foot of the road bridge that links
the island to the mainland. Cross Av Paulo Fontes and it's a
short walk to the centre; the local bus terminal (TICEN) is
one long block east at Paulo Fontes 701.
Destinations
Blumenau (hourly; 3hr); Buenos Aires
(1 daily; 25hr); Curitiba (hourly; 4-5hr); Foz do Iguaçu
(14 daily; 14-16hr); Joinville (hourly; 2.5-3hr); Porto
