Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Brazil. Housed in a series of enchanting wharf sheds built around 1900, the museum is
surprisingly big, and aficionados of boats and all things marine will spend at least two
hours here - there are over 200 models of virtually every kind of traditional Brazilian
boat, as well as sixty full-size versions, and an excellent café (see p.594). Labels are in
Portuguese only.
9
Museu Histórico Municipal
Rua Coronel Carvalho 1 • Tues-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm • R$3 •
T
47 3444 5443
It's a bit of a trek from the main waterfront, but the
Museu Histórico Municipal
is worth
a visit if you read Portuguese. Housed in São Francisco's eighteenth-century city hall
and prison building (which, incidentally, remained in use until 1968), the old o
ces
and former cells have been converted into small exhibition rooms with a huge range of
subjects and artefacts, from the early history of the town, football and President Vargas'
visit in 1940, to displays on local worthies such as poet Júlia da Costa (1844-1911),
and German-born consul and shipping magnate Carl Hoepcke (1844-1924).
The beaches
The prettiest beaches on Ilha de São Francisco - the bays around
Paulas
and
Praia dos
Ingleses
- are also the nearest to town, just a couple of kilometres along the northwest
coast (beyond the port on Rua Mascarenhas). Both are small, and have trees to provide
shade, and surprisingly few people take advantage of the protected sea, which is ideal
for a gentle swim.
Further up the northwest coast,
Praia de Ubatuba
, 16km from the centre, and the
adjoining
Praia de Enseada
, about 20km from town, are the island's most popular
beaches, with enough surf to have fun in but not enough to be dangerous. On the
wilder, ocean-facing east coast (a ten-minute walk across the peninsula from the eastern
end of Enseada) lies
Prainha
, where the waves are suitable for only the toughest surfers,
and the long, wind-swept stretch of
Praia Grande
to the south.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
ILHA DE SÃO FRANCISCO
By bus
The easiest way to reach São Francisco do Sul is by
Verdes Mares (
W
vmares.com.br) bus from Joinville's
rodoviária; these cost R$8.50-12.50 and run regularly along
BR-280 through the day, taking around an hour and a half to
reach São Francisco. The bus terminates at the rodoviária,
inconveniently located outside São Francisco do Sul centre
on Rua Dom Fernando Trejo Y Sanabria (just off the main
highway); most people get off the bus at the junction of
Afonso dos Santos and Barão do Rio Branco in the
commercial heart of town - from here it's a fairly
straightforward 20min walk to the
centro histórico
(ask if
you get lost), or R$4-8 by taxi (
T
47 3444 2047). Similarly,
heading back to Joinville you can pick up the bus from the
bus stop in town (taxi drivers all know it) - no one goes all
the way to the rodoviária
to catch the bus
.
Destinations
Curitiba (daily; 3hr); Joinville (hourly; 1hr
30min); São Paulo (daily; 8hr).
By taxi
Taxis charge around R$100 (one-way) between
Joinville and São Francisco do Sul. Local taxis don't use the
meter, so make sure you fix a price before getting in.
GETTING AROUND AND INFORMATION
By bus
Local buses to the beaches (R$2.85) depart from
the plaza near the church in
São Francisco do Sul
(Praça da
Igreja); bus #5440 runs to Prainha and there are numerous
buses to Enseada along the coast road in both directions.
Tourist information
On the waterfront at Rua
Babitonga 62 (daily 8am-5pm;
T
47 3444 5380,
W
visitesaofranciscodosul.com.br).
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Kontiki
Rua Babitonga 211
T
47 3444 2232,
W
hotelkontiki.com.br.
Attractive hotel forged from two
historic properties: the nineteenth-century Hospital de
Caridade and the old police station, dating from 1920.
Rooms ar
e fairly
basic but clean and comfy, with TV and
free wi-fi.
R$135
Zibamba
Rua Fernandes Dias 27
T
47 3444 2020,
W
hotelzibamba.com.br.
The town's top digs is a gorgeous
old property near the waterfront, with relatively plain
rooms (free wi-fi), a pool and dec
ent seaf
ood restaurant -
try and get a room with a balcony.
R$170
