Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
Canela
The resort town of
CANELA
(which means “cinnamon”), 8km east of Gramado down
a road bordered on both sides by hydrangeas, is slightly lower, smaller and not as
brashly commercialized as Gramado, though the distinction lessens each year. Other
than the Neogothic
Catedral de Pedra
on central Praça da Matriz, built in 1972 with
an imposing 65m spire, the town offers little of interest other than
eating
, but it is
better situated for the
Parque Estadual do Caracol
(see below).
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
CANELA
By bus
Buses (
W
citral.tur.br) from Porto Alegre (3hr;
R$27-36) run every 30min to 1hr to Canela's rodoviária
(
T
54 3282 1375), just behind the central main street, Av
Júlio de Castilhos, a short walk from the main plaza. Buses
to Gramado (20min; R$4-6.35) leave every 10-15min.
Citral runs buses to São Francisco de Paula, for the Parque
Nacional dos Aparados da Serra (8 daily; R$7.55; 1hr).
Buses also depart here for the Parque Caracol (see below).
Tourist information
Largo da Fama 227 (Mon-Sat
8am-6pm, Sun 8am-1pm;
T
54 3282 2200). Staffed by
enthusiastic students from the local tourism colleges, for
which Canela has become renowned in Brazil.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation can be hard to come by during
peak periods
(especially Christmas and New Year), when you should
book ahead. Though hotels in Canela tend to be cheaper than Gramado, it is not cheap per se, and the town can be easily
visited on a
day-trip
from Porto Alegre or Gramado.
Hostel Viajante
Rua Ernesto Urbani 132
T
54 3282
2017,
W
pousadadoviajante.com.br.
Right next to the
rodoviária, this is the best budget choice, with
economical rooms with shared bathroom (R$50) and
neat and tidy en-suite doubles (R$60 per person) -
perfect for travel
lers wi
nding down after a hard day's
bungee jumping.
R$120
★
.com.br.
Friendly hotel with compact, simple but tastefully
furnished a/c rooms, all with LCD cable TVs
and fre
e wi-fi.
The helpful owners can organize car rentals.
R$250
Quinta dos Marques
Rua Gravataí 200
T
54 3282
9813,
W
quintadosmarques.com.br.
For luxury and
tranquillity, this thirteen-room hotel is the most distinctive
choice available, in an imposing 1930s wooden building -
in typical highland style -
beautif
ully renovated to offer
rustic-chic accommodation.
R$320
Pousada Encantos da Terra
Rua Tenente Manoel
Corrêa 282
T
54 3282 2080,
W
pousadaencantosdaterra
EATING AND DRINKING
You can forget about finding truly cheap eats in Canela, but there are some interesting restaurants around town that make it
worth investing the extra few reais; Canela is especially known for its
apple strudel
and other German-inspired sweet treats.
★
Empório Canela
Rua Felisberto Moraes 258
T
54 3031 1000,
W
emporiocanela.com.br.
Lovely old
house with a terrace near the cathedral that doubles as an
antique, crafts and book shop. The menu ranges from
typical café fare to sandwiches, salads, Italian risottos and
pastas.
Wed-Mon 11am-11pm.
Lá em Casa
Rua Jose Luiz Correa Pinto 346
T
54 3278
1049.
Rustic, home-made Brazilian food served buffet
style, where around R$30 gets you all the food you can eat.
Leave room for the delicious
pudim de leite
(milk pudding).
Also does
feijoada
on Sat.
Tues-Fri 11.30am-2pm, Sat &
Sun 11.30am-3pm.
Restaurante da Torre (Cervejaria Farol)
Rua
Severino Inocente Zini 150
T
54 3282 7007,
W
cervejariafarol.com.br.
Excellent microbrewery
(marked by a 32m “lighthouse”), offering the chance
to tour the facilities (R$10) before sampling the beers
(the IPA is especially tasty) - also serves a decent menu
of German dishes and snacks, and offers free lifts to and
from your hotel. Has live music Tues, Fri & Sat.
Tues-Fri
5pm-midnight, Sat 11am-12.30am, Sun 11am-5pm.
★
Strudelhaus
Rua Baden Powell 246
T
54 3282 9562,
W
strudelhaus.de.
This German-inspired restaurant is
the best place to sample that schnitzel, wurst and apple
strudel. Mains cost R$20-35.
Tues 8-10.30pm, Wed-Fri
noon-2.30pm & 8-10.30pm, Sat noon-3pm & 8-11pm,
Sun 11.45am-3pm.
Parque Estadual do Caracol
RS-466, Km 0 • Mon-Fri 8.45am-5.45pm, Sat & Sun 8.45am-6pm • R$12 •
T
54 3278 3035,
W
parquedocaracol.com.br •
Observatorio
Ecológico
Daily 8.30am-6pm • R$9, in addition to park entry •
W
observatorioecologico.com.br •
Teleférico de Canela
Daily 9am-5pm,
20min • R$36 •
T
54 3504 1405 •
Parque Vale da Ferradura
Daily 8.30am-5.30pm • R$8 •
W
valedaferradura.com.br
