# Florianópolis: map, what to do and when to go

On Ilha de Santa Catarina, the state capital brings together open-ocean beaches, Lagoa da Conceição, Azorean villages on the bays and the oysters farmed right in front of them.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Florianópolis: How do you get from the airport to the Centro?** The Hercílio Luz Airport terminal, opened in 2019, is about 17 km by road from Praça XV, about 20 minutes by car without traffic.
- **Florianópolis: How many days should you stay, and where?** I'd stay three days, one for each part of the island.
- **Florianópolis: How do you secure a trip to Ilha do Campeche?** Access has a daily limit, which runs out on sunny summer days, and no one lands without the voucher from an accredited operator or, with your own boat, the city's permit.

## The Centro, the bridge and sunset in Santo Antônio de Lisboa
Start at Praça XV de Novembro, under the fig tree, and go into the Palácio Cruz e Sousa, home of the Museu Histórico de Santa Catarina, if it is open that day; the Metropolitan Cathedral stands at the top of the square.
- Ponte Hercílio Luz
- Praça XV de Novembro
- Mercado Público de Florianópolis
- Santo Antônio de Lisboa

## Lagoa da Conceição, dunes and Costa da Lagoa
Go early to the Joaquina dunes, in the Parque Municipal das Dunas da Lagoa da Conceição, and rent a sandboard before the sand heats up; then head down to Praia da Joaquina, going into the sea only near the lifeguard.
- Lagoa da Conceição
- Parque Municipal das Dunas da Lagoa da Conceição
- Costa da Lagoa

## The south: Lagoinha do Leste and Ribeirão da Ilha
Leave early for Pântano do Sul, 25 km south of the Centro, and start the Lagoinha do Leste trail: 2.2 km and about an hour's walk each way, with closed shoes and water.
- Ribeirão da Ilha
- Praia da Lagoinha do Leste

## Ilha do Campeche, or the north during the tainha run
Outside the tainha run, book the crossing the day before with an accredited operator, from Campeche, Armação or Barra da Lagoa, and confirm that the payment includes the island access voucher; those going by their own boat issue the permit on the city hall website.
- Ilha do Campeche
- Fortaleza de São José da Ponta Grossa

## Ponte Hercílio Luz
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-ponte-hercilio-luz
Florianópolis · Up to half an hour
The suspension bridge of about 819 m, opened in 1926, was the first land link between the island and the mainland and is the symbol of the city. Closed in 1991 for structural problems, it reopened on December 30, 2019 after a long restoration. Pedestrians and cyclists cross on the side walkways; the rules for cars have changed since the reopening, so check the current situation if you plan to cross by vehicle. The island-side end sits next to the Centro, a walk from Praça XV.
Check access

## Praça XV de Novembro
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-praca-xv-de-novembro
Up to half an hour
The center of the old city, with a centuries-old fig tree propped up in the middle of the square, the Metropolitan Cathedral on one side and the Palácio Cruz e Sousa on the other. The palace, the former seat of government, houses the Museu Histórico de Santa Catarina; its name honors the poet Cruz e Sousa, born in Desterro in 1861. The museum's hours and admission price vary between sources: check the museum's website before you go.
Check access

## Mercado Público de Florianópolis
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-mercado-publico-de-florianopolis
Florianópolis · Up to half an hour
A building from 1899 in the Centro, with fish stalls, shops and bars that fill the central hall and the wings. It is the easiest place to try shrimp pastel and see the day's fish. On Sundays, usually only the fish stalls open, from 7 a.m. to noon, and the bars and restaurants, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the hours published in 2024; check the hours for the day.
Check access

## Santo Antônio de Lisboa
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-santo-antonio-de-lisboa
Florianópolis · One to two hours
The best-preserved Azorean village in the north of the island, on the Baía Norte shore, 17 km by road from the Centro. The Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Necessidades was built between 1750 and 1756 and received a visit from Dom Pedro II in 1845; around it are white houses with colorful windows and seafood restaurants. The sunset over the bay and the mainland draws a crowd in the late afternoon, and on summer weekends it pays to arrive early to park and get a table.
Check access

## Lagoa da Conceição
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-lagoa-da-conceicao
Santa Catarina · Half a day or more
A saltwater lagoon of about 13.5 km from north to south, in the center-east of the island, connected to the sea by the Barra da Lagoa channel. Forested hills on one side and dunes on the other frame the water, which is used for sailing, stand-up paddling and boat trips. The Lagoa's center has bars, restaurants and the pier for boats to Costa da Lagoa. Water quality for swimming varies: check the IMA bathing-water bulletin before you get in.
Check access

## Parque Municipal das Dunas da Lagoa da Conceição
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-parque-municipal-das-dunas-da
Lagoa da Conceição · Up to half an hour
A protected area of 63 hectares between the Lagoa and Praia da Joaquina, with tall dunes of packed sand where people go sandboarding; boards can be rented next to the dunes. Joaquina is 18 km by road from the Centro. The dunes are more pleasant in the morning or late afternoon, when the sand is less hot.
Check access

## Costa da Lagoa
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-costa-da-lagoa
Florianópolis · One to two hours
A fishing community on the west shore of Lagoa da Conceição, with no road access: you get there by boat, from the Lagoa's center and other piers, or by a trail of about 7 km along the slope. Fish and cockle restaurants sit next to the piers. Boat schedules change with the season; confirm the last boat back at the pier before you take the trail.
Check access

## Ribeirão da Ilha
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-ribeirao-da-ilha
Florianópolis · One to two hours
An Azorean parish in the south of the island, 20 km by road from the Centro, on the Baía Sul. The Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Lapa, consecrated in 1806, presides over a group of houses protected by municipal law since 1975. The neighborhood holds most of Florianópolis's oyster farms, and Florianópolis is the main center of farmed oysters in Santa Catarina; the restaurants serve oysters raw, gratinéed or steamed (ao bafo), facing the water.
Check access

## Praia da Lagoinha do Leste
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-praia-da-lagoinha-do-leste
Florianópolis · Half a day or more
A beach with no road in the southeast of the island, between forested hills, with a small lagoon behind the sand. The shortest trail starts from Pântano do Sul: 2.2 km and about an hour's walk each way, with a long climb, rocks and uneven ground. The alternative via Matadeiro, from Armação, is almost 6 km and at least two hours. It is the trail with the most accidents recorded by the firefighters in Greater Florianópolis since 2016: wear closed shoes, bring water and avoid the stretch when it rains.
Check access

## Ilha do Campeche
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-ilha-do-campeche
Florianópolis · Half a day or more
An island off Praia do Campeche, listed by IPHAN in 2000 for the largest concentration of rock engravings and stone-working sites on the Brazilian coast, with clear water and white sand. Visits have a daily limit on visitors (800 in summer), a stay from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and no overnight stays, and the trails to the engravings and the guided snorkeling can only be done with guides accredited by IPHAN. The crossing leaves from Campeche, Armação and Barra da Lagoa, on boats accredited by the city, with a cap of R$ 150 per person round trip; when you pay the operator, confirm that the island access voucher is included. Those who go by their own boat issue the individual permit on the Prefeitura de Florianópolis website (R$ 15 in the 2025/2026 season). During the tainha (mullet) season, passenger transport is suspended: in 2026, from May 1 to July 10.
Check access

## Fortaleza de São José da Ponta Grossa
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-fortaleza-de-sao-jose-da-ponta
Florianópolis · Up to half an hour
A fortress of José da Silva Paes's defense system, built in the 1740s on a hill over the Baía Norte, at the end of Jurerê, with access by land. Listed by IPHAN in 1938 and restored in the early 1990s, it is run by UFSC, which sells tickets on the fortresses' website; on the last Sunday of each month, from March to November, admission is free.
Check access

## Jurerê Internacional
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/florianopolis/#g-lugar-jurere-internacional
One to two hours
A planned neighborhood in the north of the island, with upscale houses, a calm-water beach facing the Baía Norte and beach clubs with music and table service. It serves those looking for that kind of beach day; anyone traveling for the Azorean villages, the trails or the open ocean will find little here that the rest of the island does not offer better.
Check access

**Florianópolis: How do you get from the airport to the Centro?**
The Hercílio Luz Airport terminal, opened in 2019, is about 17 km by road from Praça XV, about 20 minutes by car without traffic. Taxi and ride-hailing are the most direct way to reach the Centro or the beaches.

**Florianópolis: How many days should you stay, and where?**
I'd stay three days, one for each part of the island. I'd choose lodging by the region where I'd spend the most days, preferably in the Lagoa, which is midway.

**Florianópolis: How do you secure a trip to Ilha do Campeche?**
Access has a daily limit, which runs out on sunny summer days, and no one lands without the voucher from an accredited operator or, with your own boat, the city's permit. From May 1 to July 10, 2026, during the tainha run, there is no passenger transport.

**Florianópolis: Can you pay with a foreign card?**
Credit and debit cards are accepted at most restaurants and shops. Pix is a transfer between accounts at Brazilian institutions: a QR code on the counter does not mean a foreign card can pay.

**Florianópolis: Where and when can you see right whales?**
Between July and November, peaking in August and September, right whales come close to the southern coast of Santa Catarina. Watching is done from land, from the headlands and viewpoints of Garopaba, about 70 km from the Centro, because boat tourism inside the APA is banned by court order.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 3 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/florianopolis/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/florianopolis/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/florianopolis.md