Skip to content
Voykit
Back to Curitiba

In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.

Include in the print. Unchecked sections stay on screen, dimmed, and drop out of the PDF.

Voykit pocket guide · Brazil

Curitiba

Give Curitiba 2 nights as a stop between São Paulo and Iguaçu Falls: old town, Sunday craft fair, and the Paranaguá mountain train.

Curitiba is the capital of Paraná and the usual break on the overland route between São Paulo and Iguaçu Falls. It sits at 932 m, so winters are genuinely cold by Brazilian standards, and it rains in every month. Two nights covers the historic centre, the Sunday fair and one park; add a third for the Serra do Mar train to Paranaguá. It is a transit city with a strong food and park scene, not a beach destination.

AbadiâniaAçailândiaAfonso CláudioÁguas de LindóiaÁguas de São PedroAlagoinhasAlcântaraAlta FlorestaAlter do ChãoAlto Paraíso de GoiásAmparoAnchietaAngra dos ReisAntoninaCuritiba1,000 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Brazil
Best months
Apr–May, Aug–Sep
Avoid
Dec–Mar (rain and crowds), Jun–Aug nights (cold, frost, morning airport fog)
Stay
2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
BRL
Money
Currency is the Brazilian real (BRL, R$). About R$5–5.8 per US dollar in 2026 — check. Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere, even at beach kiosks.
Daily spend
Budget R$180–300 excl. bed · Mid R$300–550 excl. bed · High R$550+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Vivo, Claro and TIM cover the country; buying a prepaid SIM needs a passport and sometimes a CPF — an eSIM before you fly is easier.
Emergency
Police 190 · Ambulance 192 · Fire 193
Plugs
Types N, C · 127 V (Rio, São Paulo) or 220 V (Brasília, much of the Northeast) · Check the voltage on the socket; most chargers are dual-voltage.
Tipping
Restaurant: 10% service (serviço) usually on the bill; optional but normal.; Beach kiosk / bar: Often included; round up.; Taxi / Uber: Not expected; round up.; Guide: US$5–15 per person per day.; Hotel staff: Small tip for porters.
Water
Do not drink tap water; filtered water is provided in most homes and hotels.
Toilets
Put toilet paper in the bin, not the toilet, in most places.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Coffee or cafezinhoR$5–12
Lunch plate (prato feito)R$25–45
Barreado lunch in MorretesR$60–90
Beer: draught in a bar / can at a marketR$12–20 / R$5–8
5 km (3.1 mi) taxi or app rideR$25–40
BRT fareR$6
Museum entryR$0–40

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

CWB · Afonso Pena International
In São José dos Pinhais, about 17 km (11 mi) from the centre. City bus E.32 to Terminal Boqueirão then free transfer downtown; executive minibus to Shopping Estação; taxi about R$60.

Typical fares

CWB → downtown, executive minibus
about R$15, 30–40 min
CWB → downtown, taxi
about R$60
BRT single fare
about R$6
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

The Rede Integrada de Transporte BRT is the way locals move: tube stations, prepaid fare, free transfers inside terminals. Fares are around R$6. The City Center Circulator is cheap and loops the sights; the tourist bus serves 20+ attractions on one fare and does not run on Mondays. Buses thin out after midnight; 'madrugueiros' run hourly 01:00–05:00. Driving in the centre is one-way streets, bus lanes and parking restrictions — skip the car.

See and do

Known for

  • Historic centre (cidade velha)
  • Sunday craft fair at Largo da Ordem
  • Oscar Niemeyer Museum
  • Botanical Garden and Barigui Park
  • Serra do Mar train to Paranaguá
  • German, Italian, Polish and Ukrainian immigrant heritage

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Paranaguá by Serra do Mar trainTourist train from Curitiba's Rodoferroviária station, roughly 3–4 h each way through Atlantic forestFull day
MorretesSame train line, or bus from the RodoferroviáriaFull day
Ilha do MelBus to Paranaguá then ferry3–4 h
Campo LargoBus from the Rodoferroviária, about 1 hAbout 1.5 h
PinhaisBRT or suburban bus, about 30–40 minAbout 1 h

Sleep

Centro / Largo da Ordem
Walk to the old town, museums and the Sunday fair. Quiet and poorly lit at night; take taxis after dark.
Batel
Restaurants, bars and shopping; the safest-feeling base for evenings, 10–15 min by taxi from the centre.
Água Verde / Jardim Botânico
Residential, near the botanical garden and Japan Square; good mid-range hotels and easy bus access.
Santa Felicidade
Italian-Brazilian restaurant district in the north; stay only if food is the point, otherwise it is far from everything.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Excuse me / SorryCom licença / Desculpekohn lee-SEN-sah / des-KUL-pee
Thank youObrigado / Obrigadaoh-bree-GAH-doo / oh-bree-GAH-dah
How much is it?Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-tah
Can I pay by card?Posso pagar com cartão?POH-soo pah-GAR kohn kar-TOWN
Where is the bus stop?Onde é o ponto de ônibus?OHN-jee eh oo POHN-too jee OH-nee-boos
I don't speak PortugueseNão falo portuguêsnowm FAH-loo por-too-GAYS

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake, hug or cheek kiss (one in São Paulo, two in Rio); avoid: Being stiff with new acquaintances
  • Gestures: Use thumbs-up freely; avoid: The OK hand sign (it is rude)
  • Language: Try Portuguese; say obrigado/obrigada; avoid: Defaulting to Spanish
  • Time: Expect relaxed social punctuality; avoid: Being late for tours and flights
  • Beach: Bring only a towel, cash and a copy of your ID; avoid: Leaving things unattended

Scams and watch-outs

  • Many museums and attractions close on Mondays, including the tourist bus.
  • Winter mornings (Jun–Aug) can fog in CWB and cancel or divert flights; book departures after 09:00.
  • Nights are cold from June to September — bring a real coat, not a tropical wardrobe.
  • It rains in every month; a light rain shell beats an umbrella in the wind.
  • After 22:00 you can ask a non-BRT driver to stop anywhere along the route.
  • Petty theft around the bus terminal and central squares; keep phones out of sight.

Curitiba is one of Brazil's calmer big cities, but central squares and the bus terminal see phone theft; keep valuables out of sight, use taxis after dark and avoid empty streets around the old town at night.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Curitiba yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Historic centre (cidade velha)
  • Sunday craft fair at Largo da Ordem
  • Oscar Niemeyer Museum
  • Botanical Garden and Barigui Park
  • Serra do Mar train to Paranaguá
  • German, Italian, Polish and Ukrainian immigrant heritage

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Curitiba

Para este endereço, por favor

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

The US has a consulate in Curitiba; most other countries keep embassies in Brasília and consulates in São Paulo or Rio (check before you travel).

Cards and Pix are accepted almost everywhere; carry a little cash for buses and small shops.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/curitiba). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.