Curitiba is a breath of fresh air for travelers. Known for its stunning urban landscape, world-class parks, and a unique melting pot culture, the city blends Portuguese heritage with German, Polish, Ukrainian, and Japanese influences.
To help with your planning, I’ve organized the main attractions and logistical tips so you can enjoy the best of the capital of Paraná.
How Much Time for Curitiba?
To visit Curitiba’s main tourist spots at a relaxed pace, go to the top restaurants and bars, visit museums, and explore less touristy neighborhoods, I recommend at least 1 week as the ideal time.
With 3 to 5 days in Curitiba, you need to plan exactly what you intend to do during your stay. You can include parks, restaurants, and even a day trip by train to the town of Morretes in your itinerary.
With only 1 or 2 days in Curitiba, you must prioritize your visits even more, remembering that many places do not open on Mondays, including the Municipal Market and most museums. Some restaurants also close on Mondays. An attraction you can visit on this day is the Botanical Garden and its surrounding areas.
Exploring the City with the Curitiba Sightseeing Bus
A practical way to get around Curitiba’s main tourist spots is to buy a card for the “Linha Turismo” (Sightseeing Line), a double-decker bus that stops at all the city’s main attractions.
How much time do you need to explore Curitiba with the sightseeing bus? The full loop without getting off takes around 3 hours. However, to enjoy the benefits the card offers, it is best to set aside 1 full day, as the card is valid for 24 hours from the first use.
The card can be purchased directly on the bus or at the “Curta Curitiba” shop inside the Botanical Garden. The bus runs from Monday to Sunday, including holidays, starting at 8:30 AM with 30-minute intervals.
Visiting the Botanical Garden
A postcard landmark of Curitiba, the Botanical Garden is not only a beautiful park but also a botanical research center. It also houses the Municipal Botanical Museum, which features a herbarium with one of the largest plant collections in Brazil, showcasing samples from all seasons of the year.
The iron and glass greenhouse catches the eye from afar with its beautiful architecture inspired by London’s Crystal Palace; inside, it is reminiscent of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. Next to the herbarium, there is a SENAC “Café-Escola” coffee shop.
On the grounds of the Botanical Garden, the use of drones, bicycles, and skateboards is prohibited, and pets are not allowed.
Trying Typical Foods of Curitiba
Curitiba has a variety of typical foods brought by the different immigrant groups that contributed to the city’s construction, from German and Ukrainian influences to the pinhão (pine nut). You must try the carne de onça (a local beef tartare), pão com bolinho (meatball sandwich), Ukrainian dishes like borsch and vareniki, and the pierogi brought by the Poles, as featured in this post.
Visiting Bars and Restaurants
Alongside the typical food, Curitiba has a wide variety of bars and restaurants that tell the city’s story, from traditional “botecos” (local pubs) to restaurants specializing in Ukrainian cuisine. Among the places worth stopping for a meal, I suggest Mercearia Fantinato, Barbaran, Terraza 40, Ukra Bar, Antonina 336, as well as the Municipal Market, as described in this post about restaurant tips in Curitiba.
Discovering the Curitiba Municipal Market
Frequented by locals and “curitibocas” (people who move to the capital) doing their grocery shopping, the Curitiba Municipal Market is also an excellent place to try regional foods, such as pinhão, the pão com bolinho at Box do Eliseu, and to buy a jar of rollmops (pickled fish) at Armazém da Zelma.
Other options at the Curitiba Municipal Market include cakes and pies at Confeitaria Colônia Cecília, a quick coffee at Café do Mercado, Japanese dishes at Fuji Cozinha Japonesa, and Italian food at Anarco Restaurante.
Spending Sunday at the Largo da Ordem Fair
On Sundays, the Largo da Ordem Fair fills the streets of downtown Curitiba. While walking through the fair, an interesting place to visit is the Curitiba Memorial. The memorial seeks to preserve the city’s history through photographic records, documents, and art exhibitions. On the 3rd floor, there is a lookout point with a view of the city center.
Among the stalls and food trucks at the fair, one of the most famous is Tadeu do Pierogi, known for preparing the Polish dish pierogi, as well as bigos and the Paczki doughnut.
Curitiba Free Walking Tour
Also in the city center is the Curitiba Free Walking Tour, which has been active since 2014, when many foreigners visited the city for the World Cup. The goal is to bring people to downtown Curitiba and recover the historical importance of the streets, buildings, and significant sites, including local legends, curious facts, and bizarre stories.
Museums in Curitiba
Curitiba also has a wide variety of museums showcasing the history of the city and the state of Paraná, as well as local, national, and international artwork. Among the museums worth visiting are:
- Museu Paranaense: The 3rd oldest museum in Brazil tells the history of Paraná from the first indigenous peoples to the present day.
- Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON): Houses a vast collection with works from all over the world, including the largest collection of Asian art in Latin America.
- Sociedade Ucraniana (attached to Barbaran): Open for visits by appointment, it preserves artifacts, documents, and objects brought by Ukrainian immigrants.
- Ukrainian Memorial at Tingui Park: A replica of a Ukrainian village with an exhibition of pessankas (decorated eggs), embroidery, and artifacts.
Ópera de Arame (Wire Opera House)
Another Curitiba icon, the Ópera de Arame stands out for its structure of steel tubes and transparent polycarbonate sheets, surrounded by an artificial lake and a 15-meter stone wall inside the Parque das Pedreiras. Inside the Ópera de Arame, there are several restaurants, including a unit of Cana Benta, known for its pão com bolinho.
Train Trip from Curitiba to Morretes
If you have time, take the 4-hour train journey from Curitiba to Morretes through the Atlantic Forest. Upon arriving in Morretes on the coast of Paraná, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the historic center, try the barreado (a slow-cooked beef stew), banana sweets, and ginger cachaça. You can go by train and return by bus with Viação Graciosa, as I did. The train leaves Curitiba at 8:30 AM and returns from Morretes in the late afternoon, but taking the bus one way saves time to enjoy Morretes.
If you’re visiting Curitiba for the first time, take as much time as possible to explore this city. Definitely, you won’t be disappointed.
