The 6 most famous sights in Curitiba – the European City in Brazil

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Welcome to Curitiba, the capital of Parana state, situated in the South of Brazil! Are you ready to explore the 6 most famous sights in Curitiba and visit the best local and hidden places?

Great! Let’s get started with some general knowledge about Curitiba first.

General knowledge about Curitiba

Curitiba is located in South of Brazil and also referred to as the “European city in Brazil“. It is full of culture, history and delicious traditional food, but you will find out in just a bit.

Being the capital of Parana, Curitiba has more than 1.5 million inhabitants and one of the best Barbecues in Brazil. So, if you like meat this is your place to be.

Transportation in Curitiba

As you know Brazilian cities are big which makes a bit more difficult to get around only by foot.

Using public transport is the cheapest option when traveling alone. Alternatively, you can also use the app UBER – a cheap taxi app.

The app is very easy to use and you don’t need to figure out yourself how to get from A to B as you enter the address inside the app and the driver brings you there straight. Just make sure to set everything up (download, payment details, etc.) before you start exploring the most famous sights in Curitiba.

Famous Sights in Curitiba

Botanical Garden 

One of the most famous sights in Curitiba is the Botanical Garden. This park was built in 1991 and inspired by the French style. It’s one of the most famous tourist spots in Curitiba, being visited by everyone that wants to take nice pictures or relax during the day.

It’s also the habitat for various kinds of animals, birds, fishes, and also loads of exotic plants and trees. It is home to a specific kind of bird called Quero Quero.

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Famous-Sights-in-Curitiba-botanical-garden

XV of November Street

After this nice walk through the Botanical Garden, it is time to move a bit closer to the city center and discover more about the old, magic downtown.

Curitiba has a huge city center with loads of things to do, eat, and see. To get to the XV of November from the Botanical Garden take a bus. They are very easy to take since Curitiba is the ONLY city in Brazil that uses the bus stations in the format of a cylinder.

When leaving the Botanical Garden, you will find the Bus Stop Called “Botanical Garden” almost in front of the south exit of the park. Then you will take bus Number 462 to Praça Rui Barbosa.

You will find yourself in the square called Praca General Osorio which is very famous for its street markets. You can find local Brazilian food as well as international food, such as Coxinha, Pasteis, Brigadeiro and so on. Just try it all!

Municipal Market

Just a 2km walk away from XV of November is the Municipal Market. It is one of the most famous sights in Curitiba because there you can find loads of different kinds of fruits, meat, fish, herbs and also one thing people in Curitiba love – Coffee.

Inside the Municipal Market, there is a very traditional coffee shop called Cafe do Mercado. If you like coffee, make sure to drink one there.

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum was first opened in 2002 with the name Novo Museu or New Museum. After remodeling and expanding the building, it was reinaugurated on July 8, 2003, to honor its architect, who completed this project at the age of 95.

When you look at the building from the outside, you can notice that it is the shape of an eye.

If you are going there after the Municipal Market, go to the bus stop “Sete de Setembro”. Take bus number 011 for 12 stops (20 min) and get out at “Mal Hermes”.

Wire Opera House (Opera de Arame)

Another famous sight in Curitiba is the Wire Opera House (Opera de Arame) which is popular for its unique shape.

The Opera de Arame is a theatre house and one of the major tourist attractions of Curitiba. It has a maximum capacity of 2,400 visitors and is located in the middle of a green park (Parque das Pedreiras), surrounded by an artificial lake.

The Opera House is built on the site of a former rock quarry and made up of steel tubes, which gave it its name. The whole construction weighs 360 tones.

The Opera House was built in 75 days only and first opened on March 18, 1992. It underwent many changes until 2006.

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Famous-sights-in-Curitiba-Opera-de-Arame

Licor de Merda

In front of the Opera de Arame is one souvenir store called “Lembranças de Curitiba”. This is a very famous souvenir store because of one very unique liquor, the “Licor de Merda” (translated as Feces Liquor). Don’t worry, this is not made by real feces. 

You just need to go inside and ask for the “Licor de Merda” and you can try it for free.

Take your time and visit the other souvenir stores as well. They have nice spots for taking cool photos and different kinds of homemade cheese, candies, and alcoholics drinks.

Parque Tangua

Very close to the Opera de Arame is another famous sight of Curitiba – Tangua Park. Did you know that Curitiba is very famous for being one of the greenest cities in the whole country?

Tangua park was opened in 1996 and preserves nature in an area that was meant to be an industrial waste recycling plant. It is an excellent site for hiking, jogging, and biking.

You can also enjoy a beautiful 65m high waterfall at the lookout at the Jardim Poty Lazzarotto – a large French-style garden with flower beds and water mirrors.

The garden keeps the memory of the artist Napoleon Potyguara Lazzarotto who was actually born on the anniversary of the city of Curitiba – March 29th, 1924.

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Curitiba Panoramic Tower

The Panoramic Tower is a cell phone tower that was built on the highest ground of Curitiba and allows you to have a 360° panoramic view over the city.

The tower was opened in 1991 and is managed by Oi and Instituto Municipal de Turismo. Video presentation, tourist information, and a Telephone Museum are available inside the tower.

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Parque Barigui

Another beautiful park, actually the most famous one in Curitiba, is Parque Barigui. You can find lots of people practicing sports, biking, skating or just having fun with their families and walking around the park.

The park is located in the richest part of the city where you will see a lot of big mansions. Inside the park, you can spot animals walking around the lake freely and in peace. Enjoy the very nice sunset and cold coconut water to make your stay worthwhile.

You most likely notice one particular animal, called Capivara, walking around in the park. It is very big, but kind, so you don’t need to be scared. They will always be swimming or walking around the lake.

People from the whole Brazil and abroad come here to have the opportunity to be close with one of them, NOT TOO CLOSE though. This animal originates from South America and Brazil has a lot of them.

Food in Curitiba

Batel Grill (Churrascaria / Rodizio)

In order to make your Brazilian experience complete, we are visiting one of the most traditional kinds of restaurants in Brazil, Rodizio. Usually, you will find a big buffet with rice, beans, salads, fish, and sweets. But the main reason for this visit is the meat sticks.

Waiters will be coming to your table every few minutes with BIG pieces of meat on a skewer. This can be anything from beef, lamb, chicken, or pork of different parts of the animals and different cuts. The best thing is, it is a kind of “all you can eat” restaurant, so don’t leave before you are full.

As mentioned before, Rodizios has a very nice atmosphere. You will find families, people on dates and a lot of other people enjoying a nice dinner or lunch.

Make sure to try the most famous meat in Brazil – PICANHA. 

Rua Itupava

Bellies are full and maybe you are a bit tired, but hold on. There is one last stop before you can go to bed. You cannot finish your day without visiting a traditional Brazilian pub or how we call them BOTECO.

In the street Rua Itupava you can find the best (Botecos) in whole Curitiba. You will see a lot of people leaving from work or just hanging out with friends there.

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Cana Benta

Welcome to the Boteco Cana Benta. It is a traditional place for Curitiba people. A local drink is Cana Benta, just like the name of the pub.

That was good, wasn’t it? Enjoy the moment and make new Brazilian friends. Brazilians are very friendly and open minded people, so that it is very easy to start a conversation.

In Brazil you always have some small snacks along with your drinks. In fact, this boteco you are in right now, Cana Benta, is the winner of having the best snacks in Parana (state). The delicious snack, called Bolovo, is made out of egg and meat. It then gets fried. 

Every trip must come to an end. I hope you enjoyed this short trip through amazing Curitiba and also the culinary side of it. If you want more travel tips for Brazil check out my other posts about 7 sights in Rio de Janeiro you cannot miss and the 6 most famous spots to visit in Saõ Paulo.

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