Blumenau



Blumenau is a city in the Itajaí Valley, in Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil. The population in 2018 was estimated to be about 352,000.

Understand
Blumenau and the surrounding regions became home to a large number of German immigrants in the late 19th century, leading to a culture that's distinctly different from the common image of Brazil. After Germans, the second largest ethnic group is Italians.

The Oktoberfest is held every year in October, and is the world's second largest beer festival. It attracts over one million tourists during the 16 or 17 days it's held.

History
In September 2nd, 1850 the German immigrant Bruno Otto Hermann Blumenau settled on the site of modern-day Blumenau, on the shores of the Itajaí-Açu river. He came with another 17 immigrants and intended to develop a farming colony, but due to the rugged terrain, the development of industries came more natural to the region.

Throughout its history, the city suffered many major floods, with severe ones in 1983 and 1984. After some economic stagnation in the 1990s, the city is now thriving again, becoming also one of the major software developing areas in Brazil.

At the end of November 2008, the city suffered another major flood caused by 3 months of rain. The rain damaged the entire state of Santa Catarina, but Blumenau went down, with streets full of water, mud, and a lot of landslides which caused dozens of deaths. But with the help of donations from Brazilians across the country and international help from Germany, which donated €200,000, the city has been rebuilding.

Geography
Located in the Itajaí Valley, Blumenau is the 3rd biggest city in Santa Catarina State. The city is in an average altitude of 14 meters above the sea level and its municipality has 510 km².

By bus
It is very easy to get to Blumenau by bus. There are several interstate companies with regular lines to Blumenau and region. A trip from São Paulo takes about 10 hours and costs about R$100 one-way. The bus station is open 24 hours a day and has showers free bathrooms and a diner (however those are very old right now and very dirty, and only snacks are available and the bus station whose is very dangerous indeed). It is served by urban buses to PROEB (downtown) and Fortaleza (neighborhood) Terminals. There are also taxis, which would take you downtown for about R$15.

Some companies in Blumenau Bus Station:
 * Auto Viação Catarinense
 * Empresa Nossa Senhora da Penha
 * Empresa União Transportes

By plane
The nearest airport is Ministro Victor Konder International Airport, located 59 km away in Navegantes, with flights only from São Paulo and Porto Alegre. In the airport there buses to take you downtown Blumenau. GOL Linhas Aéreas also has free buses for its costumers.

It may be easier to find flights to Santa Catarina through the Aeroporto Internacional Hercílio Luz, in Florianópolis, but from there you must take a bus or a taxi to Florianópolis Bus Station and from there, a bus to Blumenau.

Or also take a flight to Curitiba airport (in the city of São José dos Pinhais) and take a Catarinense bus directly without having to go to Curitiba central bus station. You can go to the Bus point called 'Pinherão' in the center of São José dos Pinhais with is located about 30 min by foot or R$ 10 by taxi.

By car
If you are not far away, you can come by car. The main road in the coast of the State is BR-101, but there is no way to get into Blumenau directly through this road. You will have to use either BR-470 (which is very dangerous), or SC-470, known as Rodovia Governador Jorge Lacerda, which goes through the cities of Itajaí, Ilhota and Gaspar. This road is not as fast as BR-470, but it's much safer, has less trucks and it is better illuminated at night. You still have an option, using SC-486, which goes to Brusque, a nearby city, and then from there to Gaspar and Blumenau.

If you come from the West (Western Santa Catarina, Northern Rio Grande do Sul, Southwestern Parana, Argentina or Paraguay), you have to take highway BR-282, after Lages, enter to Otacilio Costa and there you'll eventually end up at BR-470, where you'll have to take the East direction, towards Rio do Sul and eventually to Blumenau.

On foot
Walking in downtown Blumenau may be pleasant from April to December, but avoid walking too much in the summer, as summers tend to be extremely hot and there aren't many trees.

The city has many hills and outside downtown you might find some challenging slopes. Sidewalks in Brazil don't have standards and in Blumenau the best are downtown, so in the neighborhoods take some care with them. During the summer it rains almost everyday, but usually in the late afternoon, so it won't really be a problem to stroll around.

By taxi
Taxis are expensive.

By bus
The bus system in Blumenau is one of the most efficient in Brazil. The system is run by SETERB and composed by six terminals in different spots of the city: Garcia in the South, Fonte in the Center-South, Velha in the West, Aterro in the Northwest, Fortaleza in the Northeast and PROEB in the Center-North. Inside the terminals you can transfer to another bus without paying extra.

The buses are yellow and light blue. Line 33 goes from Fonte-PROEB-Fonte via Beira-rio and Rua 7 de Setembro. One trip costs R$2.05, which you pay either when you get in a bus or in the terminals.

There is also another kind of bus, the red ones, which are restricted mostly to the downtown area and a little further to the north and south. These buses have air conditioning and more comfortable seats, which may come handy during the summer in the city. They don't stop at bus stops, only in the Garcia and PROEB terminals. To catch one, you just have to lift your arm and make a sign whenever you see it. The fare is a bit more expensive though.

Hourly buses to the nearby town of Pomerode, where the annual Festa Pomorana takes place, can be caught on Rua Sete (7) de Septembro, and close to the Blumenau bus terminal Terminal Aterro, further along and on the same side of the road, Rua Eng Udo Deeke, 45 - Salto Norte,. Taxi drivers will offer to take tourists to Pomerode - avoid doing this, as it will be an avoidably expensive trip. The last bus from Pomerode to Blumenau leaves at 22:15 and can be caught at one of the bus stops along Pomerode's main road.

By car
Blumenau is not an easy city to drive in. The streets are irregular and in the neighborhoods there aren't many traffic signs. But if you prefer, you can rent a car for a fair price. Make sure you can use OsmAnd, Mapy.cz or Google Maps to navigate, as even locals get lost here.

Downtown there are three main and parallel streets: Avenida Presidente Castelo Branco, known as Beira-Rio (rivershore), Rua XV de Novembro and Rua 7 de Setembro. The three of them get very busy during the rush hour, but traffic is not chaotic overall.

Watch out for speed reducers in the city, they limit the speed to 50 km/h (31 mph). There are also red light cameras.

Do

 * Oktoberfest de Blumenau.jpgWander in Rua XV de Novembro and see one of the most beautiful streets in Brazil. Completely reurbanized in 2000, it still has some original buildings from the 19th century and has most of the city's attractions. Throughout the year it's always very busy and crowded during the day, but it also gets empty during the Christmas - New Year's Eve period, as most of the city's inhabitants rush into the beaches nearby.
 * Oktoberfest! The best time to come to Blumenau is in October, because in October there's Oktoberfest. The party began in 1983 and attracts thousands of people from the whole country and also from other Mercosur countries. During the 17 days, every Wednesdays and Sundays you'll have the opportunity to see the traditional parade in Rua XV de Novembro and every night at Vila Germânica people gather to party. The party goes until 01:00 on weekdays and until 06:00 in the weekends. Most of the best and biggest local breweries have stands in the party and delicious food, such as the Stuffed Potatoes and X Alemão. If you get tired of the German music inside, try the electronic tent outside.

Eat
For a small city, Blumenau is quite diverse, there are Chinese, Japanese, Italian restaurants and, of course, German. There are also some fast food chains like Pizza Hut, McDonald's and Subway, all present in the city's shopping mall.

Except for the German food, you may have some great opportunities to have sweets in Blumenau. There are cakes for all tastes and delicious Cafés Coloniais (Colonial Lunches).

In the restaurants, especially in the cheaper ones, don't expect people to speak much English. If you speak German it may be easier.

Budget

 * Blu Lanches, Rua 7 de Setembro, 1395. This diner serves the best sandwiches in town, and try their great mayonnaise. It also gets very full of people on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays before the clubs open and especially on Sundays, when there are no clubs, so people would just stick around over there talking with friends by their cars and drinking some beer. It gives you a very different feel.
 * Blu Lanches, Rua 7 de Setembro, 1395. This diner serves the best sandwiches in town, and try their great mayonnaise. It also gets very full of people on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays before the clubs open and especially on Sundays, when there are no clubs, so people would just stick around over there talking with friends by their cars and drinking some beer. It gives you a very different feel.

Medium

 * Sabor Imperial - If you don't have too much time to look for a restaurant downtown, this is the place you should go, another all-you-can-eat, better than Gutes Essen. Prices are about R$21/kg, but you must try their Strogonoff. (Rua 7 de Setembro, 640 - Hotel Rex)
 * Pizzaria Don Peppone, Rua 7 de Setembro, 2013. This delicious pizzeria only opens at night, but they surely have the best pizza in the city, but if you don't like too much cheese, be sure to ask for it. They also serve a superb lasagna and they have other international food dishes.
 * Churrascaria Tiefensee - This traditional churrascaria serves meat on dishes. It's one of the oldest in the city and they have a very nice aviary right in the middle of the restaurant. Be sure to get a table nearby. (Rua Amazonas, 2322)
 * Nakirimoto Sushi Bar, Rua Alemeda Barão do Rio Branco. Another Asian restaurant, but this one only serves Chinese and Japanese food. If you like really thin Sashimis, avoid coming here, but if you like hot dishes of the Japanese cuisine, this is the place for you. It has also delivery service. Remember to ask for new glasses, without any cracks.
 * Chef Waldemar - Even though it's a delivery "restaurant", it has one of the best international cuisine of the city, and for a fair price. You can call 3222-1015 and order a delicious Strogonoff at your hotel.
 * Nakirimoto Sushi Bar, Rua Alemeda Barão do Rio Branco. Another Asian restaurant, but this one only serves Chinese and Japanese food. If you like really thin Sashimis, avoid coming here, but if you like hot dishes of the Japanese cuisine, this is the place for you. It has also delivery service. Remember to ask for new glasses, without any cracks.
 * Chef Waldemar - Even though it's a delivery "restaurant", it has one of the best international cuisine of the city, and for a fair price. You can call 3222-1015 and order a delicious Strogonoff at your hotel.

Splurge

 * Moinho do Vale, Rua Porto Rico. Right across from Churrascaria Ataliba, Moinho do Vale (Valley's Windmill), was an ancient windmill that used to produce wheatflour and later became a restaurant. It was very damaged in the floods that hit the city in 1983, and in 2008 it was redesigned and rebuilt, becoming a nice international restaurant, and a bar with a huge deck right beside the river Itajaí-Açu. It's a nice place to make a Happy Hour or to go with friends. The menu comes in English, German and Portuguese.
 * Moinho do Vale, Rua Porto Rico. Right across from Churrascaria Ataliba, Moinho do Vale (Valley's Windmill), was an ancient windmill that used to produce wheatflour and later became a restaurant. It was very damaged in the floods that hit the city in 1983, and in 2008 it was redesigned and rebuilt, becoming a nice international restaurant, and a bar with a huge deck right beside the river Itajaí-Açu. It's a nice place to make a Happy Hour or to go with friends. The menu comes in English, German and Portuguese.
 * Moinho do Vale, Rua Porto Rico. Right across from Churrascaria Ataliba, Moinho do Vale (Valley's Windmill), was an ancient windmill that used to produce wheatflour and later became a restaurant. It was very damaged in the floods that hit the city in 1983, and in 2008 it was redesigned and rebuilt, becoming a nice international restaurant, and a bar with a huge deck right beside the river Itajaí-Açu. It's a nice place to make a Happy Hour or to go with friends. The menu comes in English, German and Portuguese.

Drink
Blumenau is known as the "Brazilian beer capital". Besides the traditional Oktoberfest, that attracts tourists from the whole country in October, Blumenau also has a few microbreweries.

Eisenbahn, is the most famous, as they're the only ones of them to sell beer in bottles. They have ten different beers (Pilsen, Pilsen Orgânica (Organic), Dunkel, Pale Ale, Weizenbier, Weizenbock, Kolsch, Wiechnachts Ale, Rauchbier and Golden Ale), and can be found in the major cities of the country.

Besides Eisenbahn, you can also find Bierland and Unser Bier, on tap in some bars and restaurants. All of them are very good and highly recommended if you want to feel the taste of Blumenau.

Sleep
Websites for inexpensive hotels in Blumenau are not immediately available through the search engines or hotel search portals, which tend to respond with hotels offering double rooms at R$120 or more per night. These are no better in quality than more economical hotels, though they exploit the tourist's unfamiliarity with the area. Except during Oktoberfest, hotel rooms are plentiful and it is a buyer's market. Once you arrive, you will find hotels everywhere, many of which offer double rooms at around R$70 (US$30) per night equipped including breakfast, cable TV, and a private bathroom. You can pick up a free tourist magazine at the overpriced and shabby Blumenau Tourism Hotel next to the rodoviario which contains a list of hotels with their prices and addresses.

Two highly recommended hotels based on price and comfort and quality at R$70 per night per double room are:



Stay safe
Blumenau is a pretty safe city. However watch out for pickpockets in buses and downtown. The whole Rua XV de Novembro is monitored by cameras, which drastically reduced criminality in this busy area. If you have a car, be careful when driving in BR-470.

Go next

 * Itajaí - the closest coastal town
 * Serra do Itajaí National Park - the surrounding area is a nature reserve of the Itajaí Mountain Range.