Holambra

Holambra is a city in the state of São Paulo.

Understand
Holambra is a moniker formed by combining the first letters of Holland, America, and Brazil. It was founded in 1948 as an immigrant colony by a group of 500 Dutch Catholics looking to resettle after World War II, and many more Dutch settled here in the years that followed. They brought with them the famous horticulture of their country, and today Holambra is known nationally as the City of Flowers&mdash; it has become South America's largest producer of ornamental flowers. The city now has just over 11,000 residents, and is considered one of the tourist centers of the state of São Paulo, giving visitors a taste of Dutch culture through architecture, traditional cuisine, arts and crafts, dance performances, and music.

By car
From São Paulo, take the Anhanguera Highway to km 86 and take SP-340 towards Mogi-Mirim about 30 km more to the Holambra exit at km 141.

By bus
From Campinas, there are numerous daily departures through Viação Princesa D'Oeste, tel. (19) 3276 2100.

Buy

 * Flowers - That's what the town is known for, after all. Holambra isn't that big, and you won't have any trouble finding a flower shop or ten, not to mention the massive Garden Center Cidade das Flores (see the Do section above).

Go next

 * Águas de Lindóia
 * Campinas