Passo Fundo

Passo Fundo in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil is sometimes called A Terra de Gente Boa (the Land of Good People),Capital do Planalto Médio (Capital of the mid-plateau), Capital Nacional da Literatura (National Capital of Literature), Lugar de ser Feliz (The Place to be Happy) and Capital do Norte (Capital of the North, referring to northern Rio Grande do Sul). It has one of the strongest gaúcho cultures of any city in Rio Grande do Sul. (The word gaúcho in Portuguese is written with an acute accent to differentiate it from the Spanish "gaucho" and is roughly pronounced like "gow-OO-shu.")

Understand
The city is home to some 200,000 people and lies in the north of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state.

Passo Fundo has a strong concentration of gaúcho culture which manifests itself in its gaúcho and more modern tchê music (bands that play guitar, drums, and accordion), rodeios at the CTGs or Centers of Gaúcho Traditions, agriculture, animal husbandry with a heavy emphasis on cattle, and dance. If you're looking to spot gaúchos in the streets, this is a not a bad place to start as it's fairly common to see older citizens walking around town in the pilcha (typical gaúcho dress consisting of boots, gaucho pants called bombachas, a belt called a guaiaca, shirt, a typically red scarf called a lençol, and flat-brimmed hat). In general, citizens who identify with gaucho culture under 60 years of age generally only wear gaúcho clothing at gaúcho-specific social functions like dances or parties. They will wear regular street clothes outside of those functions.

By plane


Airlines serving Passo Fundo include:

By bus


Intercity buslines that operate at the Passo Fundo intercity bus station:

By car
Passo Fundo is well-connected by road. The main roads in and out are the BR-285 (in east to west direction), the BR-153 (going north to south), the RS-324 (heading northwest to southeast) and lastly the RS-135, which leads northeast.

By taxi
Taxi fare is regulated by city law. Flag 1 selected on the taximeter represents the normal fare. Flag 2 occurs from 22:00 - 06:00, on weekends and holidays. However, there is no difference between Flag 1 and Flag 2 in Passo Fundo.