Things to do in Balneário Camboriú
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Balneário Camboriú
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
High summer, sea 25 to 29 degrees, everything open and full, with January the wettest and most flood prone month.
Best all round window, warm sea, thinning crowds and falling prices, with March the standout month.
Quiet and mild, best prices and pleasant sightseeing weather, with the sea for the hardy only.
Winter, highs near 21 degrees, the calmest and cheapest months and the superclub off season.
Spring shoulder, warming and uncrowded until late November, the pick of local beach reviewers.
What's on
- Réveillon 31 December
One of Brazil's biggest beach New Year celebrations, fireworks over Praia Central, book months ahead.
- Carnival February or early March
Five days of street parties and superclub programming at Green Valley and Warung at peak prices.
- Oktoberfest Blumenau October, about three weeks
The world's second largest Oktoberfest, an hour inland in Blumenau, an easy day or night trip.
- Dia dos Namorados 12 June
Brazilian Valentine's Day fills romantic hotels and restaurants for one weekend.
Best things to do in Balneário Camboriú
Parque Unipraias Camboriú
Cable cars link Barra Sul, a forest hilltop station and Laranjeiras beach, and the ride itself is the best view in the city.
FG Big Wheel
A slow wheel above the north end of Praia Central, best on a first afternoon by day and again lit up after dark.
Praia Central
The widened city beach and promenade, superb for a morning swim and walk before the tower shadow covers the sand.
Praia das Laranjeiras
A sheltered cove with calm green water, forest behind it and a strip of seafood restaurants, reached by cable car.
Cristo Luz
A 33 metre illuminated Christ above the city, worth it at sunset and after dark when its light sweeps the skyline.
Oceanic Aquarium
A modern in town aquarium in Barra Sul that rescues a wet day and delights younger children in about two hours.
Aventura Jurássica
Life size animatronic dinosaurs along green forest paths, a strong two to three hour outing for families with children.
Aventura Pirata
An indoor pirate attraction with a costumed crew in Barra Sul, ideal for under twelves and for wet weather days.
Where to stay in Balneário Camboriú
Centro and Avenida Atlântica
first trip, all round base
The most walkable stretch, beach across the road and shops and restaurants behind you, at the price of noise and crowds.
Barra Sul and Passeio San Miguel
food, boats and Unipraias
Calmer and more family in feel, with the cable car, pirate ships, aquarium and dining boulevard on your doorstep.
Barra Norte and Pioneiros
Big Wheel, morning sun and calm
More residential and morning oriented, with an easy start to Morro do Careca, Praia Brava and Itajaí days.
Praia dos Amores and Praia Brava
boutique and beach club base
Low rise, green and adult in feel over the hill in Itajaí, with surf, beach clubs and Warung nights at your feet.
Interpraias and Estaleirinho
nature, space and switching off
Low rise pousadas and a resort among forest headlands, for travellers who drive into the city only when they choose.
Centro inland
budget base
One or two blocks back from the beach, chain budget hotels and hostels undercut the beachfront while staying walkable.
Think twice about
- Camboriú town
A separate inland working town with no beach. Listings that blur it with Balneário Camboriú catch visitors out; base there only for Green Valley.
- Noisiest central Avenida Atlântica blocks around Praça Almirante Tamandaré
Bar and traffic noise runs late and large youth groups take over central hotels in school holidays. Fine for party trips, poor for light sleepers.
Best restaurants in Balneário Camboriú
OX Steak & Fish
The headline steakhouse, premium aged beef and seafood with ocean views and formal service for a splurge dinner.
O Pharol Restaurante Gourmet
The traditional special occasion seafood house on Avenida Atlântica, strongest when you order a la carte.
Taj Bar
Asian food, sushi, cocktails and DJs in one room, where a group dinner turns into the night out without moving.
Lucca Cantina
A warm house like Italian cantina with handmade pasta, a strong wine list and a tiramisu diners name unprompted.
Dhoo Sushi Lounge
The sushi pick of the city, inventive and well presented plates in a stylish dinner only lounge on Rua 904.
Guacamole Cocina Mexicana
The most reviewed restaurant in the city, a big colourful Mexican built for loud happy central group dinners.
Pizza Bis
The pizza heart of Passeio San Miguel, classic and sweet pizzas on the boulevard with live music drifting in.
Porto Cabral Flutuante
Seafood eaten on a floating platform at the Barra Sul pier, with the skyline in front of you at lunch or sunset.
Best bars in Balneário Camboriú
Chaplin Bar
The classic draft beer and snacks bar on Avenida Atlântica for a cheap late and very local nightcap.
Outdoor things to do in Balneário Camboriú
Morro do Careca
Tandem paragliding launches from this hill over Praia Brava, and the free viewpoint alone is worth the climb.
Barco Pirata
Themed pirate ships sail past Ilha das Cabras to Laranjeiras, with a costumed show children love and coastline for adults.
Praia Brava
The surf and beach club beach over the hill in Itajaí, wilder and more spacious than Praia Central, best early.
Praia de Taquaras
A quiet fishing colony beach on the Interpraias road with deep calm water and far fewer people than the centre.
Praia de Taquarinhas
The wild twin of Taquaras, with no bars or restaurants at all, reached by stairs from the roadside lookout.
Praia do Estaleiro
A low rise green beach on the Interpraias road where the city feels far away and the sea is the whole point.
Praia do Estaleirinho
The last and calmest Interpraias beach, good for a long lunch and a swim away from the tower skyline.
Beto Carrero World
Latin America's largest theme park, a full day of coasters, shows and a zoo about forty minutes north in Penha.
Best hotels in Balneário Camboriú
Mercure Camboriú
The reliable international mid range hotel on Avenida Atlântica, with spa, pools and room service in Centro.
Hotel D Sintra
A large beachfront hotel praised for breakfast, renovated rooms and value against pricier neighbours on the strip.
Hotel Sibara Spa & Convenções
A full service spa and convention hotel just inland on Avenida Brasil, best for facilities over a sea view.
Marambaia Hotel & Convenções
A long established beachfront hotel at the Barra Norte corner, chosen for position and a classic beach hotel feel.
Felissimo Exclusive Hotel
A small exclusive hotel in Praia dos Amores, the quiet adult luxury base near Brava rather than a taller tower.
Brava Mundo Hotel Boutique
A boutique hotel about two hundred metres from Brava beach, the mid range way into the Brava neighbourhood.
Infinity Blue Resort & Spa
The resort scale option on the Interpraias side, with multiple restaurants, pools and a spa among the headlands.
ibis Budget Balneário Camboriú
The predictable budget chain pick inland from the beach, small clean rooms at well below beachfront prices.
Is Balneário Camboriú expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | R$280 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | R$550 a person |
| Splurge | R$1,200 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Parque Unipraias Camboriú: a few days ahead
- FG Big Wheel: a few days ahead
- Morro do Careca: a few days ahead
- Barco Pirata: a few days ahead
- Beto Carrero World: weeks ahead
- Patadacobra Mergulho & Turismo: a few days ahead
- Reserva Camboriú Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Greenvalley: weeks ahead
- Book Réveillon, Carnival and January hotels months ahead, plus club tickets at the first priced lot.
- Buy Unipraias, FG Big Wheel and Beto Carrero tickets online ahead in season.
- Schedule paragliding and Bombinhas diving early in the stay, never on the last day, as both are weather dependent.
Is Balneário Camboriú safe?
- Check official bathing water flags, especially after heavy rain near drains and river mouths.
- In intense summer rain the city floods and main avenues can close, so stay off the beach and do not wade floodwater.
- Use marked crossings on Avenida Atlântica, where fast cars make the road riskier than the promenade feels.
Balneário Camboriú travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Praia Central in mid afternoon is shadowed by the towers and packed, so set your beach clock to mornings.
- The aquarium passport bundle only pays if you will use at least three of its attractions.
- Onboard pirate boat photos, Big Wheel food and taxi driver restaurant tips all carry a tourist premium.
Getting around Balneário Camboriú: public transport and more
- Walk the flat beach strip and use Uber or 99 for Barra Sul to Barra Norte hops, with local buses around R$5.
- Navegantes airport is about 45 minutes to an hour away, Florianópolis about 1.5 hours.
- Rent a car only for Interpraias, Bombinhas, Blumenau and Beto Carrero days, or use tours for those.
Who Balneário Camboriú suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Balneário Camboriú your trip
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