Insider's guide to Curitiba

Live and eat like a local, and get off the tourist track with our Curitiba hit list from the producer of SBS travel show, This is Brazil!.

1. Support clean energy

Curitiba is a world-leader in urban planning and transport thanks to three-time mayor, twice-governor and all round local legend, Jaime Lerner. Explore the city using the world’s most efficient bus network (a bus arrives every minute during peak hour) safe in the knowledge that you’re helping to save the planet at the same time, with buses running on 100% biodiesel.

2. Bask in the great outdoors

Curitiba boasts the best quality of life in Brazil partly due to its numerous parks, which add up to around fifty square metres per person. Don’t be surprised if you come across a sheep or two while you’re taking in the fresh air. They’re all part of an outside-the-box solution for keeping all that grass mowed.

3. Head on a railway adventure

Hop aboard the Serra Verde Express for one of the most spectacular train rides in the world between Curitiba to the historic coastal town of Morretes. A feat of engineering, the train travels through Serra do Mar mountain range where you’ll see some of the last remaining examples of Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Once you hit Morretes, seek out the famous ‘barreado’ claypot stew the town is known for.

4. Browse the weekend wares

Sunday morning is a good time to visit the old city of Curitiba, Largo da Ordem, for its open-air market. Browse artworks and antiques, try traditional foods and watch live music while taking a leisurely stroll among the historical buildings.

5. Say hello to street food

The quintessential Brazilian snack is a cup of ‘guarapa’ or fresh sugar cane juice, with ‘pastel’, a deep-fried pastry with a variety of fillings. This is a delicious match and it’s sold by street vendors or at snack bars and usually savored while standing on the pavement. If you see a white van around the streets of Curitiba, be sure to buy sample their delicious sugar cane juice.

6. Where to eat

Mercearia Fantinato (Rua Mateus Leme, 2553 - Bom Retiro)

 

This is Brazil! airs Fridays at 7.30pm on SBS ONE.