🇧🇷 Why to Definitely Visit Porto Alegre, the Surprise City

Porto Alegre is the last city we visited in Brazil. Since the only thing that it’s famous for is being the most popular getaway to Uruguay, I thought we would see an ugly industrial or port city with not much going on. Instead, I found the city that charmed me so much that it’s where I’d live if I ever moved to Brazil!

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Porto Alegre is the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state, situated in the southern tip of Brazil. It is one of the richest cities in Brazil and is far less visited compared to Rio de Janeiro or other top-visited Brazilian cities – meaning the city is not so full of tourists, and prices remain more affordable (so take a look at a higher category in our accommodation section).

Despite its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, Porto Alegre is not a seaside city – although it is situated on a “lakeside” – read more about this later – which provides “beach” access.

What is Porto Alegre known for?

Capital of the Pampas region, gaúchos culture

Porto Alegre shares a common culture with the surrounding regions in Argentina and Uruguay and is officially the capital city of the Pampas region, which is known for its vast plains landscape, and gaúchos culture. Gaúchos are countryside people, like cowboys with distinct traditions, which include slurping chimarrão or mate tea from traditional cups through a metal straw.

Learn more about the gaúcho culture in our post about Argentina’s traditions

Porto Alegre used to belong to the Spanish Kingdom in (part of the) colonial times

While the vast majority of Brazil’s territory belonged to the Portuguese Crown, Porto Alegre used to be part of the Spanish Kingdom back in colonial times, until 1752. On the other hand, Colonia del Sacramento, in current-day Uruguay was under Portuguese rule, so the two kingdoms agreed to swap. That’s why – interestingly – the two cities have a kind of switched-up culture.

A colourful European heritage

Just like in many countries of South America, in Porto Alegre, there are various communities with a European background. The biggest communities are from Ucrania, Russia, Germany, and Poland. This diverse background is visible in the architecture as well, as the celebrations/customs of the city. Discover Porto Alegre’s stunning architecture on a private walking tour – book it on Viator.

Porto Alegre in the delta of five rivers

It’s hard to imagine a junction made by no less than five rivers, and indeed this place is often referred to either as a “lake” or “river”. The Guaíba Lake (that is the name) is connected to Lagoa dos Patos, the largest lagoon in South America, and it has an exit to the Atlantic Ocean. The lake is fully navigable and there are five settlements sharing its shores – out of which one is Porto Alegre. Sunsets are very special on the lake, with a beautiful reflection, and there’s nothing better than spending it on a sailing boat with local delicacies and wine… book the experience on Viator.

Things to do in Porto Alegre

Below we list the most interesting landmarks we visited in Porto Alegre.

Parque Moinhos de Vento

Porto Alegre is known for its many parks – I mean many, compared to other Brazilian cities. The most famous park can be found in the middle of the city: Parque Moinhos de Vento, which is used by many people to do jogging or other sports and live a social life. The park’s name (windmill) refers to the city as being a major wheat producer, and in the place of this park, there was an important windmill. To commemorate this, there’s a windmill replica exhibited within the park.

Parque da Redenção (Parque Farroupilha)

Parque Farroupilha, also known as Parque da Redenção, is the largest open park where locals gather, with a chimarrão in hand. The park is situated in the historical center, and within the park limits there are interesting buildings, such as the classicist Institute of Education, or the modern Auditório Araújo Vianna cultural hall – walking around the park and seeing these buildings is a good introduction to the diverse architecture of Porto Alegre.

Rua Goncalo de Carvalho: take a stroll downtown

There is something calming on Porto Alegre streets. Its lively downtown is dotted with street artists selling their paintings, and entertainers performing their shows. Mix this with trees along the (walking) streets and classical-style buildings. For a charming downtown walk make sure to stop by at the Rua Goncalo de Carvalho street.

Praça XV de Novembro and downtown

In the area of Praça XV de Novembro square in the historical center, don’t miss:

• Metropolitan Cathedral: the beautiful Baroque-style cathedral
• Igreja Sao Jose: this church still had ceremonies in German, until recently
• Piratini Palace: an iconic government building with many beautiful artworks inside (take a guided walk inside, if you can!)
• Casa de Cultura Mario Quintana (CCMQ): a cultural center with a nice coffee shop. They have interesting events sometimes (Anthony and I bumped into an exhibition opening), so worth checking out the program too.

Guaíba Lake

Porto Alegre is situated at the Guaíba Lake, which is in fact the delta of five rivers. The lakeside is adjacent to the historic center, and offers a long lakeside “beach”. Locals and visitors chill/socialise/do sports/watch sunset in this part of town. Another way to enjoy the lake and look at Porto Alegre from a special angle is to take a sailing boat tour and try local specialties. Book the experience on Viator.

Mercado Publico Porto Alegre

I don’t know about you, but Anthony and I LOVE checking out markets. We find the soul of the city in the market hall, we discover local fruits (and veggies) and sometimes get a hearty, ultra-local lunch in the market canteen. Luckily, the Mercado Publico Porto Alegre is right downtown, so no need to do detours for that.

Rio Grande do Sul Museum of Art

If you are an art-fan, like us, or just curious about local art, make sure to visit the Rio Grande do Sul Museum of Art, which is the best art museum in the region. Their exhibitions include both classical artworks related to the region, and contemporary artists. The eclectic style building itself is also notable. The entrance to the museum is free and if I remember correctly they offer a free audioguide which I found interesting.

Estadio Beira-Rio football (soccer) stadium

If you are a football (soccer) fan, consider visiting the Estadio Beira-Rio, which is one of the venues of the 2014 football world cup. The apparently sustainable stadium is situated at the Guaíba Lake.

Check out more cool things to see and do in our post about 15 things to do in Porto Alegre

What is so awesome in Porto Alegre?

So here’s the question, why is it so great to visit Porto Alegre? For us, these were the main reasons:

1. The streets are wide leaving a lot of room for pavements which are framed by “hairy” trees (there’s some kind of running plant on the trunks) with violet flowers. The downtown has cute, classicist style buildings, walking streets, free museums and an expensive market with nice antipasti.
2. We found it fascinating the history of the city (that it used to belong to the Spanish Crown), and how the local culture is similar to that of Uruguay/Argentina, which was our next destination. We particularly enjoyed learning about the gaúchos (countryside people, like pastors) and the chimarrão or mate tea.
3. We visited the free Rio Grande do Sul Art Museum. At the Landscape and Memories exhibition we bumped into a pretty painting of an artist from the beginning of the 20th century named Alberto Da Veiga Guignard. (It was the third time we saw a painting by him, so I thought I’d share the one we saw in this museum.)

Where to stay in Porto Alegre

Since most of the sights are downtown, around the historical center, it is best to stay nearby in that area. So with our recommendations from our partner Booking.com, we keep to this idea.

Budget option

Hotel Economico: rated at 9.0 on Booking, it’s a very good value-for-money option in the budget range. Rooms have free wifi, private shower bathroom, flat-screen TV and aircon. This hotel is right in the city center, so walking everywhere is easy.

Mid-range option

Flat Avenida Independência: rated at 9.3 on Booking, this entire flat is a great option if you want to have your own kitchen and living space. It is located in the city center, near Farroupilha Park. The flat is labeled as sustainable level 1, and has an indoor swimming pool, and free wifi.

High-end option

Eko Residence Hotel: rated at 8.3 on Booking, this modern eco-hotel is labeled as sustainable level 2 – they use solar energy and water collection systems are used for minimal environmental impact. The terrace offers a panoramic view and has a swimming pool, a solarium and a fitness center. Free WiFi is available, rooms are tastefully decorated.

“Beaches” of Porto Alegre

Since Porto Alegre is a lakeside city, there are no real sandy beaches, as we know them from the seaside. However, it has picturesque parks and lakeside promenades along the Guaíba Lake, which are popular spots to sunbathe and watch the sunset. So here are the most popular lakeside “beaches” of Porto Alegre:

• Parque Moacyr Scliar (Orla do Guaíba)
• Parque Jaime Lerner
• Prainha do Iberê

However, Porto Alegre’s relative proximity to the Atlantic Ocean gives easy access to various “gaúcho” beaches of Rio Grande do Sul state. The closest to Porto Alegre (1.5hrs drive) – which is also popular with locals – is Praia de Tramandaí.

What is your favourite city in the world, and why? Answer simply in the comments section below!

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