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Municipality in Santa Catarina, Brazil
Photo: Damien Mathews, CC BY 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Joinville is the largest city in Santa Catarina, Brazil. It is principally an industrial city and many of its 500,000 inhabitants are of German descent.
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Escola de Teatro Bolshoi
Well worth a visit if you're in the area. This is the only school run by the famous Bolshoi Ballet Company outside of Russia. Guided tours are in Portuguese (though if you're lucky the guide may be fluent enough in English to give you a run down), and should be booked in advance.
Parque da Caiera
A part of the Atlantic Forest with walking trails and a lookout with views on Babitonga Bay.
Parque Ecológico Morro do Finder
Has various trails for walking or mountain biking, and a lookout point from which you can see the Aventureiro neighborhood.
What was the local train station from 1906 to 1996 has now been restored and reconfigured to hold a railway museum, a sporting center, skate park, a playground, and other attractions.
Museu da Bicicleta
Holds 15,000 bicycles, the oldest of which is an Italian "Volcite" from 1906. It is closed.
A leisure center with an exposition center, a small park, a shopping area, a lake with pedalboats, and a model car racetrack.
Museu Nacional de Imigração e Colonização
This museum offers a glimpse of life as it was for Joinville's first European settlers . It includes a historic house set up as it would have been around 150 years ago, as well as well as a couple of sheds containing machinery which was used in past times.
Estrada do Rio Bonito
A beautiful road with natural elements and German architecture and other German touches. Streets to either side lead to restaurants, residences, and fishing holes, and at the end of the road there is a typical German restaurant which offers dishes such as stuffed duck, and the Bonito River, good for a swim. There are also some trailheads from here.
A well known pedestrian-only street lined with palm trees which were brought from Rio de Janeiro in 1873. It is the quintessential postcard shot of the city.
Displays some fossils found in the region and tells of the northeast Santa Catarina's sambaquis, pre-historic shell-mounds created by an unknown people who lived along the coast between 6000BC and 0BC.
Mirante
This 250-m tower is one of the city's main attractions. It offers an impressive panoramic view of the city and of Babitonga Bay.
Casa em Enxaimel
A typical German immigrant house which shows how the Germans lived during the colonial period.
Praia do Vigorelli
Joinville's only beach borders Babitonga Bay. It doesn't have a lot of sand, but is a safe place to swim, and there are a number of bars and restaurants along it.
Parque Zoobotânico
Joinville's zoo houses a modest collection of Brazilian animals and local flora.
Festa da Solidariedade
Festival de Dança de Joinville
Considered the biggest dance festival in the world, thousands of dancers from all over Brazil and beyond flock to the city, making it possibly the best time to visit the city. For the duration of the event, various public spaces throughout Centro become the setting of all kinds of dance performances, from hip hop to ballet. The festival cumulates with 'Champions Night', where the winners of all the categories perform in the Bolshoi Ballet Theater. It is sure to be a memorable night. Tickets sell fast.
Festa das Flores
Festa das Tradicões
One of the more famous German restaurants in town, revered for its typical German dishes and cold draft beer. You may even bump into celebrities eating here.
A/C, wifi, and some little nibbles in the morning.
Here you can have a nice cup of Sanka or whatever it is they serve in the morning and a bountiful breakfast (as in buffet) to go with your air conditioned room with wifi.
Same stuff as the others reallyː breakfast buffet, wifi, a/c, but they even have cake on their buffet line.
Saguaçú. Quaint Bavarian-like buildings with bunkbeds and the makings of a hostel such as common kitchen and hammocks in the garden. Limited breakfast.
This very solid-looking concrete highrise has a modern look and provides an ample helping of sustenance with its complimentary breakfast buffet. Plus a gym.
A modern hotel tower with atrium and restaurant/bar, wifi, a/c, outdoor pool, gym, and spa.
Another very obelisk-looking place. Wifi, a/c, and room service stand out here.
Mercado Público Municipal German Kurt Freisler
Some of the best shopping in the city, including many fashion outlets and other stores.
By bus
Alternatively, it is possible to get to Joinville from almost any town or city in Santa Catarina by bus (Catarinense, the state's largest bus company, offers the greatest range).
By car
BR-101 is the main highway through town, connecting from Balneário Camboriú and Florianópolis in the south and Curitiba, in Paraná to the north.
It is easiest to get around Centro (downtown) by foot, as everything is close together. Should you wish to venture out into the suburbs, Joinville has a reliable bus network which is used heavily by locals.
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Joinville · Regional · JOI
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