Porto Alegre Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing

(Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)

Although the beaches of Porto Alegre serve as an undeniable draw card in their own right, the city is home to many further quality tourist attractions, both next to the waterfront and inland. Sightseeing bus tours and boat trips on the Rio Guaiba (Guaiba Lake) are always popular with tourists in Porto Alegre, while the local parks and gardens are also often of interest.

Located on the Rua Doutor Salvador Franca and covering an area of just over 105 acres / 42 hectares, the Jardim Botanico contains an impressive collection of horticultural attractions and pathways. Situated approximately 2 km / 1.5 miles to the southeast of the Catedral Metropolitana, between the districts of Cidade Baixa and Bom Fim, the Parque Farroupilha is the largest parkland in the whole of Porto Alegre and filled with attractions. Also of note and referred to by locals as simply the 'Parcao' (Big Park), the Parque Moinhos de Vento lies on the eastern side of the city, where it is bisected by the Avenida Goethe.

Linha Turismo (Tourist Bus Line)

Address: Travessa do Carmo 84, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 051 3213 3464
The city's Tourist Bus Line is known locally as the Linha Turismo and offers a very easy way to reach attractions, travelling through some 11 different neighbourhoods. Along the route you will pass various churches, monuments, statues, parks and prominent buildings, with multi-language audio guides being available to provide informative commentary. The total journey is just under 30 km / 19 miles in total and lasts roughly one and a half hours, with sightseeing buses departing from the Travessa do Carmo and arriving back in the same place. Linha Turismo buses are double-decker, with the seating on the upper floor being slightly more expensive, since it is open-top and the views are superior.
Open hours: October to February, Tuesday to Sunday - 09:00 to 18:00; March to September, Tuesday to Sunday - 10:30 to 16:30
Admission: charge, discounts for children

Jardim Botanico (Botanical Gardens)

Address: Rua Doutor Salvador Franca 1427, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 051 3320 2024
Dating back to the early part of the 19th century, the story of the Botanical Gardens was far from successful and its original design was left to be overgrown until 1952, when a large number of palms, trees and cacti were replanted. Inaugurated in 1962, the Jardim Botanico became part of the Fundacao Zoobotanica in the 1970s and now boasts glass houses, stone pathways, a lake with bridges, an education centre, a seed bank and many native plant species. The Museum of Natural Sciences is located within the grounds of the Jardim Botanico, where it is known for its paleontology exhibits.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday - 08:00 to 17:00
Admission: charge, discounts for students and seniors, children 12 years old and under are free

Parque Farroupilha (Farroupilha Park)

Address: Avenida Joao Pessoa / Avenida Osvaldo Aranha, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 051 3286 4458
A number of appealing attractions reside within the Parque Farroupilha, such as marble monuments, a fountain, the 'O Expedicionário' memorial to Brazilian soldiers, a small zoo, a children's amusement park, sports fields, cycleways and pathways suitable for jogging. Parque Farroupilha is also home to a large auditorium capable of accommodating some 4,500 spectators, and a huge flea market, which takes place here every Sunday morning. Of note, many locals refer to the Parque Farroupilha (Ragamuffin Park) as the Parque Redencao (Redemption Park).
Open hours: daily
Admission: free

Football / Soccer

Address: Estádio Olimpico Monumental (Olimpico Monumental Stadium), Avenida Coronel Gastao Haslocher Mazeron / Avenida Doutor Carlos Barbosa, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 051 3218 2000
Address: Estádio Beira-Rio (Beira-Rio), Avenida Padre Cacique, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 051 3230 4600
Soccer has been a passion of Brazilians for many decades and in Porto Alegre, there is much rivalry between the city's two football clubs - the Sport Club Internacional and the Gremio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, the latter of which owns the Estádio Olimpico Monumental (Olimpico Monumental Stadium). This huge stadium was inaugurated in 1954 and currently seats some 45,000 people. Sport Club Internacional is based at the Estádio Beira-Rio (Beira-Rio) Stadium, on the coast of the Rio Guaiba, which is often also known as the Estádio José Pinheiro Borda and has an overall capacity of just over 58,000 spectators.
Open hours: hours vary according to event
Admission: charge, discounts for children

Nightlife

Address: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, BR
Highly regarded for its variety of nightlife, Porto Alegre is a popular city packed with bars nightclubs and restaurants, meaning that if you are a night-owl, there will be plenty to keep you occupied after the sun sets. A selection of the most popular night spots are distributed around the Parque Farroupilha and close to the campus of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul). The action can be slow to start and really only gets going after 23:00, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. Details of all the leading nightclubs and live entertainment options can be obtained at the Movimento Tradicionalista Gaúcho centre on the Rua Guilherme Schell.
Open hours: daily
Admission: free

Parque Moinhos de Vento (Moinhos de Vento Park / Windmill Park)

Address: Rua Mostardeiro / Rua Comendador Caminha, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 051 3332 1021
This is a large and popular park, being the perfect place to relax on a sunny afternoon, or perhaps take an early morning run. Covering an area of just under 12 acres / 5 hectares, the Moinhos de Vento Park offers a series of jogging trails, as well as a playground for children, lots of benches and a large lake, where local families regularly come to feed the resident ducks and geese. Further park attractions include a children's library (Biblioteca Ecológica Infantil Maria Dinorah) and a monument honouring Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco (1897 to 1967), Brazil's 26th president (between the years of 1964 and 1967).
Open hours: daily
Admission: free

Boat Trips / River Cruises

Address: Avenida Maua, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 051 3224 5222
Porto Alegre stands at the point where five rivers meet, meaning that the opportunities for boat trips present themselves in a number of different locations. Cruises on the Rio Guaiba (Guaiba Lake) are extremely popular with tourists, with 'White Swan' (Cisne Branco) boats departing from the downtown Portao Central do Porto and offering skyline views from a different angle. Most boats provide refreshments and insightful commentary along the way, although this narrative is usually in Portuguese only.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday - 12:30 to 18:00
Admission: charge, children ten years old and under are free

Planetário (Planetarium)

Address: Avenida Ipiranga 2000, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 051 3308 5384
A stunning contemporary attraction, the city's Planetarium is part of the Federal University complex and was built in 1971, being funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Officially inaugurated in 1972, with the crew of the Apollo 13 in attendance, the Planetarium frequently hosts various astronomy related events and lectures, and also holds regular presentations relating to the solar systems and the 'sky at night'.
Open hours: Tuesday to Friday - 10:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge