Getting Around, Florianopolis Travel, Transport and Car Rental
(Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil)
Florianopolis has become something of a transport hub for the island of Santa Catarina, with literally dozens of buses providing a pain-free and affordable way to travel to the best beaches and coastal attractions. From Florianopolis city centre, most beaches are between 30 and 60 minutes away by bus, while the bright yellow Linhas Executivas buses offer direct connections to the main beaches.
Those with their own car transport will find that Santa Catarina island is actually connected to mainland
Brazil by no less than three bridges - the Ponte Colombo Salles (Colombo Sales Bridge), the Ponte Governador Pedro Ivo Campos (Pedro Ivo Bridge) and the
Ponte Hercilio Luz (Hercilio Luz Bridge), although the latter is now closed to traffic.
Hercilio Luz International Airport (FLN) / Arriving by Air
Address: Avenida Diomicio Freitas 3393, Cariano, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 048 331 4000
The recently revamped Hercilio Luz International Airport is located just 12 km / 7 miles to the south of central Florianopolis, in the suburb of Cariano, and comes with two runways, serving more than two million passengers each year. Only a handful of different airlines operate at the airport, with Aerolineas Argentinas connecting
Buenos Aires, and both Gol Airlines and TAM Airlines flying to
Porto Alegre,
Rio de Janeiro and
Sao Paulo, amongst other predominantly Brazilian destinations. Group transport at Hercilio Luz International Airport is good and comes in the form of local red buses clearly marked 'Correador Sudoeste', which regularly travel to the city's bus terminal on the Rua Antonio Luz.
Car Rental
Hiring a car comes highly recommended in Florianopolis, since it allows you to explore the beaches more easily. Rental cars can be hired at the airport and around the island, although it should be noted that prices are fairly expensive, especially when requesting a car with air conditioning. During the peak holiday season, expect some traffic congestion around the resorts and beaches, particularly at weekends.
Buses and Coaches
Santa Catarina comes with a very efficient and well-organised network of buses, serving literally thousands of passengers each day. Bus transport connecting the easterly and southerly coast (including both Joaquina and Lagoa) departs from the terminal located on the Rua Antonio Luz. Those headed northwards should catch buses from the terminal on the Rua Francisco Tolentino. There are also a number of small microbuses, which are yellow in colour and generally travel in similar directions, offering direct services to the main beaches and even allowing surfboards as luggage.
Long-distance buses travel from Florianopolis, reaching all of the main cities in South Brazil. These include Blumenau (three hours),
Curitiba (four hours),
Foz do Iguacu (14 hours), Joinville (two hours and 30 minutes), Porto Alegre (six hours and 30 minutes), Rio de Janeiro (18 hours) and Sao Paulo (12 hours). Bus transport also runs to and from a handful of international destinations, such as Buenos Aires (24 hours) and Montevideo (20 hours).
- Google+
