Take a bus to Curitiba in Brazil!
Backpacking Curitiba
Beautiful Curitiba, capital city of the state of Parana, has a different feel about it compared to most cities in South America. Walking through its streets you can easily realize why it is considered a "model" city. It is one of the cleanest and best organized cities in Latin America.
The city has two important areas to visit: the civic and the commercial center. The civic center, on avenue "Candido de Abreu", is the site of the "Palacio Iguaçu", the government palace. Nearby there's a beautiful park called "bosque de Joao Paulo II" and the Cathedral, both worth a visit.
The commercial center has a nice pedestrian area on the main street "15 de Novembro". Here you can find cultural attractions such as street painting sessions for children, street musicians and artists. Near Lago da Ordem there's another pedestrian area with nice old buildings and a sacred art museum. "Praça Rui Barbosa" and "Praça Garibaldi" are squares to wander through as well.
Curitiba has two excellent parks that you shouldn´t skip: The popular "Paseio Publico", in the middle of the city, with a nice network of canals, a zoo and an aquarium. At the north of the city is "Parque do Barigui", also nice for a walk.
The state of Parana received many immigrants in the early XX century, mainly Italian, Polish, Russian and Ukrainians. You can easily note their legacy in Curitiba´s architecture, and there´s also a few museums to check out such as the Museu Paranaense, in "Praça Generoso Marques", and the Polish immigrants' Museum, at "bosque de Joao Paulo II".
When backpacking in Curitiba, you ought to visit the Serra Verde Express, a train tour that takes you from Curitiba to Morretes. It is one of the best train trips in Brazil, as it weaves through forests all the way to the end. Tourist class tickets are recommended for a better experience and there's also a van service that takes you to Antonina, a small village worth a visit. A good tip: remember to buy a left side seat (on your way from Curitiba to Morretes), as it offers the best views of waterfalls and vegetation. The whole tour takes a whole day, and the train departs from Curitiba every day at 8:15.
Even though Parana state is not known for the best Brazilian beaches in the country, there are some worthy of a visit on Ilha do Mel (Honey Island). It is a small island (10 km long) in front of Paranaguá, and you can easily access to it by a 90 min. boat trip. The Island is a natural reserve and it offers excellent sand beaches and also nice walks. It has two main villages (Nova Brasilia and Encantadas)..
