Blog Day trips & escapes

2026-06-085 min readThe DestinoSC editorial team

Eight day trips out of Florianópolis worth planning around — with real drive times, real distances, and which one is honestly not worth the fuel.

1. Guarda do Embaú — 60 km, 1h south

Guarda do Embaú is the small surf village at the mouth of the Rio da Madre, 60 km south of Florianópolis via the BR-101 and then a 4-km side road. It's the closest genuinely wild-feeling coastal experience to the city — you park at the village, cross the river on a small boat (R$5 return), and walk 200 metres of sand dunes to a beach that has no road access at all. Six-kilometre arc of sand, decent surf, one beach kiosk selling grilled shrimp at R$45.

This ranks first because it's the biggest experiential gap between what Florianópolis feels like and what an hour's drive can deliver. No high-rises, no traffic, no infrastructure — just a river-mouth village and a beach. Go on a weekday; summer weekends bring a proper crowd. Lunch at Restaurante do Zeca in the village (unrelated to the Praia do Rosa restaurant of the same name) for R$95 for two on grilled fish and rice. The river-mouth setting is particularly good in late afternoon.

2. Serra do Rio do Rastro — 220 km, 3h30m southwest

The 12-km serpentine ascent of the Serra do Rio do Rastro from Lauro Müller to Bom Jardim da Serra is the most spectacular piece of road in southern Brazil — 1,000 metres of climb through 284 curves with a series of viewpoints looking back over the coastal plain. The road was completed in 1930 and remains a genuine engineering marvel. You drive up, stop at the two big mirantes (Mirante do Céu and the summit viewpoint), and drive back down.

The catch is drive time — 3h30m each way is a serious day trip, and the point is the road itself rather than a destination. Combine with a stop at the Villaggio Grando winery in Água Doce (from the summit, another 90 minutes northwest) to justify the day, or turn it into an overnight in Bom Jardim da Serra. Fog kills the view; check weather in Lauro Müller before committing. Ranks second because when it delivers, no other day trip from Florianópolis matches it — but check the forecast.

3. Laguna old town — 130 km, 2h south

Laguna preserves the second most intact colonial town centre in Brazil after Ouro Preto — 900-plus 18th-century buildings, cobbled streets, and the site of the 1839 Juliana Republic declaration during the Farroupilha War. The Museu Anita Garibaldi and the Praça República Juliana are the anchor visits; the walk between them takes an hour and passes 20 photograph-worthy façades. Lunch at Toca da Garoupa for R$140 for two on grilled grouper.

This ranks third because it's the state's most serious colonial-town day trip and delivers a genuine historical experience that Florianópolis itself can’t offer. The 2h drive south on the BR-101 is straightforward; the town itself needs four hours minimum to see properly. Combine with a stop at Farol de Santa Marta on the way back — a 1891 lighthouse on a wild headland 30 km east of Laguna — and you’ve built a full day. Go on any day except Monday when the museum closes.

4. Costa da Lagoa boat and lunch — 8 km, 40 minutes by water

Costa da Lagoa is a fishing village on the far shore of the Lagoa da Conceição that has no road access — you either walk in on the Trilha do Costa or take a boat from the Lagoa pier for R$25 return. The village has four or five restaurants doing fresh fish for lunch (Pescaria da Costa, R$120 for two on grilled tainha with pirão) and a small church on the hill. Total day is four hours including the boat both ways.

This ranks fourth because it's the closest 'other side of an island' experience to Florianópolis — you’re 20 minutes from downtown but arriving somewhere that has no cars, no shops beyond a bakery, and a working fishing community. Boats run hourly from 9am to 5pm, cash payment on the pier. Go on a weekday; weekend boats fill and the restaurants queue. This is the day trip for anyone who's already done Florianópolis's beaches and wants something the guidebooks skip.

5. Praia do Rosa — 90 km, 1h20m south

Praia do Rosa is the fashionable southern beach with a proper hillside village and, from June through October, southern right whales visible from the beach and the headlands. Ibirapuera Turismo runs whale-watching boat trips from Praia da Ribanceira for R$220 in season, or you can watch for free from Mirante do Rosa on the north headland. Lunch at Restaurante do Zeca (this one, the Rosa restaurant) for R$180 for two on regional-fusion cooking.

This ranks fifth because it's a substantial beach day out that gets better with the season — from June to October the whales elevate it into a proper wildlife experience, and outside those months it's a good beach with an expensive village attached. Weekend traffic on the BR-101 south of Florianópolis can add 40 minutes each way. Combine with a stop at Guarda do Embaú on the way back and you’ve done both southern beaches in one day.

6. Bombinhas peninsula — 105 km, 1h40m north

The Bombinhas peninsula has 39 named beaches and the clearest water on the mainland coast of Santa Catarina — Praia da Sepultura is the ranking pick for snorkelling, and the small ecological reserve at Praia do Retiro dos Padres does a proper snorkelling day out. The trip is a full beach day rather than a cultural one, and you’re committing to the BR-101 in both directions with all the traffic risk that entails on summer weekends.

This ranks sixth because it's a better beach experience than Florianópolis's own north-island beaches but the drive is honestly long for a day trip — 1h40m northbound is best-case and can double on Sunday evening return. Consider staying overnight if you’re going to Bombinhas at all. Lunch at Restaurante Marlin on the Praia da Sepultura road for R$95 on grilled fish. Skip on rainy days; the beach is the point.

7. Blumenau — 140 km, 2h north

Blumenau is the German-heritage centre of Santa Catarina and delivers Vila Germânica, the Museu da Cerveja, half a dozen craft breweries, and the Villa Petry historic house museum in one navigable downtown. As a day trip it works for anyone with a specific interest in the German-immigration story or in Brazilian craft beer; as a general day out it's honestly a stretch, because the town is more industrial than picturesque and the good stuff requires knowing what to look for.

This ranks seventh because it delivers on a specific interest but underperforms as a general day trip. Combine with Pomerode (35 km further north) to get the full valley-German experience, but you’re then committing to a 12-hour day. If beer is the interest, book a brewery tour in advance at Bierland or Das Bier — R$45 per person for a proper 90-minute tour with tasting. Skip if you’re not specifically drawn to the theme.

8. Balneário Camboriú — 80 km, 1h20m north

Balneário Camboriú is Santa Catarina's Miami — a strip of high-rises along a beach with a genuinely spectacular skyline view from the Parque Unipraias cable car (R$65 return). The cable car crosses the bay and delivers a viewpoint that's the most photographed skyline in southern Brazil. On the ground, the town is a wall of concrete and traffic, and the beach itself is overcrowded and not that great.

This ranks eighth — last on the list — because it's the day trip that most consistently disappoints tourists who go expecting the photographs to match the reality. Do the cable car, look at the view, take a photograph, eat lunch at Ponta do Coral, and drive back. Don’t try to spend a full beach day; drive the extra 25 km north to Bombinhas instead. Skip in summer weekends when the town is a traffic jam. The best day trip on this list only if the specific brief is 'see the skyline'.

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Before you book

The questions people ask about Bombinhas, answered with this month’s numbers.