Campeche
The island's south-side surf and skate scene — wide open beach, Ilha do Campeche offshore, real neighbourhoods behind.
Long open beach with the offshore Ilha do Campeche visible
Why people stay in Campeche
Campeche is where locals who could afford Lagoa or Jurerê chose not to. It's a proper residential neighbourhood on the southeast coast of the island — schools, bakeries, sports courts — with a long, exposed, south-facing beach that catches every swell that reaches Santa Catarina. The vibe is surfers, skaters, remote-workers with laptops in the beach kiosks, and Argentinian families who figured out that Canasvieiras is too crowded. In January it's busy but never Jurerê-frantic; in June it's quiet, walkable and 40% cheaper.
The signature move here is the boat over to Ilha do Campeche, the protected offshore island 2 kilometres out — turquoise water, white sand, Guaraní petroglyphs, R$180 for the boat and R$20 entry, and a strict daily visitor cap (800) so book at the pier the day before. The beach itself is rougher than the north-coast beaches: strong shorebreak, occasional rip currents, not for weak swimmers. Stay here if you want the island's south side, a real neighbourhood feel, and easy access to Lagoa and Armação.
Weekdays feel almost suburban: kids walking home from the escola municipal on Rua Pequeno Príncipe, delivery mopeds cutting through Servidão Passárgada, the padaria on the corner selling pão de queijo before 7am. By 9pm the streets away from the beach kiosks go quiet — a few open bars near Praça da Bandeira, otherwise porches and dog walks. It reads more like a Brazilian mainland suburb that happens to have a world-class beach than a resort strip, which is exactly its appeal and exactly why some visitors find it underwhelming after dark.
Skip Campeche if you came for nightlife, bar-hopping or a walk-everywhere restaurant strip — that's Lagoa da Conceição, fifteen minutes north by bus. Skip it too if you can’t handle rough surf or if you’re travelling with small children who need a calm, shallow beach; Canasvieiras or Jurerê suit that better. Choose Campeche if you want to surf or watch surfers, work remotely from a kiosk table with wifi, and still be fifteen minutes from the airport and twenty from the historic centre. It rewards people who stay four nights, not one.
The four blocks between Avenida Pequeno Príncipe and the beach are the walkable zone — pousadas at R$220–R$400 peak, R$140–R$220 shoulder, hostels around R$110. Novo Campeche (the newer development at the south end near the airport approach) is cheaper but further from cafés and the surf. Rio Tavares, immediately north, has cheaper rooms (R$120–R$180) with a 10-minute bus commute to the beach. Avoid the blocks directly under the airport flight path if noise bothers you — flights are frequent 6am–11pm. For first-time bookings, pick a pousada on Avenida Pequeno Príncipe itself or within two blocks of the Rua Aroeira da Praia beach access — walking distance to the surf and kiosks, and just far enough from the runway approach to sleep past dawn.
Things to do in Campeche
Boats leave from the pier at the north end of Campeche beach, 9am–2pm departures. R$150–R$180 per person round trip, plus R$20 island entry. Guaraní rock inscriptions on a guided walk (mandatory, R$40), then swim and lunch at the beach kiosk. Reserve at the pier a day ahead in season.
The rocky south end of Campeche beach at Morro das Pedras has a defined peak break. Escola de Surf Campeche on Avenida Pequeno Príncipe runs 2-hour group lessons for R$140 including board. Small-swell days only for beginners — check the forecast on Windguru.
Concrete bowl and street park behind the Campeche square on Rua João Henrique Gonçalves. Free, busy from 4pm–8pm with a mixed local scene. Board rental R$40/day from Boardstore on Avenida Pequeno Príncipe.
Beach kiosk on the sand at the mid-beach access point (Rua Aroeira da Praia entrance). Grilled fish, R$14 chopp, plastic chairs on the sand facing directly at Ilha do Campeche. Loud, cheap and completely local. Open until 10pm in summer.
The Trilha do Manguezal, a wooden boardwalk through the Rio Tavares mangrove reserve, starts near the Ponte do Rio Tavares bridge on the road to the airport, about 10 minutes by bus from central Campeche. Free, open dawn to dusk, good for herons and capybara sightings, and a flat, shaded contrast to the beach walk.
The dune field behind Morro das Pedras, reached via the sandy track off Avenida Pequeno Príncipe near the south-end surf break, is loose enough for sandboarding after 3pm when the wind drops. No official rental stand — bring your own board or ask at Escola de Surf Campeche, which lends boards informally for a tip.
What to see
Hotels near Campeche
No hotels are listed in Campeche yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Getting around Campeche
Bus 361 from TICEN takes 45 minutes to Campeche for R$6, running every 20 minutes. From Hercílio Luz Airport it's a 15-minute Uber (R$25–R$40) — Campeche is the closest neighbourhood to the airport, which is why flights are audible. Inside Campeche the beach and the shops on Avenida Pequeno Príncipe are walkable. For Lagoa da Conceição take bus 362 (20 minutes) or Uber R$25. For Armação bus 561, 15 minutes. Taxis and app rides wait near the pier and Avenida Pequeno Príncipe at any hour; bike rental runs about R$30 a day from a stand near Praça da Bandeira.
Questions about Campeche
Boats from Campeche beach pier, R$150–R$180 round trip, plus R$20 island entry. The island has a daily 800-visitor cap and closes on Mondays outside peak season. Book the day before at the pier kiosks. The visit includes a mandatory guided walk (R$40) to see the petroglyphs. You get about 3 hours on the island.
Only with respect. It's a south-facing open-ocean beach with real shorebreak and occasional rip currents. Swim between the flags where the lifeguards operate (December–February), and never at the far north end where the pier is. Non-swimmers should go to the north-coast beaches instead — Canasvieiras, Jurerê or Daniela.
About 15 minutes by car or Uber, roughly R$25–R$40, making Campeche the closest surf neighbourhood to Hercílio Luz Airport. That proximity is also why flights pass overhead frequently between 6am and 11pm. If you want a quieter night, ask for a room away from the flight path when booking.
It can be, with caution: Morro das Pedras has gentler, more consistent waves suited to lessons than the exposed mid-beach section. Non-swimmers and small children are better served by the calm north-coast beaches like Canasvieiras or Jurerê. If you do swim here, stay between the lifeguard flags in summer and avoid the water near the pier.
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