Guides ·Itineraries

One week in Santa Catarina

Seven days from Florianópolis down to Praia do Rosa and inland to the Serra, with 12 stops and a realistic budget of R$2,400 per person.

Guide

Itineraries

Length

9 min read

Region

Santa Catarina

Coastal road curving above Praia do Rosa

Days 1-2: Florianópolis base

Start in Lagoa da Conceição. Two nights buy you Mole, Joaquina and a proper Ribeirão da Ilha oyster lunch. Book pousadas on Rua das Rendeiras or Canto da Lagoa for R$200 to R$280 doubles — the family-run ones give you laundry access and honest breakfast, which matters when you’re moving every two days.

For a base with more structure, Pousada e Camping Lagoa da Conceição sits a five-minute walk from the water and runs R$190 to R$260 depending on season, while Costa Solar Lagoa suits travelers who want a small pool and a kitchenette for R$230 upward. Rent the car on day one at the airport rather than in the lagoon district — agency stock is thinner downtown and you lose half a morning waiting. Spend the second afternoon at the Mercado Público in Centro for oysters and a plate of camarão before heading south.

Days 3-4: Guarda do Embaú and Garopaba

Drive south on the BR-101 (toll R$8.60 at Palhoça) to Guarda do Embaú, a river-mouth surf village with pousadas from R$150. Cross the estuary by wooden boat for R$5 and walk 20 minutes to the beach. On day four continue 25 km to Garopaba: eat at Restaurante da Loli for R$45 fish plates, then walk the trail to Praia do Silveira through cattle pasture and headland.

Guarda do Embaú gets crowded on summer weekends when Florianópolis surfers drive down for the day — arrive by 10am or park a kilometre back and walk in. Garopaba has more sleeping options if Guarda is full; Casa Temporada Garopaba offers a full house from R$280 a night and works well for two couples splitting costs. Skip the guided dune-buggy tours sold on the main square — at R$150 per person they cost four times what a rented bicycle (R$30 a day from shops near the church) gets you to the same viewpoints.

Days 5-6: Praia do Rosa

Rosa is the pretty one — three crescent beaches, a lagoon, and pousadas that swing from R$220 to R$1,200 a night. Pick a mid-range like Pousada Caminho do Rei and eat street-side: acarajé at Baiana da Rosa R$22, moqueca at Urucum R$95 for two. Between June and October the southern right whales come within 300 metres of shore; guided boat trips from Pousada Vida Sol e Mar run R$280.

Casa Completa no Rosa is worth flagging for groups of four to six splitting a full house rather than paying for two double rooms — it runs from R$450 a night and puts you a short walk from Praia do Rosa itself rather than the quieter Praia Vermelha side. Book any Rosa stay at least a month ahead for September weekends, when whale-watching demand peaks and the village fills. If you only have one full day here, spend the morning on the lagoon trail and the afternoon on the beach — trying to see all three beaches in a day means rushing all of them.

Day 7: Serra Catarinense detour or slow return

Ambitious travelers head inland to Urubici — 3.5 hours from Rosa — for Morro da Igreja and Cascata do Avencal, sleeping in cabins from R$180. Or slow-play the return along the coast, stopping at Farol de Santa Marta lighthouse near Laguna. Return the car in Florianópolis, fly out from FLN, and know you spent your R$ on the right things.

The Serra detour only makes sense if you are not flying out the same evening — the drive back from Urubici to Florianópolis airport is another 2.5 hours on winding SC-390 and SC-438 roads, longer if fog closes in on Morro da Igreja above 1,600 metres. Aconchego da Montanha is a reasonable inland stop for the night if you want the mountain air without pushing straight through to the coast. Travelers who skip the Serra entirely lose little: the coastal lighthouse route is shorter, flatter, and still delivers a proper last afternoon before the flight.

Getting around: car versus bus

A rental car turns this into a loop you control; a bus itinerary turns it into three separate trips stitched together with waiting rooms. Locadoras at Florianópolis airport quote R$130 to R$180 a day for a compact with unlimited kilometres — book at least two weeks ahead in December and January when Floripa's own tourist season eats the fleet. Fuel runs about R$6.20 a litre for gasoline; budget R$250 to R$300 for fuel across the whole week including the Serra detour.

If you are working without a car, Empresa Paulotur runs Florianópolis–Garopaba–Praia do Rosa several times daily for around R$45 to R$65 depending on stop, and JCA covers the Laguna and southern legs. The catch is frequency: buses to Guarda do Embaú are sparse and the last return can leave before 6pm, which strands day-trippers without a car. Anyone doing the Urubici detour by bus should plan an extra full day — connections through Lauro Müller or Rio do Sul add hours that a rental car simply erases.

Budget breakdown for the week

R$2,400 per person over seven days breaks down roughly as: R$900 to R$1,200 on lodging across five stops, R$450 on food if you mix pousada breakfasts with one proper seafood meal a day, R$300 on the rental car split between two travelers, R$280 on the Rosa whale-watching trip if you go between June and October, and the rest on tolls, fuel, and the Guarda do Embaú boat crossing. Traveling as a pair roughly halves the car and fuel line, which is the main reason this budget works better for two than for a solo traveler.

Where the money actually goes off-plan is Praia do Rosa, where a beachfront pousada or a second whale trip can add R$400 to R$600 without much effort — decide before you arrive whether Rosa is the splurge stop or the frugal one, because trying to be careful everywhere flattens the trip. Ribeirão da Ilha oysters and Guarda do Embaú's R$150 pousadas are the easiest places to save; Praia do Rosa's peak-season doubles are the easiest place to overspend.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask before they set off on this one.

Is a rental car necessary?

For Rosa, Guarda, and the Serra, yes. Buses connect these towns but eat hours. A compact car from R$130/day pays for itself by day three.

When is whale season in Praia do Rosa?

June to early November, peaking in September. Southern right whales calve just offshore — you can spot them from land at Miradouro da Vigia.

Which town is best for families with kids?

Garopaba. Calmer beaches than Rosa, better infrastructure than Guarda, and pousadas with pools around R$260 a night.

Can I do this week by bus only?

Yes, using Empresa Paulotur and JCA lines, but expect 2-3 hour transfers between each stop and an extra day lost to logistics.

What is the best month to run this exact itinerary?

September gives you whales at Rosa without the full summer crowds or prices at Guarda and Garopaba. December through February is prettier weather but doubles most nightly rates and fills pousadas weeks ahead.

Should I book the whole week ahead or improvise?

Book Praia do Rosa and any September or summer dates in advance — it sells out first. Guarda do Embaú and Garopaba can usually be arranged a day or two ahead outside peak weekends.

Where to stay