Penha
Home to Beto Carrero World — Latin America's largest theme park — plus a decent working beach and cheaper family rooms.
Wide beach at Praia Alegre with the coloured facades of Penha behind
Why people stay in Penha
Penha is a working coastal town 45 minutes north of Florianópolis, best known for Beto Carrero World — the largest theme park in Latin America, which draws over a million visitors a year to what would otherwise be a modest beach town of 30,000 people. The park is genuinely large (14 million square metres, 100+ attractions) and takes a full day plus. The town itself has three beaches (Praia Alegre, Praia da Armação and Praia da Paciência), a small fishing colony and some of the cheapest family accommodation on this stretch of coast — R$150–R$280 gets you a solid pousada, much less than equivalent rooms in Balneário.
Who goes here: families with kids doing Beto Carrero for 1–3 days, plus Argentinian summer beach tourism because it's cheaper than Balneário. Who should skip: solo travellers, couples wanting atmosphere, anyone allergic to theme-park queues. The beaches are pleasant but not remarkable — calm bay water, walkable, decent kiosks — the point of Penha is the park and the price. Book a pousada with a pool if you’re doing the theme park in January (heat exhaustion is real).
At 9pm Penha is quiet outside the Beto Carrero shuttle drop-off points — a handful of pizzerias and lanchonetes along Avenida Central stay open past 10pm during January and February, but most kitchens close by 9:30pm off-season. Dinner is simple: grilled fish at the colony restaurant, pizza by the slice near Praça Alfredo Krause, or a self-catered night if your pousada has a kitchenette, which many of the cheaper ones do. This is not a town for nightlife; anyone wanting bars or a beach-club scene should base themselves in Balneário Camboriú and day-trip to the park instead.
Booking timing matters more here than in most beach towns on this coast: Beto Carrero sets its own calendar of open and closed days outside peak season, so check the park's schedule before fixing dates, not after. Shoulder months (April–June, August–October) bring cooler weather, empty beaches and pousada rates at the low end of the range, but also mean the park itself can be half-closed on weekdays. Peak season (Christmas through Carnival) guarantees the park is fully open but adds heat, queues and the highest room rates of the year — plan around whichever trade-off matters more to your trip.
Praia Alegre and Praia da Armação are the two main beach zones — pousadas at R$180–R$320 peak, R$120–R$180 winter, most within 15 minutes' walk of the sand. The blocks closest to the Beto Carrero World gate (Avenida do Papa area) are convenient for the park but touristy; the town centre near Praça Alfredo Krause is quieter and just as cheap. Avoid pousadas advertising 'próximo ao parque' that are actually a 10-minute drive — Penha is spread out enough that this matters. For a first Beto Carrero trip, book on Avenida do Papa itself and walk to the gate rather than trusting a shuttle timetable; for a beach-first stay at a cheaper rate, take the Praça Alfredo Krause side and treat the park as a single day trip out.
Things to do in Penha
The park entrance is on Rua Inácio Francisco de Souza. Day tickets R$220–R$340 depending on season, open 9:30am–6pm most days (check calendar). Arrive by opening. The roller-coaster (FireWhip) and the show programme (Madagascar, Motor Show) are the highlights. Allow a full day; a two-day pass at R$380 is worth it if you’re staying 3+ nights.
The main town beach, 2 km of calm bay sand backed by a proper pedestrian promenade with kiosks. Beach volleyball nets mid-beach, chopp at R$12 from the kiosks, calm shallow water safe for kids. Best 5pm–7pm when locals fill the promenade.
The working colônia de pescadores at Praia da Armação, 5 minutes' drive from the town centre. Fishing boats come in 3pm–5pm; buy whole fresh fish at R$30–R$50/kg or eat at the colony restaurant behind the pier for R$55–R$80 per person. Actual local Brazil rather than tourist Brazil.
Small offshore island 30 minutes by boat from Praia Alegre pier. R$80–R$120 per person for a half-day trip with a snorkel stop. Book at the pier kiosks a day ahead. Skip on windy days. Combines well with a Beto-Carrero-rest day.
The Cristo Luz complex sits atop Morro da Glória, reached by a cable car (bondinho) from Avenida Governador Ivo Silveira; the return ticket runs about R$45 and the illuminated 26-metre Christ statue plus bay viewpoint are worth the ride even skipping the park, open 9am–8pm daily.
The smallest of the three beaches, 10 minutes' walk south of Praia Alegre past the fishing boats, with almost no kiosks and far fewer people even in peak January. Good for an early morning swim before the theme-park queues start; bring your own water and shade, there's little at hand here.
What to see
Hotels near Penha
No hotels are listed in Penha yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Every hotel we cover in Penha
- Baia das Tartarugas 3★ · 5/5
- Ecomarine Apart Hotel 3★ · 5/5
- Kitinet Container próximo Praia e Beto Carrero 3★ · 5/5
- Pousada Tem Nao Tem Parque Beto Carrero Penha Sc 3★ · 5/5
- Apart Hotel Atlantico 2★ · 5/5
- Pousada Bela Armaçao 2★ · 5/5
- Pousada Caminhos do Litoral 2★ · 5/5
- Pousada Nosso Cantinho 2★ · 5/5
- Apart Pousada Villa Das Flores 5/5
- Pousada Doce Lar 5★ · 4.9/5
- Ap03 Residencial Lazzaris 3★ · 4.9/5
- João Carlos Casas 3 Quartos Penha Sc 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Amanhecer do Sul 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Armação das Baleias 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Bela Lisboa 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Casa do Luiggi 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Costa Container 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Doluar 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Dona Elena 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Espindola 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Mar de Luna 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Vila Regina 3★ · 4.9/5
- Pousada Vivenda dos Açores 3★ · 4.9/5
- Tia Denise Pousada 3★ · 4.9/5
Getting around Penha
From Florianópolis 45 minutes north on BR-101, Uber R$120, intercity bus R$28 (1h20). The Reunidas company runs the Florianópolis–Penha route from the Rodoviária Rita Maria; the drop-off point in Penha is on Avenida Central, an eight-minute walk to Praia Alegre. From Navegantes Airport 15 minutes, Uber R$40 — this is the closest airport and the correct arrival for Beto Carrero. From Balneário Camboriú 25 minutes south. Inside Penha the beach and the theme park are 5–10 minutes apart by car; a local bus (linha 4) connects them for R$5 every 30 minutes. Beto Carrero also runs shuttles from major hotels — check when booking.
Questions about Penha
Yes, minimum. The park is huge and includes both attraction rides and scheduled shows (Madagascar, Motor Show, Circus). Arrive at 9:30am opening, expect to leave at closing. If you have kids under 12 or want to see the shows properly, a two-day pass at R$380 works better. Skip in extreme summer heat (early February) if you can’t handle 35°C queues.
Marginally. The beaches are decent but not remarkable and the town is functional rather than charming. If you’re not doing the theme park, Balneário Camboriú (25 minutes south) has more scene, Itapema (30 minutes south) has a better beach, and Porto Belo (30 minutes further) has clearer water. Penha's appeal is 90% the park.
A single day pass runs R$220–R$340 depending on season, cheaper if bought online in advance rather than at the gate. A two-day pass is around R$380 and makes sense if you’re staying three nights or more since the park is genuinely too big for one day. Kids under a certain height get a reduced rate — check the current chart on arrival. Buy online the week before for the lowest fare; walk-up gate prices are always the highest.
Navegantes Airport is the closest airport, about 15 minutes by car or Uber for around R$40. There's no direct airport bus, so a taxi or ride-share is the practical option, and most pousadas can arrange pickup for a similar price if you book ahead. Florianópolis's international airport is also workable at 45 minutes away but adds cost and time for no real benefit. If you’re only doing Beto Carrero, Navegantes is the correct arrival point.
