Praia Mole
The prettiest crescent on the east coast — soft sand, warm water, and the island's most laid-back crowd.
Golden sand curve of Praia Mole with green headlands at each end
What to expect at Praia Mole
Praia Mole is the one-kilometre curve of golden sand between two green headlands just north of Praia da Joaquina, and it is the beach Florianopolis' twenty- and thirty-somethings pick when they only have one afternoon. The name means 'soft' — the sand really is finer and looser than its neighbours — and the water sits somewhere between Joaquina's serious surf and Ingleses' bath-tub calm: a rideable wave for beginners, but nothing that will drown you. It matters as the island's social beach, where paragliders land on the sand and the kiosks turn into small parties at sunset.
You come in off SC-406, park along the road, and step down onto the beach through one of the boardwalks by the kiosks. The middle of the sand is where everyone lays out, the north end has a natural pool between rocks that's good for kids, and the south end is where the gay crowd historically gathers under the cliff. Paragliders from Morro da Lagoinha land right on the sand from about 15:00 onwards — you can tandem for around R$400 if you book at the top. Kiosks Cerveja & Pesca and Bar do Deca do R$50 fish sandwiches and cold Original beer through the afternoon.
Best in shoulder season — late March through April, or October — when the water is still 22 degrees and the crowds have thinned. Skip weekends in January; the road backs up all the way to Lagoa. Wear reef shoes if you plan to explore the north-end rocks, and stay for sunset even though the sun sets behind you — the sky over the dunes turns pink and everyone on the sand turns to face it. Praia Galheta, a nudist-tolerated beach, is a 20-minute walk over the north headland.
Questions about Praia Mole
Free. A day at a kiosk with lunch and drinks runs about R$120 per person.
Always. The sand is public 24 hours a day.
Half a day, ideally from 14:00 until sunset around 19:30 in summer.
The beach never closes. Kiosks close Monday-Wednesday in low season.
Only paragliding — call Sky Lagoa on WhatsApp 24 hours before.
Bus 363 from Lagoa da Conceicao terminal stops at all three Mole entrances along SC-406.
Hotels near Praia Mole
Every hotel we cover in Lagoa da Conceição
- Hotel Boutique Quinta das Videiras 5★ · 4.7/5 · 6003 km away
- Pousada e Camping Lagoa da Conceição 2★ · 4.6/5 · 6003 km away
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