Treze Tílias
Little Tyrol in Brazil — Austrian founders in 1933, Alpine architecture, woodcarving tradition and Tirolerfest in October.
Alpine-style wooden houses with flower boxes in Treze Tílias
Why people stay in Treze Tílias
Treze Tílias was founded in 1933 by Austrian minister Andreas Thaler as a Tyrolean settlement in the Santa Catarina highlands, and the village kept its identity — the architecture is genuine Alpine (flower boxes, carved wooden balconies, painted facades), the woodcarving school (Escola de Talha) still operates in the tradition, and the annual Tirolerfest in October is one of the more culturally-committed folk festivals in Brazil. It's tiny — under 8000 people — sitting at 800 metres altitude in the meio-oeste of Santa Catarina, 4 hours west of Florianópolis.
Go for 24 hours if you’re crossing the state on the way to Iguaçu or into the mountain region. Go for a weekend if you want the Alpine-in-Brazil curiosity and a good meal — the restaurants take the Austrian food seriously (sauerbraten, spaetzle, apple strudel that would pass in Innsbruck). Don’t go if you’re expecting a bustling destination — the whole village fits in a 2 km walking loop and off-season there are perhaps four restaurants open. Combine with Piratuba (thermal baths, 30 minutes) or as a stop between the coast and the sierra.
By 9pm the village is essentially closed — the pousadas turn their porch lights on, one or two restaurants on Rua Barão de Capanema serve until 10pm at the latest, and the rest of Treze Tílias goes quiet under the hills. This suits couples, families with small children, and anyone doing a slow loop through the interior of Santa Catarina rather than travellers looking for bars or late dinners. If you want nightlife, stay in Videira or push on to Blumenau, both under two hours away; Treze Tílias trades noise for calm and a view of the stars the coast rarely offers.
The municipality outside the centre is dairy and tobacco country, small family farms on steep hills, with a handful of rural pousadas that lean into the Alpine theme harder than anything in town — cowbells, timber balconies, breakfast with homemade bread and jam. Renting a car for a day and driving the backroads around the village shows more of the settlement pattern than the centre alone does. It's not dramatic scenery — rolling hills, not the sierra proper — but it explains why Austrian settlers picked this particular pocket of the meio-oeste in 1933.
The tiny centre around Praça Ministro Andreas Thaler has 6–8 pousadas built in Alpine chalet style, R$220–R$400 year-round, R$450–R$700 during Tirolerfest. All within 5 minutes of anything worth seeing. Rura pousadas in the surrounding hills at R$280–R$450 offer more privacy and often include breakfast plus dinner. Rua Barão de Capanema and Rua Ministro Andreas Thaler have the pick of the centre pousadas, both an easy walk to the praça and the woodcarving school. Avoid anything advertised as close to the BR-282 turnoff — it saves nothing on the walk and puts you on the truck route through town, noisy from 6am. Book by August for October Tirolerfest — the village sells out entirely, with overflow going to Videira and Piratuba. For a first visit, book a centre pousada on or just off Rua Barão de Capanema.
Things to do in Treze Tílias
The 1 km walking loop around Praça Ministro Andreas Thaler covers essentially all of Treze Tílias' architecture — the Igreja Matriz São José, the Prefeitura in Alpine style, the woodcarving school, and Rua Barão de Capanema with its concentrated Alpine facades. Best on a Saturday morning when the artisan shops are open.
The woodcarving school on Rua Ministro Andreas Thaler still operates in the Tyrolean tradition. Visit Tuesday–Friday 8am–5pm to see students working, buy directly from the shop (crucifixes, saints, decorative pieces R$120–R$800). Free to enter, purchases support the school.
The 10-day Tyrolean festival, usually the first two weeks of October, at Praça Ministro Andreas Thaler and Parque Tirolês. Genuine Alpine folk dancing, Austrian brass bands (some flown in from Innsbruck), R$25 entry, R$18 for a stein. Book accommodation by August or stay 30 km away in Videira.
Rua Barão de Capanema in the centre. Genuine Austrian food — schweinsbraten with knödel R$85, apfelstrudel R$32. Family-run for three generations, book weekends. The best restaurant in the highlands region if you want the Alpine theme done properly.
The parish church anchors Praça Ministro Andreas Thaler, its Alpine-style tower visible from most of the village. Open daily 7am–7pm outside Mass times, free to enter. The wooden interior and carved altar pieces come from the same tradition as the Escola de Talha — five minutes well spent before or after the praça.
The same site of October's festival, on the edge of the village, is a public park year-round with a small lake, picnic tables and short walking trails through pine forest. Free entry, open daylight hours daily. Quiet enough that locals use it for weekend walks; skip it if you’re only in town for a few hours.
What to see
Hotels near Treze Tílias
No hotels are listed in Treze Tílias yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Getting around Treze Tílias
From Florianópolis it's a 4-hour drive west on BR-282 through Lages and Videira, no direct intercity bus (the route requires a change in Videira). Intercity buses run from Florianópolis's Terminal Rita Maria to Videira (about 5 hours, R$120–R$150), then a taxi or arranged transfer covers the last 30 minutes to Treze Tílias — there's no public transport for that final stretch. Flying into Florianópolis's Hercílio Luz airport and renting a car at the terminal is simpler for most visitors than the bus-plus-taxi combination. From Videira it's 30 minutes east on SC-355. From São Joaquim it's 3 hours west via BR-282 and BR-470. Inside the village walking is fine for everything; a car is useful for rural pousadas and the drive to nearby Piratuba's thermal baths.
Questions about Treze Tílias
For 24–36 hours yes, as part of a longer sierra loop — combine with Videira (30 minutes) and Piratuba's thermal baths (30 minutes), or as a break between the coast and the mountain region. Not as a destination on its own from Florianópolis — the drive is 4 hours each way. If you’re on the way to Foz do Iguaçu or into western Santa Catarina, it's the perfect overnight.
Usually the first two weeks of October, though dates shift slightly year to year — check with the Treze Tílias tourist office. It's the biggest event in the village's calendar and the whole town books out. Book accommodation by August; expect prices 40–60% higher than normal. Overflow accommodation is in Videira (25 minutes) and Piratuba (30 minutes).
Austrian dishes adapted with Brazilian ingredients — sauerbraten, spätzle, smoked pork, apple strudel and dense rye breads turn up on menus around Praça Ministro Andreas Thaler, with Kranzler on Rua Barão de Capanema the most consistent kitchen in the village. Expect to pay R$60–R$90 for a main course and R$25–R$35 for strudel. Outside the two or three sit-down restaurants, options thin out fast, so book ahead on weekends rather than assume there will be a table.
Yes, if you treat it as a half-day stop rather than a festival destination — the architecture, the woodcarving school and the Igreja Matriz São José are there year-round and the village is far quieter and cheaper (R$220–R$400 a night instead of R$450–R$700). What disappears outside October is the folk dancing, the brass bands and the crowds; what stays is the Alpine streetscape, which is honestly the main reason to come.
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