Porto Alegre[1] is the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil.

Moinhos de Vento Park - Porto Alegre

Understand

Get in

By plane

Porto Alegre's international airport is Salgado Filho (POA), located 4.3 miles (7km) from downtown. It's served by all major brazilian airlines (VARIG, TAM, GOL, BRA, Webjet) and some foreign ones (AEROLINEAS ARGENTINAS, OCEANAIR, PLUNA, UAIR). There is a train station (known as trensurb by locals) and bus stops near the airport. However, it is recommended to take a cab ("taxi" for locals) in order to leave the airport, because the nearby trensurb station is not exactly close to the airport facility and the available buses don't take you downtown and the cab rides are not very expensive.

The airport facility is somewhat modern (it has been built near 2001) and it has a shopping-like structure, with restaurants, shops and even movie theaters.

• Aeroporto de Porto Alegre (in portuguese).

By car

Porto Alegre is served by two major highways: BR-116, crossing it North-South and BR-290, crossing it East-West. The first can be used to visit destinations like Gramado and Canela (both North); the latter gives access to/from Rio Grande do Sul's litoral (East) and to/from Argentina (West).

Be advised that some of these roads are dangerous, for they have poor signaling/conditions and lots of trucks. Keep your travels by car on these roads to the duplicated ones and, if possible, during the day.

By bus

The long distance bus station ("rodoviária") is located downtown and is served by several national and international lines (UNESUL, TTL, EGA, PLUMA, FLECHABUS, CHILEBUS). It is also connected to a trensurb station and several municipal bus lines.

• Rodoviária de Porto Alegre (in portuguese). Information on lines and schedules.

Get around

The local bus system is widely spread, but hard to understand if you are not a local. The lines connect, in most of the cases, the neighborhoods to downtown. There are no maps available, neither signs and schedules at the bus stops. The best way to find out a certain line or route is to ask people at the stops or bus drivers. That's what local people do when they don't know which bus to take.

There are plenty of taxis. They can be pricey, if compared to other towns, but they are also an easier and safer option to buses.

Walking around is a reasonable idea only downtown, not to other parts of the city, which can be very far.

See

• Sunset: Porto Alegre has a beautiful sunset over its main river, Guaíba. Best enjoyable at western places like Gasômetro and Ipanema. Beware that this event longs about five minutes only.
• Santuário Mãe de Deus, Rua do Santuário 400, Bairro Cascata (accessible from Av. Oscar Pereira): A beautiful church almost unknown by most porto-alegrenses. It is placed in an great location, with nice views of Porto Alegre and nearby cities landscapes. Built in 1992, it has a modern architecture and engineering, designed to support the strong winds of the location. It is somewhat difficult to get to this place, for there are no buses near and a cab ride from downtown would be pricey. However, if you rent a car in Porto Alegre, it's worth trying.
• Usina do Gasômetro
• MARGS, Praça da Alfândega, Downtown, phone (51) 3227-2311,

(fax (51) 3221-2646, e-mail museu.margs@terra.com.br), [2] (in portuguese): The local Museum of Art. Open from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10am to 7pm. There's a permanent collection and an area that is often receiving new exhibitions. There's also a bistrot and a store that sells art books and souvenirs. The entrance is free.

• Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia da PUC, Av. Ipiranga 6681, Building #40, phone (51) 3320.3597 [3] (in portuguese): It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 9am to 5pm. The entrance is 10 reais (5 reais for children under 12 and seniors).
• Praça de Shiga:
• Moinhos de Vento Park - Known by locals as Parcão, this is a pleasant park with a neat lake and jogging runways

Do

• Parque da Redenção. Also known as Parque Farroupilha (the official name). Great gathering place at sunny weekends, when porto-alegrenses meet their friends to drink chimarrão and walk.
• Linha Turismo. Travessa do Carmo Street 84, phones (51) 3213-3464 and (51) 3212-1628: a tourist bus line that passes through 11 neighbourhoods and shows the main attractions of the city (parks, trees, statues, hospitals, churches etc), with audio guides in three languages. The trip is 28km long and lasts for about 1h20min, and the arrival is at the same departure address. From Tuesdays to Sundays (holidays included), at 9am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3pm and 4:30m (winter) or 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3pm, 4:30pm and 6pm (summer). The tickets cost 5 reais for the lower floor and 7 reais for the superior one (which has no ceiling).
• Planetário
• Cisne Branco Boat, Mauá Avenue, 1050, phone (51) 3224-5222, [4] (in portuguese).

Learn

Work

Buy

• Brique da Redenção: It is a large flea market near Parque da Redenção with lots of authentic gaúcho art, crafts, furniture and hand-made stuff. It happens every Sunday, from 9am to 6pm.
• Shopping Iguatemi: Localized in north zone of the city, Av João Wallig 1800, is the biggest Shopping Center of Porto Alegre. You can get more info in their website (in portuguese)
• Bourbon Shopping Country: One of the biggest Shopping Centers in town, localized in Av Tulio de Rose, 100. It have a large variety of stores and restaurants.

Eat

Budget

Mid-range

• Dado Tambor: Av. Túlio de Rose , 100

Splurge

Drink

Probably the most touristic aspect of Porto Alegre is the city night life. There are 3 neighboorhoods full of bars and places to dance.

Cidade Baixa

The corner between Gal Lima e Silva Street and República Street is the center of the neighboorhood's nightlife. In the weekends, it's streets gets crowded of people drinking and having a good time. Cavanhas, Pingüim, Copão, Cotiporã, Panorama (most cheap beer) are some of the bars where you can drink beer and grab some french fries. To dance MPB (brazilian popular music), historical street João Alfredo has many excellent options.

Calçada da Fama

Padre Chagas Street is full of more fashionable bars, like Lilliput and Dado Pub.

Goethe

Goethe Avenue has bars (Tri Bar, Arsenal, Dolphin's), great hotdog called 'Bagé Dog' and dance clubs, like Manara.

• Manara: The place possesss different environments and shelters a varied public. In the first floor, bar and track of dance, beyond stage for shows compose the climate. In the mezzanine, some tables and chairs make with that the public can attend shows in comfortable way. In 2º to walk, still possesss space for shows and track of dance, with bar. The sundays well are agitated. The band Maria Bonita puts the public to dance 'coladinho' to the very forró university sound of. Manara possesss conveniado parking to the side. Av. Goethe , 200

There are other bars in the city:

• Shamrock Irish Pub, Vieira de Castro Street, 32, [5] (in portuguese): Opens from Tuesdays to Sundays at 6pm (on Saturdays at 7pm).
• Bar do Beto, Venâncio Aires Avenue, 876 [6] (in portuguese): Opens every day from 5pm to 3am. The beer is always really cold, there is a good variety of dishes and snacks and the food is aways delicious. It's a good place to flirt too.
• John Bull Pub
• Dissonante: The bar appears with the objective to stimulate the alternative rock porto-alegrense, offering an excellent space for the exposition of independent bands of the most varied flowing - since the instrumental rock until punk rock, passing for almost everything that involves a distorted guitar. Check out their website
• Bar Opinião: Opened since 1983, the bar Opinião is reference in the night port-alegrense. With its extended physical space, the house can receive 2,300 people. Besides counting on more comfortable structure with five unevennesses public to attend it shows. Cybercafé also possesss one, open since 2001. In its menu, different drinks and tidbits. R. José do Patrocínio , 834

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Contact

Stay safe

Be aware when walking around the downtown, specifically in the dos Andradas street (commonly known as Rua da Praia), at midday a lot of pickpockets wander about.

Cope

Get out