I recently spent some time in Florianopolis, a popular island on the Southeast coast of Brazil home to some of the countries’ most beautiful beaches. I went for a little over a week with two of my Uruguayan friends and stayed in a pretty little hostel in Barra da Lagoa. From there, we made it a point to visit a different beach every day.
Brazil beaches are incredibly beautiful and each is a little different from the rest. I’ve put together a list of all the beaches we visited to give you an idea of what to expect if you’re ever in the area. Enjoy!
Praia Barra da Lagoa
I’ll start with the beach in which we were staying at. Praia Barra da Lagoa is well situated because it’s right in the middle of all the beaches, making them all very easy to get to. The beach itself was really crowded and sometimes dirty because the restaurants placed their tables all the way down to the shore. People who were dining had to put their feet up when the waves came in. We would usually walk 10 to 15 minutes away from the main area and it was far more enjoyable.
Praia da Galheta
This unique little beach was the next beach over to Barra da Lagoa. We hiked for about an hour to get there (you could also take the bus but you'd miss the amazing views), and found it to be fairly empty. This because it’s a… nude beach! It was a first for all three of us and we had a lot of fun. There were people of all genders, ages and sizes and everyone seemed comfortable doing their own thing. We had a family of four next to us for quite a while.
Praia Mole
This one is one of the more popular beaches in Florianopolis because it has some of the best waves for surfing. The ocean itself is pretty rough and dangerous for swimming but the beach is incredibly beautiful. There’s mountains to either side of it and it has white, fine sand.
Praia Joaquina
Another very popular beach in Florianopolis, Praia Joaquina is beautiful but incredibly crowded. We had to walk quite a while to get away from all the restaurant, people and vendors. It’s a nice beach but I would really only pay it a visit if you have a lot of days to fill.
Praia dos Ingleses
This is a beach on the northern part of Florianopolis, full of shopping strips and nice hotels. We were told it was one of the more expensive parts of the island. The beach is beautiful – super clear water and white, fine sand. It was (as predicted) way, way too crowded. We were an arm’s length away from other people and the vendors would approach you every 2 minutes. Praia dos Ingleses is one of those beaches that I’m sure is amazing for sunrises though.
Praia Santinho
One of my favorite beaches in Florianopolis. We made it for the sunset so we didn’t get to go swimming but it was essentially a perfect 10. There weren’t too many people and the sights were beautiful. The pictures I’ve put up on this post with the red shirt were taken in Praia Santinho.
Also worth mentioning:
Praia Do Rosa
This beach isn’t in Florianopolis, but it’s worth it if you’re up for the 2 hour ride. We happened to meet up with a friend who had a car so we took the day trip and it was amazing. It was by far my favorite beach of the trip. The water was clear, there were mountains on either side, there’s great waves for surfing AND there’s a ton of natural, organic, vegetarian/vegan places everywhere. 10/10 would visit again.
Canasvieiras
We didn’t make the trip out to Canasvierias because we were told the beach wasn’t worth it. It is, however, the nightlife capital of Florianopolis. If you’re looking for great bars and clubs – head there!
