Florianópolis

Currency

Cards everywhere, including at beach kiosks. Change what cash you want in the city rather than at the airport, and remember that the island runs on Brazilian summer prices between December and March — the same pousada can double.

ATMs & cards

Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, Itaú and Santander in the shopping centres and in Lagoa da Conceição. Avoid standalone machines late at night, decline conversion, and note that the beaches in the south of the island have very few ATMs at all.

The south of the island has very few machines. Draw before you drive down there.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

One of the safest state capitals in Brazil and noticeably calmer than the northeast: families walk the beaches at night in summer. The usual Brazilian habits still apply in the centre and around the bus terminal, but the island itself is relaxed. The Atlantic is the real hazard — Joaquina and Mole have serious rips, and the lifeguard flags mean what they say.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Yellow fever — recommended for most of Brazil including the area around Rio
• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date

Getting treated

Public emergency care (SUS) is free to everyone including foreigners, but is crowded and slow. Private hospitals in Rio and São Paulo are excellent and expect insurance or payment up front.

Dengue, zika and chikungunya are all present and mosquito-borne — repellent matters. Yellow fever vaccination should be given at least 10 days before arrival.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Azorean island cooking, which means oysters — Santo Antônio de Lisboa farms them and serves them by the dozen — plus sequência de camarão, a shrimp parade that arrives in six courses and defeats most people. Eat sunset oysters on the west coast and seafood on the east.

Getting around

• Hire car — the island is 54km long and the good beaches are spread down its length; this is the one place in Brazil where a car earns its keep
• Uber and 99 — plentiful, though a cross-island ride in January traffic is slow and not cheap
• Bus — the municipal network runs from the central terminal to every beach, cheaply and slowly
• Walking — fine inside Lagoa, Santo Antônio de Lisboa and the centre, useless between them
• Airport: Hercílio Luz is a modern terminal 20 minutes from the centre, with flights from across Brazil and from Buenos Aires and Santiago

Internet speed

Broadband here runs at 1.9× the global median of 128 Mbps. Mobile runs at 2.4× the global median of 110 Mbps.

Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured May 2026

Must-see

Things to do

• Swim and eat at Lagoa da Conceição, then stay for the night out
• Surf or watch the surf at Joaquina
• Walk the trail to Lagoinha do Leste, the beach you cannot drive to
• Eat oysters at sunset in Santo Antônio de Lisboa
• Take the boat up the Costa da Lagoa for lunch
• Sandboard the dunes at Joaquina

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Portuguese (Brazilian)

• HelloOi / Oláoy / o-LA
• PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
• Thank youObrigado / Obrigadao-bree-GA-doo / -da
• Yes / NoSim / Nãoseeng / nowng
• Excuse meCom licençakong lee-SEN-sa
• How much is it?Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-ta
• The bill, pleaseA conta, por favora KON-ta
• Cheers!Saúde!sa-OO-djee

Softer and more open than European Portuguese, and the de sounds like "dje".

Religion

Catholic and Evangelical

The largest Catholic population in the world, with a fast-growing Evangelical share and Afro-Brazilian traditions such as Candomblé and Umbanda practised alongside.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet with a kiss on each cheek between women, or a woman and a man; a handshake between men
• Expect physical closeness in conversation — standing back reads as cold
• Arrive late to social invitations; on time is genuinely early
• Learn a few words of Portuguese, and never open in Spanish

Don't

• Do not make the OK sign with finger and thumb — it is obscene here
• Do not walk with a phone visible in the street
• Do not wear obvious jewellery or watches on the beach or in the city
• Do not call Brazilians Hispanic or assume they speak Spanish