Blumenau
Blumenau is a city in Vale do Itajaí, Santa Catarina state, in the South Region of Brazil, 130 km (81 mi) from the state capital Florianópolis.
Getting to Blumenau
It is very easy to get to Blumenau by bus. There are several interstate companies with regular lines to Blumenau and region. A trip from São Paulo takes about 10 hours and costs about R$100 one-way. The bus station is open 24 hours a day and has showers free bathrooms and a diner (however those are very old right now and very dirty, and only snacks are available and the bus station whose is very dangerous indeed).
Worth seeing
Aldo Pereira de Andrade Bridge (Ponte Aldo Pereira de Andrade) (end of Av. Beira-Rio). Popularly known as "Ponte de Ferro" (Iron Bridge) it was firstly built for the railway that used to go through Blumenau. It was closed until the 1990s, when it was reformed and open for cars. Don't miss as from this bridge you have a spectacular view of the city.
Things to do
Wander in Rua XV de Novembro and see one of the most beautiful streets in Brazil. Completely reurbanized in 2000, it still has some original buildings from the 19th century and has most of the city's attractions. Throughout the year it's always very busy and crowded during the day, but it also gets empty during the Christmas - New Year's Eve period, as most of the city's inhabitants rush into the beaches nearby.
Where to eat
For a small city, Blumenau is quite diverse, there are Chinese, Japanese, Italian restaurants and, of course, German. There are also some fast food chains like Pizza Hut, McDonald's and Subway, all present in the city's shopping mall. Except for the German food, you may have some great opportunities to have sweets in Blumenau. There are cakes for all tastes and delicious Cafés Coloniais (Colonial Lunches).
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Liu Idárraga Orozco (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.