Canoas
Canoas is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, forming part of the Greater Porto Alegre area.
It is the largest municipality of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the third largest municipality of Rio Grande do Sul. Officially declared a city on June 27, 1939, after its separation from São Sebastião do Caí and Gravataí, Canoas derives its name from the historical crafting of canoes in the area. It is the second largest city in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, with the third-largest population and the third-highest GDP in the state. It is also ranked as the 79th most populous city in Brazil.
Getting to Canoas
Locals call it the TRENSURB. You can take the train from the airport to many stops in Canoas and to cities beyond (Porto Alegre, Esteio, Sapucaia do Sul, São Leopoldo and Novo Hamburgo). The fare is R$1.70 and there's a station near the Porto Alegre Rodoviaria (central bus station) and Porto Alegre Salgado Filho airport. It is more or less safe to walk during day time from Rodoviaria or the airport to the stations.
Worth seeing
Dr. Sezefredo Azambuja Vieira Museum. Getúlio Vargas Municipal Park (Parque Municipal Getúlio Vargas). La Salle Museum and Historical Archive (Museum e Arquivo Histórico La Salle). Natural Science Museum (Museu de Ciências Naturais). Paquetá Beach (Praia da Paquetá). Beach on the Gravataí River. Praça Santos Dumont (Praça do Avião).
Getting around Canoas the local way
- Get aroundremarks |- |infant || free || must pass under or over the turnstile |- |student || R$ 2.40 || must use a special TRI card |- |adult || R$ 4.80 || second trip is R$ 2.40 (with TRI) |- |resident senior (60 yr+) || free || must use a special TRI card |- |senior (65 yr+) || free || any document proving age is enough |} The Lotação is an alternative transportation system, with fewer lines, served by minibuses with up to 20 people in capacity.
- Get aroundAll minibuses are air conditioned and some of them have reclining seats.
- Get aroundThe minibuses are easily recognized by their "red, white and blue" color.
From Wikivoyage: Porto Alegre, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.