This guide is for you if you have a first morning or afternoon in Florianópolis and want to understand the place before you head for the beaches. It covers the choices that shape the four hours: which start time, which day of the week, what to do if it rains, and whether to stay on at the Lagoa afterwards.
Morning or afternoon start
The tour leaves your door at 07:00 or 13:00. The stops are the same either way, and the half day follows the same order: the bridge, the old centre, the market, then over the hill to the Lagoa da Conceição.
The morning start puts you in the market while the fish stalls are open, and leaves you at the Lagoa soon after 10:00. That is the natural point to stay for lunch by the water. The afternoon start does it the other way round: lunch first, wherever you are staying, then the town, and a coffee at the Lagoa in the late afternoon.
In summer, the morning has a second advantage. The roads to the beaches fill up from the morning onwards, and the evening return from Barra da Lagoa and Joaquina towards the Lagoa can back up badly. On the 13:00 start in January, expect the last leg to be slower.
Pick the day of the week with care
Two things in the old centre depend on the day.
- The Mercado Público on Sunday. Only the fish stalls (07:00 to 12:00) and the restaurants (11:00 to 17:00) open. The shops are shut. If the market is the part you care about most, go on a weekday or a Saturday.
- The Museu de Santa Catarina on Praça XV. It occupies the Palácio Cruz e Sousa, on the square, and holds pieces from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Entry has been free, but it is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Check the opening days before you go.
The Museu de Florianópolis, in the old Casa de Câmara e Cadeia on the same square, keeps different days: it has been closed on Tuesdays. With a private car you can tell your driver which one you want and spend part of the hour inside.
What you are looking at
The Hercílio Luz Bridge is the first stop and the photograph most people want. You stop for the view rather than drive across. Pedestrians and cyclists use the walkways on the deck, so if you want to walk over it yourself, it is easy to come back on another day.
On Praça XV, look for the large fig tree in the middle of the square. According to a study by the Federal University of Santa Catarina, it is a Ficus microcarpa, a species from tropical Asia and Australia, and nobody knows how it reached the island. It was planted in front of the old parish church, now the cathedral, around 1870, and moved to the square in 1891. Local custom says that if you walk once around it, you will come back to Florianópolis.
The Mercado Público stands a short walk away. Most of your hour there is for eating and looking: the shrimp pastries and the bolinhos de bacalhau are what the bars are known for. Food and drink are not included, so bring a card or some local cash.
If the weather turns
This is the tour to pick on a grey day. Florianópolis gets rain in every month. On long-term averages, the wettest month is January, at the height of summer, and the driest is July. The summer heat is around the high twenties; July days are closer to twenty, with cool mornings. Rain in January is common, and a beach plan goes with it.
The city tour holds up because most of it is under a roof or close to one: the market, the museums on the square and the cafés at the Lagoa. If the rain is heavy, the Lagoa viewpoint is the stop to cut, and you can spend the time in the centre instead. Tell your driver on the day.
On your own by bus, or with a driver
You can see most of this by public bus. The city network runs through integration terminals, including TICEN in the centre and TILAG at the Lagoa da Conceição, and you can change between lines without paying again within the integration time. In past summers the city has offered a bus card you can buy at a terminal with an ID document. Check the current rules when you arrive.
The bus is a good choice if you have a week and no fixed plans. In four hours it is harder: you change buses at the terminals, and summer traffic slows everything. With a driver, the order is yours and nothing waits on a timetable. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- Comfortable shoes for walking between the square and the market.
- A light rain jacket or umbrella, especially in summer, the wettest season.
- Sun cream and a hat for the viewpoint and the Lagoa.
- A card or local cash for the market, coffee at the Lagoa and lunch if you stay.
- Swimming things only if you plan to stay on at the Lagoa and carry on to a beach by taxi.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits a first day on the island, travellers who want some history between beach days, and families with children who would not enjoy a long drive. Four hours is the shortest of our Florianópolis days.
Think twice if you came only for the sand and the sea. The north of the island tour or the south of the island day tour spend more of their time on beaches. The south tour also passes the Lagoa, so do not book both unless you want to see it twice. Our guide to private tours in Florianópolis sets all five side by side.
Groups of more than 16 travel in two vehicles on one booking. Message us and we will price it.
Questions people ask
Can we stay at the Lagoa and make our own way back?
Yes. Many people stay for lunch by the water and take a taxi back. Tell your driver, and the tour ends there.
Do we cross the bridge?
The bridge is a photo stop. If walking across it matters to you, mention it on the day and ask your driver where to stop.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the half day
Choose the 07:00 start in high summer and a weekday if you want the whole market. Keep this tour in reserve for the day the forecast is poor. Pick-up times, stops and what is included are on the Florianópolis city, bridge and Lagoa private tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
