Porto Alegre Overview

Overview

Porto Alegre is the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.  The Gaucho meets the bright lights of the big city. The people here are fair skinned and somewhat removed from the African influence of the north. One might say that the people of this region feel closer to Argentina and Uruguay than Brazil -- except where anything football is concerned. Porto Alegre is the sixth largest city in Brazil and a good place to get your visa before you go to Uruguay. The city is located on the banks of the Guaiba river. The city is known for its intense and fun nightlife. This is the hometown of argueably the best footballer in the world, Ronaldinho. Rumor has it, Giselle Bunchen has a penthouse flat in this city as well. The actual city itself is not much compared to Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, but what other cities in Brazil really compare?

The Parque Farroupilha in the south east of the city and is a nice place to relax. On Sunday mornings there is a large market/fair in the park, called the Brique da Redencao. If you have some more time, you can take a cruise on the river. 

The nightlife here is similar to that of New York City, but on a micro-scale. In the "SoHo" area of Porto Alegre, there is a block full of great bars, restaurants and clubs. The women of this city are supposedly the most beautiful in all of Brazil -- which as anyone who has been to Brazil knows, this is a bold statement. Translation, the hottest women in Brazil, just might be the hottest women on the planet! No rush to get to the clubs, they are open relatively late to US standards, and often times, people are spilling out into the street, talking, laughing, and looking for some of the good kind of trouble to get into. It may be more difficult to make friends here than Rio during Carnival, but the people here will warm up to you and make your experience here a memorable one.

There are great places to surf, relax and party a few hours drive away from the city which make for awesome weekend getaways for those living in Porto Alegre.