This one’s for all the witches! Muah ha ha. Florianópolis, Brazil – aka Floripa aka Magic Island – is a much larger city than I imagined. I was lucky enough to spend a month in there in February 2024. This magical island is the capital city of the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. It’s located both on Santa Catarina Island and part of the mainland – like I said, it’s a big city.
Over the years, it’s become a bit of a tech and digital nomad hub. There are a few co-live, co-working places including the popular Selina chain. I stayed in Bewiki in central Florianópolis with a group called Remote Year. There are 40+ beaches, lagoons, and great hikes in Floripa.
One of the downsides of digital nomadding is that sometimes work takes over your life. That happened to me and crashed 2-3 weeks of my schedule. I missed a lot of excursions, lunches, and dinners because work got so busy. When I did make it to dinner, I ended up pacing around the restaurant on calls. But that’s part of the deal you make when you live and work on the road.
That said, here’s how I would spend 5 days in Floripa.
Day 1: See the Town and Get Witchy
- Walk around the central area and hit up Mercado Público, Praça XV de Novembro, and Catedral Metropolitana. This is the core central area. Explore local produce, crafts, see the famous fig tree, and check out the beautiful cathedral located nearby.
- Then you’ll want to take an Uber there and walk along the beach at sunset.There’s a beachfront park called Mirante de Praia das Palmeiras, where there are tales of witchy origin. Legend has it that the massive rocks off the coast are witches turned to stone. As the story goes, a group of witches wouldn’t kiss the Devil’s tale, so he turned them into rocks. Then he bragged about it on his podcast! (Ok, so that part might not be true.)
- There are a few oceanfront restaurants to choose from. We ate a Rancho Açoriano, which had a great view of the witches.
Day 2: Bougie Beach Day aka the North Side
- Jurerê Internacional is a luxury beach area in the Jurerê neighborhood. When I say luxury, I mean that most beach access is through a resort on the beach, which usually has restaurants that do beach service. P12 Jurerê is a popular one. I went to Folha Beach Club and would recommend it.
- I would sleep in a bit and spend the entire day here. Grab brunch at the beach club and then lay out on the beach all day, ordering more food and drinks from the club staff. This is an affluent part of town, so people are well dressed. It’s not so much a backpacker vibe.
- If you’re still hungry, I would grab dinner at Restaurant May – a cute Thai restaurant on the water. It’s on the way back to the El Centro and east side of the island.
Day 3: Take a Boat Tour
- There are several boat tours in Floripa and with 40+ beaches, it’s hard to choose just one. One of the most popular destinations is Ilha do Campeche. I never made it there, but if you go, you need a reservation because it’s got limited entry. There’s also Lagoa da Conceição – a lagoon with many restaurants in the area. We did a private boat tour that took us past a lot of the popular islands. Then we dropped an anchor and swam in a cove. They also took us to Lagoa Sandboard, which was pretty fun. The boat drops an anchor and you walk through the water and across the street to do some sand boarding.
- If you end your day sand boarding, you can grab food nearby. We ate at Barracuda Restaurante, which was OK, but close by and the boat can dock there. Nearby is also Green Lagoon, which has such a cute vibe. I spent all of my dinner on a work call, so I don’t remember the food that much. You’ll definitely need to clean up and take an Uber there. It’s not a beachy place.
Day 4: Another Day, Another Beach
- Praia Mole is one of the most popular beaches in Floripa because it’s laid back and has lots around there. It’s also a good surfing beach. Digital nomads can also spend some time living at the Selina right across the street. I spent my days working and eating at Selina, and then walked across the street to relax at the beach after work. That’s a pretty good day.
- If you want to grab food and drinks and listen to some Brazilian music, check out Bugio Trinadade Bar. It’s a great little spot to end the night.
Day 5: A Hike and a View
- Missing Lagoinha do Leste is one of my biggest regrets. But I was sick and this is not an easy hike, so I’ve heard. But once you make it to the top, there are stunning views. And when you come down, there’s a nice secluded beach to relax on.
- Since you’re on the South Side, you should have dinner in Ribeirão da Ilha – a charming village that looks like you’ve been teleported to the Azores in Portugal. Fun fact: The Portuguese settlers in Floripa were from the Azores.We had dinner on the beach at Ostradamus Restaurante, but there are so many others to choose from. I bought some cute souvenirs while I was there too.
- If you’re looking for something closer to El Centro, you cannot miss Rosarito Taqueria. I went there 3 times because it was so good. There’s a mall within walking distance that has some nice shopping and a Farm Rio – IYKYK. The prices are much cheaper in Brazil, so stock up on those gorgeous, colorful dresses.
