Last Updated on December 15, 2022 by Helen E. White
What are the Best Beaches in Florianopolis: In the south of Brazil is the Island of Santa Catarina, which forms the main part of the Florianopolis municipality, also known as Floripa. It is the place of the most impressive beaches that you have to know and visit at least once in your life.
Historically called Our Lady of Exile, Florianopolis today owes its name to former Brazilian President Floriano Peixoto, a promoter of tourism development in the area.
This place stands out because its inhabitants have the highest standard of living in the entire country, thanks to the tourism economy that has developed on the beautiful beaches of Florianopolis over the last decades.
What are the Best Beaches in Florianopolis to Visit
At least 22 of the best beaches in Florianópolis are going to stand out in the tourist guides of the best beaches in the world, although the Island of Santa Catarina has more than 100 resorts of different sizes and varied beauty. Here you will find the best you should know about the most interesting beaches that you can include on your next trip to Florianopolis, Brazil.
So without further ado, let’s start with the list of the best beaches in Florianopolis:
1. Cavasneiras Beach
Four kilometers of extension bordered by warm waters constitute Canasvieiras beach in the north of the island of Santa Catarina. It is one of the best beaches in Florianopolis to visit with children, as its low waves provide a safe space for a day of rest with the family.
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It is one of the quiet beaches in Florianopolis that has in its surroundings the French and Anhatomirin islands, which you can reach by paddling a kayak or on a windsurf board.
Near the beach, you will find accommodation options that include luxury hotels, inns and even a campsite. The offer is also wide in restaurants and bars, especially brasseries, where eating meat is a delight. This variety is because it is one of the beaches near the center of Florianopolis.
Canasvieiras also stands out for being one of the best beaches in Florianópolis with nights of unparalleled fun. You will reach Canasvieiras through the SC-401 highway, starting from Gov Avenue. Irineu Bornhausen, finding it 27 kilometers from the center of Florianopolis.
2. Praia do Forte
The Fortress of São José de Ponta Grossa gives its name to Do Forte beach, being one of the most attractive tourist places in Florianópolis to visit in the north of the island. It is one of the white beaches of Florianopolis and has just 90 meters of transparent waters with gentle waves, surrounded by coconut trees.
Do Forte also has some wonderful nature reserves with turtles and whales that you can see on your trip to Florianopolis. Of course, it is not one of the polluted beaches of Florianopolis. You will be able to learn a little about the colonial history of Brazil here since its fortress was active from 1740 to 1935 as one of the main defenses of the island.
Access to the beach is through a steep path. It is just 25 kilometers from the center of Florianopolis and its infrastructure of luxury hotels will give you the possibility of a prolonged visit.
3. Daniela Beach
One of the family beaches in Florianopolis that is good to visit is Playa Daniela, also known as Playa del Pontal. Its environment is open to the sea and is at the mouth of the Dos Ratones River. Its atmosphere is calm when the tide is low, you can walk from the beach to the Fortress of Ponta Grossa that is next to it.
Only a few inns are in its vicinity, so the place is quite peaceful and cozy. However, in the summer months, from December to March, Daniela fills up with tourists attracted by its natural charm. Its beautiful sunsets are well worth keeping as the best images of the beaches of Florianopolis.
This is one of the quiet beaches in Florianópolis, but to the north of the island of Santa Catarina, you will find two other very popular beaches: Do Forte and Jureré, among these three you can make your tours of Florianópolis.
4. Brave Beach
Playa Brava owes its name to the strong waves of the place, the identity mark of one of the best beaches in Florianopolis for surfing. It is one of the beaches near Florianopolis that you can visit in the north of the island, between the beaches of Ingleses and Ponta Das Canas. Brava is just 38 kilometers north of the center of Florianópolis
A beach with an open and rough sea stands out for the intense blue of its waters and the landscape of exuberant vegetation that surrounds it. It is surrounded by hotels and large tourist condominiums that offer you the ideal accommodation, with excellent services, security, parks, tennis courts, and swimming pools.
It is one of the beaches to visit in Florianópolis since near it there are comfortable restaurants where you can sit down to enjoy lunch with a view of the sea. Bathing in its waters is possible as long as you take precautions: it is deep and has big waves, appreciated by surfers in the area.
5. Jureré International Beach
The beautiful Jureré is recognized as one of the best beaches in Brazil, among other reasons for its unique contrast of white sand and blue-green Atlantic sea. It is surrounded by a planned tourist infrastructure: hotels, shops, restaurants, cafes, sports clubs and several parking lots to make your stay very pleasant and comfortable.
It is one of the beautiful beaches in Florianópolis that is perfect to live the experience of a night out on the coast. It was originally an agricultural and fishing community, converted over time into one of the beaches enabled in Florianopolis as a center for tourist development. Perfect if you want to have fun with jet skis, jet skis, banana boats, or just riding boats.
You will find it just 23 kilometers from the center of the island. It is also the starting point for excursions in Florianopolis. And one of its most sought-after accommodation centers by tourists who visit the island of Santa Catarina.
6. Praia Langoinha do Leste
Solitary and wild, Lagoinha Do Leste beach is perhaps the most beautiful in Florianópolis and one of the most spectacular beaches in Brazil.
It is little frequented due to its difficult access: to get there you will have to walk between one and two hours along steep paths, starting from the beaches of Pantano Do Sul or Do Matadeiro. However, it is also possible to access it by boat.
It is one of the beaches in the south of Florianópolis where you will see fine white sand, rugged hills and perfect waves for a day of surfing. If you are lucky, you will spot a whale or sea lion from the sea.
Being little frequented, the nature of Lagoinha Do Leste remains unspoiled and its landscape clean, perfect for an ecological excursion. Therefore you must know that you will not find any service or comfort.
If you start from the center of Florianópolis, you will reach one of the hidden beaches in Forianópolis, 30 kilometers north of the island of Santa Catarina.
7. Praia Ponta das Canas
At the northernmost point of the island of Santa Catarina, Playa de Pontas Das Canas is located were sugar cane plantations used to exist. It is a favorite place to travel with the family since it is one of the beaches with calm waters in Florianopolis, excellent for children.
You will find it 40 kilometers from the city center, on the same road that connects the beaches of Brava, Lagoinha and Cachoeira Do Bom Jesus.
It has several restaurants, bars, hotels and inns. Their prices are affordable for you to stay the days you want to spend in Pontas Das Canas.
This is one of the quietest beaches in Florianopolis where you will find lovers of fishing and water sports. It has rental services for the necessary equipment for recreational activities in the water and umbrellas and loungers to rest on the seashore.
8. Campeche Beach
Playa Campeche is very visited by Brazilian surfers for being one of the best beaches in Florianópolis to practice this sport. It is one of the beaches with waves in Florianopolis, a lot of maritime movement in a territory of more than 3.5 kilometers in the length of golden sands.
Located between the beaches of Joaquina and Morro Das Pedras, you can get here by the SC-405 highway, 23 kilometers away from the city center.
In front of one of the surfing beaches in Florianópolis, you have the small island of Campeche that you can visit by taking a boat trip from the port of the resort. It is an interesting walk in Florianópolis if you want to know the native flora of the island of Santa Catarina.
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A number of posadas are available throughout Campeche, offering a variety of accommodations and prices. Also for eating there are various options in the restaurants and bars that are located at the entrance to the beach.
9. Praia Pantano do Sul
In the jungle south of the island of Santa Catarina, Pantano Do Sul beach stands out as one of the wildest beaches in Brazil for being the least inhabited. In its almost 50 square kilometers of virgin nature there are barely 5,000 inhabitants, who live in an environment of mountainous hills and ancient lagoons.
Clean and serene, it is ideal for adventure tourism. The same SC-405 highway that passes through Campeche and Armacao beach is the one that will take you to Pantano Do Sul, about 25 kilometers from the city center. On the east side of the mountain range, there are several bathing beaches in Florianopolis, but it is not easy to get there by car.
Continuing the route on foot along one of the wide beaches in Florianópolis will give you the experience of a tour through beautiful nature trails. Its panoramic views will allow you to take the most beautiful photos of the beaches of Florianópolis, where you will see fishermen at work on some stretches of the beach.
10. Praia Barra da Lagoa
Barra de Lagoa is a picturesque point of Florianópolis to learn about the way of life of the island’s inhabitants, dedicated to fishing and trade. Its typical farmhouses and shops catch the interest of tourists for their picturesque pictures. It is also one of the warm water beaches in Florianópolis where you can visit its calm beach with clear sands, ideal for your diving practices.
Although the fishing atmosphere of the town is quite calm, some restaurants and bars put a festive note on Florianopolis at night. Various accommodation options are also at your disposal in Barra de Lagoa.
It’s not necessarily one of the cheap beaches in Florianopolis, but you’ll find amazing deals when it comes to fish. You will find it on the eastern side of the island of Santa Catarina, walking south of the Mozambique beach and 20 kilometers from the center of the city of Florianopolis.
10 Not Enough?
Well keep reading to discover more incredible beaches in Florianopolis.
11. Praia Lagoinha
Some travelers rate Lagoinha Beach as the best beach in Florianopolis in Brazil. Its clear and warm waters are sometimes calm and sometimes somewhat impetuous. This is one of the white beaches of Florianópolis where you can enjoy beautiful sunsets and an atmosphere enlivened by the good music that they play in the place.
You can get there by car because there is a parking lot nearby for your vehicle. Although it is not particularly big, it has restaurants but also street vendors that you can buy from by paying with credit cards.
It is one of the beaches for young people in Florianopolis due to the pleasant atmosphere of its coast. If you want to spend the night, you will also get hotels and inns to do so. In the north of the island, you can get it on the same route where you will find Ponta Das Canas beach, just one kilometer away.
12. Praia Matadeiro
Matadeiro Beach is located in the south of the island of Santa Catarina and is one of the hidden beaches in Florianopolis that constitutes a nature reserve that few frequent because it is not possible to get there by car. So here you will only meet some local fishermen, a few bathers and a few surfers.
It is a beach with big waves and is surrounded by rugged hills. It is one of the beaches in Florianópolis, Brazil that is ideal for those looking for a space of tranquility, even to have a good time with the family.
There are some hostels nearby that have bars and restaurants where you can eat and have a refreshing drink. But to spend the day, it is best to bring everything you need to a cellar or fridge.
On the beach, you will get fine sand and an impetuous sea with which you must take precautions when bathing. To find Matadeiro you must go to the small town of Armazao -30 kilometers from the center of Florianópolis- and locate the jungle path that starts behind the church.
13. San Antonio Beach in Lisbon
It is one of the beaches to visit in Florianópolis if you want to know the Azorean origins of the island of Santa Catarina. Its beach is a set of coves bordered by small hills, whose focus of attention is not its calm waters but the gastronomic micro-environment that the place offers. The varied dishes are based on seafood and the style of Portuguese cuisine.
On the other hand, it is not one of the beaches in Florianopolis for bathing. What you can do is take tours sailing in boats or boats to enjoy beautiful views. However, it is not one of the polluted beaches of Florianopolis.
In the streets of the town, you will find colonial houses that belonged to those first settlers who arrived from the Azores Islands from the heart of the Atlantic Sea. The beautiful church of Our Lady of Necessities, built-in 1751, will inevitably capture your attention. The best days to visit San Antonio are undoubtedly the carnivals: parades and traditional troupes will give you a unique and colorful party.
14. Praia Santinho
Due to its strong waves, Playa Santinho is the favorite destination for lovers of surfing and bodyboarding. Its extension of almost 2.5 kilometers in length is open to its rough sea. It is also an ideal place for you to try mullet fishing, one of the tasty fish that can be found in its waters.
This is one of the beaches around Florianópolis where you can visit the Open Archeology Museum. There you will be able to appreciate petroglyphs or rock engravings that date back to 3,000 years BC, left here by the Carijó Indians.
Another peculiar attraction is the traditional Farra Do Boi, a kind of game similar to Spanish bullfighting that is practiced in the place during Holy Week. This makes it one of the beaches in Florianopolis to go with children.
Located north of the island of Santa Catarina, you find Santinho 40 kilometers from the center of the city of Florianópolis, near Dos Ingleses and Mozambique beaches.
15. Two English Beach
The popular Dos Ingleses beach is a place in the northeast sector of the Island of Santa Catarina that preserves attractive elements of the colonial past and its Azorean origin. Located between the Brava and Santinho beaches, it is a bay in the shape of a perfect crescent that extends for five kilometers of white sand and deep blue.
An important tourist infrastructure was developed around the place, so you will get ample accommodation options in hotels, inns, rental houses or even campsites.
Bars, restaurants and service stations will also be available to make your trip to Florianopolis a pleasant one. Strolling the coast and sailing in boats on one of the English beaches of Florianopolis is another good plan that you can do here.
It is one of the warmest beaches in Florianópolis, and if there are few waves in the sea, you will have fun on its dunes practicing sandboarding. You can get to Dos Ingleses from the center of the city of Florianópolis if you take the SC-401 highway and then join the SC-403, a 36-kilometer route.
16. Praia Armacao
On the southeast coast of Santa Catarina, Armação beach stands out as one of the most beautiful beaches in Florianópolis, Brazil and an ideal destination for ecological and cultural tourism. It is the center of an old whaling village dating back to the 18th century. Here you will have the opportunity to spot whales.
The beach stands out for its incredible beauty and for having stretches of calm waters and others with strong waves. For this reason, Armacao is frequented during Florianópolis vacations equally by family-oriented tourists or practicing surfers.
Observing how artisanal fishing is carried out is also a recreational and educational activity. Also visit the chapel of the Church of Santa Ana, the oldest on the island and one of the tourist places in Florianópolis that you should know.
It is not one of the beaches near the Florianopolis airport since from the city center, you will get to Armação 25 kilometers away. The other closest beaches are Matadeiro and Morro Das Pedras.
17. Joaquina Beach
On the Florianópolis beach map, Joaquina is the one that offers the most youthful atmosphere of all: it is the most important surfing practice center in the area and all the Brazilian beaches. It is even part of the international surfing competition circuit. Of course, it is not one of the beaches suitable for bathing in Florianopolis tourists.
If you like sandboarding, you can also venture on boards in the Joaquina dunes. On the other hand, the existence of bars and beach bars in front of the sea deprives Joaquina of space for fun while practicing sports, according to the assessment of some tourists.
However, if you are not going to get on the board, you will find umbrellas and loungers to complete a visit to one of the beaches for young people in Florianopolis to sunbathe and maybe take a dip in its warm waters.
18. Shipwrecked Beach
Playa Naufragados, to the south of the island of Santa Catarina, owes its name to a famous shipwreck of two ships that occurred in the year 1753. Of the 250 crew members of the boats, only 77 people survived and built a town on the spot.
Today you will find that the beach is part of the Parque Estadual Do Tabuleiro, as it is a natural preservation area in Brazil. The rocky beach has a 19th-century lighthouse that is the focus of attention of the travelers who visit it.
In addition, it is one of the wide beaches in Florianopolis where you can practice trekking or camp in the middle of its paradisiacal nature. There are no hotels or inns nearby, so the option is adventure tourism.
Access to the beach is not easy, which excludes it from the list of polluted beaches in Florianopolis. To get there on foot, you must follow a rough path that starts from Caeira Da Barra Do Sul. You can also get to the beach from the sea by boat.
19. Playa Mole
Surrounded by the vegetation typical of the eastern part of Isla Catarina is Playa Mole, another of the popular surfing centers of Florianópolis. Diving, bodyboarding and paragliding are other favorite activities of its visitors.
On the other hand, Mole is a great and lively nightclub on the island: its atmosphere set to music by the DJs from the bars is a delight for the young people who frequent the festive nights on the beach. Due to its atmosphere, it can also be considered one of the gay beaches in Florianopolis.
It is one of the beaches suitable for bathing in Florianópolis and has fine sand and very clean waters, despite the fierceness of its waves. You will find free showers, parking and hotels in its closest surroundings.
It is one of the closest beaches to the center of the city of Florianópolis since you will get it just 15 kilometers away, between the beaches of Joaquina and Galheta.
20. Praia Cachoeira do Bom Jesus
One of the best beaches in Florianópolis for children is Cachoeira de Bom Jesus, for its calm and shallow blue waters in its bay. Ideal both for the quiet bath of the little ones and for the practice of different water sports.
Three kilometers long by 60 meters wide of fine white sand are part of one of the most peaceful beaches in Florianopolis. It is not one of the beaches near Florianopolis, since you will find it between the Ponta Das Canas and Canasvieiras beaches, 30 kilometers from the center of Florianópolis.
Walking will be one of the simple actions that will give you a lot of pleasure to do on this beach. The lodging options are very varied, between hotels and inns. You will also have numerous restaurants and various shops where you can buy various items necessary for your comfortable stay in Cachoeira de Bom Jesus.
There is a diving academy with introductory classes and tour services to some tourist places in Florianopolis. A beach where you must stop during your trip to the island.
21. Praia Mozambique
The largest and longest beach in Florianopolis is Moçambique or Mozambique in its Spanish name. It is 12.5 kilometers of soft white sand surrounded by large pine forests and dune areas, which is part of the Red River Forest Park and therefore is an important natural reserve in Brazil.
Open sea, its waters are restless and cold, thanks to the sea currents that come from the Malvinas Islands to the south of Santa Catarina. During almost the whole year it is a little-frequented place, almost desert.
It is one of the beaches with waves in Florianopolis, which makes it one of the beaches for surfing in Florianópolis in the high season. You will be pleased to note that there are no nearby buildings that detract from the beach’s original and wild atmosphere.
Visiting it guarantees an experience in communion with nature. Ideal to take the most beautiful photos of Florianópolis beaches that you will keep among your most precious memories. Moçambique is located 29 kilometers from the center of the city of Florianópolis, close to Barra Da Lagoa beach.
22. Praia da Galheta
Galheta beach is certified by municipal law as a practice spa for naturism. It is a landscape of white sand bordered by hills full of green and rocks along almost three kilometers of beach.
It is one of the beautiful beaches in Florianópolis and a natural reserve of important archaeological value. You will not be able to access it except by walking along a somewhat difficult path that starts from Mole beach.
It is also one of the gay beaches in Florianopolis, frequented by people from the LGTBI community and followers of the naturist movement, but it is not usually very crowded. You will find Galheta 20 kilometers from the center of the city of Florianopolis.
Luckily Galheta has lifeguards since its waters are quite restless. The beach has the rental of umbrellas, sun loungers, and a nearby parking lot where you can park. You can also see crabs in the sand, their natural habitat.
Florianópolis: More than You Expect
Do not forget to take your camera to take the most beautiful photos of beaches in Florianopolis, you will be forever grateful for this recommendation. In its beautiful landscapes, unique sunsets and particular nature you will find hidden beaches in Florianopolis, as well as beaches very popular with young people and families.
In addition, within its attractions, there are also archaeological discoveries, colonial history and even signs of the ancient Portuguese settlers who arrived from the Azores Islands centuries ago. These, and more, are an unmissable set of reasons why you should visit Santa Catarina Island on your next trip to Brazil.
Finally, the beaches with waves in Florianopolis abound, so don’t forget to bring your surfboard. But if you go with your family you will find beaches in Florianopolis to go with children, so Santa Catarina offers you all the options so you do not miss anything on your next vacation.