Canela is a city in the Region of Serra Gaúcha, no Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Cascata do Caracol (Snail Falls)

Get in

There are two different routes to reach Canela from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul´s capital.

• The shortest one, not the best one: take the freeway and get the RS 115 going towards Gravataí. Short after going through the Police Station take the first right, the RS 020. This road will lead you to the city of Taquara. Then you can choose two different ways, through São Francisco de Paula or Gramado.
• The longest one, yet the most enjoyable: take the BR 116 until reaching the city of Novo Hamburgo. Then take the right and go towards Taquara. On Taquaras entrance there's a traffic light. Take the left there and Canela would be only 55 km ahead, shortly after the city of Gramado.

Get around

Buses connect Canela to Gramado every 20min. If you're so cheap as to not want to pay the taxi/uber ride to the Caracol State Park, know there is a bus connecting it to the Canela bus station 3 times a day.

See

The stone Cathedral in Canela

The Paranhana River

• Stone Cathedral (Catedral de Pedra), Praça Matriz, ☏ +55 54 3282-1132. Stone church constructed in the English Gothic style, with a 65-meter tower, consecrated to Our Lady of Lourdes. Considered since 2010 as one of the 7 architectural wonders of Brazil. 
• Castelinho Caracol. Wooden "castle" built in 1913 without a single nail. Today it holds a small museum which recounts local history and the arrival of the railroad to Canela. Try the apfelstrudel in the teahouse. 
• Mundo à Vapor. Thematic museum 
• Jolimont Vineyard, Estrada Morro Calçado. Founded by three Frenchmen in 1948. 
• Alpen Park, Rodovia Arnaldo Oppitz, 901, ☏ +55 54 3282-9752. Amusement park located a few minutes drive from downtown Canela. Offers rollercoaster, bobsled, 4D movie theater, ziplines and some other attractions. 

Do

• Caracol State Park (Parque Estadual do Caracol). Waterfall park: rockclimbing and trekking. As of March 2018, the stairs that lead to the bottom of Caracol waterfall were closed for renovation. Not to be confounded with the Cablecar attraction (40 BRL), which is a private property disconnected from the park, with no trekking opportunities. 22 BRL. 
• Parque da Ferradura. Park - rockclimbing, trekking, and sightseeing 
• Rio Paranhana (Paranhana River). River rafting 

Eat

• Flor do Vale Distillery (Alambique Flor do Vale), Estrada Morro Calçado, 2830, ☏ +55 54 3282-6954. Cachaça distillery and restaurant. 

Sleep

• Pousada Doce Canela, Rua Adolfo Seibt, 61 - São José, ☏ +55 54 3282-9229, reservas@pousadadocecanela.com.br. 
• Hospedaria Provençal, Theobaldo Fleck, 461, ☏ +55 54 3282-6929, hospedariaprovencal@terra.com.br. From R$ 150. 
• Vestena Hotel Canela, Rua José Pedro Piva, 220 Centro, ☏ +55 54 3282-5600, toll-free: +55 800 642 5600, fax: +55 54 3282-4455, reservas@hotelcontinentalcanela.com.br. 172 suites divided into 5 categories: Luxury, Special Luxury, Super Luxury, Executive and Master Suite. All have air conditioning and central heating, cable TV, minibar, free wireless internet, bathroom with hot shower, hair dryer and digital safe. 

Go next

• Gramado
• São Francisco de Paula for horseback riding throughout the Gaucho mountain range
• Itaimbezinho Canyon

Go next

Routes through Canela

Nova Petrópolis ← Gramado ←

W  SE

→ São Francisco de Paula