The Southern Cone is famous for its more pronounced European ethnic and cultural background. Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile are all known for that.
South Brazil is no different.
Colonized in great part by European settlers in the 18-20th centuries, most of the population can trace their lineage back to Germans, Italians, Portuguese, Poles, Ukrainians etc.
Today, we’re talking about one of the capitals of German settlement in Brazil, seat of the 2nd largest Oktoberfest in the world, and what you can expect from your adventures there.
Willkommen!
Blumenau, Brazil 🇧🇷
Population:
361,000
Santa Catarina is similar to Switzerland and Germany in this regard: Fairly well-spread out population. A collection of mid-sized cities.
Weather:
Blumenau is located right inside the Itajaí Valley, in Santa Catarina. That’s atlantic rainforest in a subtropical climate. As such, it has humid weather, Cfa on the Köppen climate scale. January and February have the most rain, while winter is the driest season.
Winters is mildly cold, with some days or weeks being exceptionally cold for Brazilian standards (4-10 degrees celsius), but mostly staying on the 10-16 degrees celsius range. Summers are DAMN HOT, as the humidity in the valley turns the whole region into a furnace.
Luckily, beach is 1:30h by car away, so during the summer months blumenauenses go hit the beach by Balneário, Itajaí, Piçarras and Penha.
Why Visit Blumenau, Brazil?
I’d say there are two main reasons to visit Blumenau…
The European culture
Blumenau is famous for the German architecture, festivities, culture, cuisine and all. We’re nationally known for our Oktoberfest, the 2nd largest in the world, only surpassed by Munich.
As such, Blumenau can provide you a nice culture shock, as most LatAm travelers are used to Spanish and Portuguese colonial history, but not German colonial history. The mix of German/Italian traditions with Brazilian culture is one that is worth experiencing.
Oktoberfest in Blumenau
And also, there’s the People.
Blumenau is a town of predominantly German culture, and that is reflected in the local population.
People here are more punctual. People here don’t curse nearly as often as in Rio. People are more conservative and freedom-loving - the Itajaí valley (also known as European Valley) has the highest density of libertarians and conservatives per capita in the country.
They’re better for business too. They’re hard-working, entrepreneurial, of higher IQ and more trustworthy in business.
A friend of mine from sales said that from his experience, Santa Catarina companies in general were a delight to do business with, whereas in the northeast it was just hell.
It is no wonder that the Itajaí valley is strongly industrialized and home to subsidiaries of large international companies, like Andritz, Bosch, and Netzsch.
This translates in low unemployment rates and overall much less extreme poverty than what you’d see in other parts of Brazil. It’s still Brazil, but the number of bums you see in the street for example is much lower.
People here can actually find good paying jobs (for local standards) in engineering, IT if they get technical or university-level education, and many do.
As such, the people are not only civilized and pleasant to be around, but also make for a good workforce if you’re looking to hire.
How To Get to Blumenau, Brazil 🇧🇷
Unless you’re already in the Brazilian south, you’ll be flying in.
The closest airport is in Navegantes, which services Balneário Camboriú and Itajaí — the airport is about an hour away.
Florianópolis and Curitiba are two other options with airports from which there are buses to Blumenau.
Best Neighborhoods in Blumenau, Brazil
Center of Blumenau. That’s the Itajaí river.
The top three neighborhoods of Blumenau are:
Escola Agrícola
Logistically great, as it’s in the geographical center, so it’s easy to get to all neighborhoods or surrounding cities (beach or interior). Quite close to the center, and has all you need for daily life close by. Good for short and long term stays.
Vila Nova
Even closer to the center, about 10 min away. Bordering Vila Germânica and parque Ramiro, two of the main attractions. Higher priced, but high quality living with many apartment buildings. Best option for short stays, great for long term stays as well.
Itoupava Central
Far from everything else in the city, but has grown to become an independent neighborhood, almost a Blumenau 2.0. Has what you need for daily life inside, but is about 30 minutes from the center. Would not pick for short term stays or for those looking for action.
The whole city has German architecture-style inns, hotels, and pousadas — if you want that vibe. Overall, accommodation shouldn’t be a problem as Airbnbs are dirt cheap anyway.
Cost of Living in Blumenau, Brazil 🇧🇷
South Brazil is not the cheapest region in Brazil, but Blumenau is not a capital, a beach city or a major tourist destination, making things cheaper.
The exception is during large festivals like Oktoberfest.
Airbnb Apartment in Best Area: $300-1000 USD a month
Hotel in Best Area: $800-2,000 USD a month
Maid: $200-400
Grocery Store: $200-600
Eating Out / Delivery: $300-600
Gym: $20-35
BJJ / MMA: $10-25
Partying / Dating / Social: $200-500 USD
Cell Data: $10-20
It’s possible to live very comfortably in Blumenau as a tourist for less than $1500 USD per month.
Of course, the exact amount will depend on your lifestyle. Blumenau is quite cheap compared to the touristic cities like Balneário Camboriú, Floripa, Rio or São Paulo. Again, it depends on your needs and lifestyle, but unless you’re renting luxury accommodations, $1500 a month should be adequate.
Public transport in Blumenau is just buses, there is no metro or tram. The most convenient means of transportation here will be ridesharing services.
The two mayor ride-sharing services in the country are Uber and 99 Taxi.
Each ride will cost around 2-5 USD within the city limits. For going to other cities, just take a bus or rent a car.
Safety in Blumenau, Brazil 🇧🇷
Quite safe.
Santa Catarina is the 2nd state with the lowest homicides per capita in Brazil. Violent crime isn’t a big issue, but as always, I’d take basic safety precautions when walking out at night. There are some rougher favela neighborhoods, but staying in those three areas mentioned above you should be fine.
Also, here you won’t see bums and crack addicts everywhere like in many areas of São Paulo and Rio.
Blumenau is quite clean and nice
Dating in Blumenau, Brazil 🇧🇷
There are two main points that you need to be aware of when dating in Blumenau (and the Itajaí Valley, overall).
First, ethnicity: about 90% of the population is white. There are plenty of loiras and morenas, and almost all of them have either German or Italian descent.
If European-looking girls with Brazilian bodies is what you’re looking for, that’s what you’ll find. This might not be the place if you’re looking for the typical “Brazilian diversity” of all races. Better hit Rio for that.
Second, culture: In general, girls in Santa Catarina are more conservative than the national average. We’re still in Brazil, which is an insanely sexualized culture, but for Brazilian standards, it’s more conservative.
I mean this both in terms of culture and norms - such as family values, less promiscuous dating, good manners — but also politically (less than 23% of Catarinenses voted for Lula, for instance). This means less radical feminists and left-wingers like in Rio or São Paulo too.
As a side note, since Blumenau is a city with lots of industries and universities, as well as German culture and work ethic, girls are more career-oriented here. Stay-at-home moms are not the norm.
Overall: I find the girls of Blumenau to be both beautiful and solid wife material in terms of personal values. If you like girls with German/Italian genetics but with a more Brazilian body and culture, you’ll like it too.
Welcome to Blumenau
Nightlife in Blumenau, Brazil 🇧🇷
There are three main areas when going out for nightlife in Blumenau:
Rua Antônio da Veiga, in Victor Konder
Close to FURB (university) and SENAI/ETEVI (technical school), here you’ll find the flux of university-age people going out. It’s also close to the PROEB bus terminal for good logistics.
Dozens of bars and different restaurants, so you’ll have many options. Here are some of the top spots:
Escape 47: Baladinha (Disco) with music and shows of all genres - samba, pagode, funk, a bit of everything. Young audience.
Obs Bar: One of the most famous bars in Blumenau, everyone knows it.
Balbúrdia: Great variety of beers, varied live music. Great atmosphere too.
Rua Curt Hering, in the Center
Plenty of bars and restaurants, but for a more mature audience (30+). Good to go out with family as well. You can find from the typical burger to more refined dishes. Some recommendations:
Curt Hering Wine & Bar: For enjoying DJ and music, with wine or vodka combos. You can get a table on the street or inside.
The Basement English Pub: Good place for some light rock, live bands, and top tier food - both German and non-German cuisine. One of my best friends also says they have the best Moscow Mule he’s ever had. Alas, not a place to find girls.
And last but not least…
Vila Germânica, in Velha
Typical tourist rolê. Beautiful area with German architecture, where all the major events are held — including the Oktoberfest.
My local friends are not that much into it, since a chopp (draft beer) costs R$20 while in Antônio da Veiga you’d pay R$12. Still, a must-see and visit, at least one time.
Still, you can get from Antônio da Veiga do Vila Germânica in about 10 minutes by car, so both are doable in the same day or night. Visit Vila Germânica during the day, enjoy Ramiro and go to Antônio da Veiga at night.
Lastly, there are some other well-frequented night clubs that are not in any of these areas, like Rivage, Black and The Garden.
BJJ/MMA in Blumenau, Brazil
You’re in Brazil. Next.
Cool Things to Do
The festivals and events! You can find the calendar for the most important ones here. Oktoberfest is the main German one, Festitália the main Italian one. The city gets absolutely packed with Brazilians from all states during Oktober, so that’s a great time to be dating out as well.
In terms of smaller festivals, we can mention Sommerfest in the Summer, Osterfest in Easter (go see the one in Pomerode as well), Blumenkuchen (for German cakes), and the Brazilian Beer Festival.
While German cuisine isn’t exactly ranked as top-tier worldwide, it does excel at some things. Blumenau is great for beer, sausages, jellies, biscuits, cakes, breads. All of these are solid.
Go to a bakery and eat the typical “cucas”: Cuca de Farofa, Cuca de Queijo, Cuca de Banana are my favorites. Cuca (from the German, Kuchen) is a special kind of cake that is quite hard to find in other parts of Brazil.
You should also have some Apfelstrudel and a “Café Colonial” somewhere.
If you wanna hike, you can go up the Spitzkopf, Morro do Baú or Morro do Cachorro. There are beautiful atlantic-rainforest hikes in the whole region, such as Morro Azul in Pomerode or Trilha da Galheta in Penha.
Ramiro Ruediger is a centrally located park, with courts for all kinds of sports, running tracks, skateboarding, you name it. A place you can take your laptop and just work while outdoors if you want.
For bathing and more nature, you have three options: Waterfalls in Parque das Nascentes - Nova Rússia, river-bathing in Rio Encano or just hit the beaches in Itajaí, Penha, Gravatá.
If you’re into biking and cycling, there is a 300km circuit of the entire European Valley.
For a rural German-style experience, visit Vila Itoupava.
For a museum experience, hit Museu da Hering and the Monumento Voluntários da Pátria (loads of museums nearby).
For the typical German-tourism experience, hit up Vila Germânica and also the neighboring town of Pomerode. There, you can find the Nugali store, where you can get the best damn chocolate in Brazil in bulk.
Do you Need to Speak Portuguese in Blumenau?
It is essential to speak Portuguese in Blumenau. While the population is well-educated, “school English” kinda sucks and the city has essentially no gringos. Few people get to practice the language.
Ideally, you’ll arrive in Blumenau knowing at least basic Portuguese and hopefully fluent Spanish. It will make your experience here much more easy-going.
Speaking some German can help you here or there, but it’s mostly the older generations that speak it, while most young people don’t.
If you can find yourself a Brazilian girl or bro that speaks English/German/Spanish to explore the city with you, then you’re solid.
Still, try to get the fundamentals down before you arrive and the return on investment will be well worth it.
Use Italki to learn Portuguese before arriving in Blumenau.
P.S: This is how to actually learn Portuguese…
Higher likelihood of finding German speakers in more isolated areas, like Vila Itoupava
Recommended Length of Stay
Depending on your level of interest, it could range from a couple of days to a lifetime.
If you’re coming just for tourism, I’d recommend you come during one of the festivals and stay for up to a week. There’s not that many tourist attractions, so if you’re not basing up for a while, you should be done with it pretty quick.
Now, one could also consider Blumenau as a base for living and even doing business in Brazil:
Blumenau is safe, wealthy, educated, and not too expensive.
The population is high-IQ, punctual and hard-working.
There are German cultural influences, architecture, festivals and beauties (if you’re into Germanic/European culture).
The Itajaí valley has beautiful rainforest and is close to top tier beach spots like Balneário Camboriú.
It’s not hot all year long, the winters are drier and the 6-16 degrees Celsius cold is refreshing for many.
These factors all speak for it as a base. The downsides?
Heavy rainy seasons with frequent flooding
No beach (1:30h by car though)
Exceedingly hot during peak summer
Many blumenauenses get around the shortcomings of the city by owning beach houses in the coast. If you’re considering Blumenau as a base, I’d say the same: this is not a base to be in year-round.
Parque Ramiro Ruediger
Other Notes
Remember that you are in the beer capital of Brazil. When going out, don’t order some lame-ass Brahma or Skol, get yourself some Eisenbahn, Cerveja Blumenau, Bierland, Schornstein, Opa or other German-style beer.
When in the center, take a look at the shores of the Itajaí river. You’ll often see capybaras laying around.
The city’s name comes from Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau, who founded the city with 17 other Germans in 1850.
There are many German-style houses and constructions in the city and its neighbor, Pomerode. Pomerode is even known as the “Most German Town in Brazil”
For similar sized cities with a similarly strong economic profile and Italian/German background, check out Joinville and Jaraguá do Sul.
Large textile companies like Hering, Kyly, Dudalina etc are also based here, making clothing super cheap.
Good area to learn German in Brazil. Besides the German-speaking population, there’s a Goethe Institut where to get certified and even a German consulate.
Originally from Blumenau, Eisenbahn was bought by Ambev and is now sold all throughout Brazil
Blumenau, Brazil 🇧🇷 Overall
The city of Blumenau makes you feel like in Germany, but in the tropics. German festivals and culture in the middle of the rainforest. It boasts a decent nightlife, high standard of living and a sharp, hard-working population.
If you want to see an often forgotten side of European colonization in the Americas and enjoy an Oktoberfest, you should come to Blumenau.
If you want a mid-sized, chill, safe base from where to work or grow a business during the week, go on rainforest or beach adventures on the weekend and maybe find a beautiful European-looking girlfriend or wife, you should have Blumenau on your list.
Jaraguá do Sul and Joinville are worth a look as well.
Another picture in Vila Germânica
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