The 8 Best Things To Do in Curitiba (by a local!)

Deciding what to do in Curitiba? I have great news: the coldest capital in Brazil is also one of the coolest! Curitiba offers incredible gastronomy, wildlife, architecture, bars, and authentic restaurants.

Since my parents moved to Curitiba 7 years ago, I visit the city yearly and always find something new and fun. I’m excited to share with you my selection of the best things to do in Curitiba!

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1. Eat well and listen to live music at Opera de Arame

Ópera de Arame is one of Curitiba’s most iconic landmarks since 1992! Its glass and steel structure harmoniously blends with the small patch of Mata Atlântica it sits within, making it a must-see on its own. But there’s even more to enjoy!

On the lower level, you’ll find the Opera Arte restaurant, offering a variety of Brazilian and Italian dishes. The setting is enhanced by live music—often jazz or bossa nova—performed from a small platform in the middle of the pond, creating a fantastic atmosphere.

Whether you’re stopping by for a meal or just a drink, the restaurant and the building’s interior are absolutely worth a visit. To fully appreciate this architectural gem, consider attending a concert inside. You can check the event schedule to see if any upcoming performances suit your taste.

2. Picnic and get inspired at Museu Oscar Niemeyer

General visiting information
⏰ Opening hours: Tuesdays to Sundays 10 AM – 6 PM. Closed on Mondays.
🎟️ Admission: R$30 for general admission, R$15 for students with international student IDs
🗺️ Other things to do nearby: Visit Parque Tanguá for a walk in the woods and enjoy an incredible sunset view!
📍 Address: R. Mal. Hermes, 999
🧑‍🦽‍➡️ This venue is wheelchair accessible! For details on accessibility, check their official website.

The Museu Oscar Niemeyer (MON), named after and designed by Brazil’s most famous architect, is also known as the “Eye Museum” due to its unique architecture. Not only is exploring the museum building itself a fun experience, but the exhibits are also very interesting! They cover a wide variety of topics, such as Brazilian architecture, Ancient Asian art, tribal art, fun contemporary art, photography… just about anything that pleases the eye! The museum is very foreigner-friendly, providing English versions of the guide texts through QR codes at each exhibit.

MON also offers a range of fun activities outside the display art! Within their facilities, they host one of Curitiba’s best cafés, Prestinaria, and a gift shop that sells both souvenirs and an amazing selection of photography and art books.

Fun fact: Sometimes, MON hosts free workshops, I recently attended one on making recyclable paper and loved it! Check out their official website to see if anything special will be going on during your visit to Curitiba!

Outdoors, locals gather to picnic on MON’s lawns and enjoy the view of the building! Just across the street, you can visit Curitiba Sunset, one of the most fun eateries in Curitiba! There, you can taste food from many vendors while enjoying an amazing view of the eye-shaped building!

3. Learn about the natives and local culture at Museu Paranaense

General visiting information
⏰ Opening hours: Tuesdays to Sundays 10 AM – 5:30 PM. Closed on Mondays.
🎟️ Admission: Free!
🗺️ Other things to do nearby: Just a 2-minute walk from Museu Paranaense, you can also visit the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque. Feirinha do Osório is a 15-minute walk from the museum and is worth visiting for local street food and handmade souvenirs.
📍 Address: R. Kellers, 289 – São Francisco
🧑‍🦽‍➡️ This venue is wheelchair accessible! For details on accessibility, check their official website.

A relatively hidden gem in Curitiba is the Museu Paranaense (also known as MUPA), a museum with exhibits just about anything related to local culture. The museum is foreigner-friendly, offering English translations of all guide texts.

MUPA’s facilities are immaculately clean and organized, which comes as a surprise given that this is a free attraction! The exhibits are located across two buildings, one historic house, and a newly-built modern structure.

At Museu Parananense, I learned a lot about a range of topics, including the indigenous peoples of Brazil, Portuguese colonization, local art and music, and current immigration trends! A big section of the museum’s Indigenous Brazilian section is the work of Vladimir Kozák, a Czech and Brazilian-naturalized anthropologist, who collected hundreds of stunning items, photos, sketches, videos, and stories from the natives of the region.

Pro tip: To learn more about the natives of the region and come to this museum inspired, I recommend reading Tristes Tropiques by Claude Lévi-Strauss. This is one of the books I included in my list of the top 3 books to read before visiting Brazil, and seeing several quotes from it throughout the museum made me glad I had already read it!

Another interesting section of MUPA is on local immigration! It features video interviews with immigrants and their descendants who came to Paraná from all over the world. One interview, in particular, moved me: three recent immigrants—a Haitian, a Venezuelan, and an indigenous man—opened up about the hardships that led them to leave their hometowns start a new life in Paraná.

Museu Paranaense is by far the most interesting museum I’ve visited in Curitiba, and I highly recommend including it on your Curitiba itinerary!

4. Exercising and watching wildlife at Parque Barigui

General visiting information
⏰ Opening hours: Always open
🎟️ Admission: Free
🗺️ Other things to do nearby: Visit the Park Shopping Barigui Mall.
📍 Address: Av. Cândido Hartmann
🧑‍🦽‍➡️ This park is wheelchair accessible!

The locals of Curitiba love Parque Barigui, and you can see that for yourself by walking through the crowded park on a weekend! This giant park in the middle of the city has a lot to offer: free gym equipment, bike and running trails, picnic areas, wildlife (including capybaras), and even an amusement park!

When it comes to food, there are many street food vendors. The park also features a few nice sit-down restaurants, like Restaurante Maggiore!

If you love dog-watching, this is the place to go! Parque Barigui is the ultimate dog-walking spot downtown, and where my parents take my dog for walks on the weekend!

5. Take a postcard-worthy photo and grab coffee at the Botanical Garden of Curitiba

General visiting information
⏰ Opening hours: Park is open daily, including holidays, from 6 AM – 7:30 PM. Each attraction within the park has its own hours, and their schedule is available here
🎟️ Admission: Free
🗺️ Other things to do nearby: Grab a drink and a snack at the Café-Escola Senac located right behind the greenhouse!
📍 Address: R. Engo. Ostoja Roguski, 350
🧑‍🦽‍➡️ This park is wheelchair accessible!

Visiting the Botanical Garden is typically the #1 answer to what to do in Curitiba. The park is stunning and features a gorgeous neoclassical greenhouse and French-style gardens.

Apart from the famous greenhouse, they also have a Botanical Museum and the “four seasons” space, where you can also find the Café-Escola Senac. The cafe is run by teachers and students from a public cafe course and offers delicious yet affordable drink and food options.

6. Taste street food and shop local art at Feirinha da Praça Osório

General visiting information
⏰ Opening hours: This fair is only open during select weeks of the year. When it is available, the hours are typically 10 AM to 9 PM from Monday to Saturday, and 2:30 PM to 7:30 PM on Sundays.
🎟️ Admission: Free
🗺️ Other things to do nearby: A quick walk away is Rua 24 Horas, a major tourist attraction in Curitiba. Personally, I do not find Rua 24 Horas interesting in any way, but if you are close by it might be worth a stop. A must-do activity located a 15-minute walk away is Museu Paranaense, where you can learn about local culture and history!
📍 Address: Pç. Gen. Osório, 100
🧑‍🦽‍➡️ This fair is wheelchair accessible!

Feirinha da Praça Osório is a seasonal fair, it opens from time to time throughout the year and is an amazing spot to try different street food and shop for authentic souvenirs!

When shopping for souvenirs just about anywhere, I am typically quite disappointed to find a range of made-in-China mass-produced items. At Feirinha da Praça do Osório, I was pleasantly surprised to find a range of handmade and creative souvenirs. Here are some of the cutest souvenirs I came across!

When shopping for street food, there are about 12 vendors selling both Brazilian and international snacks! Whenever I go to a fair in Brazil, pastel is a must-buy snack, and at Feirinha da Praça Osório they even sell capybara-shaped pasteis!

7. Go shopping for Brazilian fashion and beauty at Pátio Batel

General visiting information
⏰ Opening hours: 10 AM to 10 PM from Monday to Saturday, and 2 PM to 8 PM on Sundays.
🎟️ Admission: Free
📍 Address: Av. do Batel, 1868 
🧑‍🦽‍➡️ This mall is wheelchair accessible!

Although Pátio Batel is known for being upscale, it also features many affordable Brazilian brands. Because of its high-end reputation, the mall tends to be less crowded than others while offering similar price points, making it a great spot for a pleasant and budget-friendly shopping experience.

While visiting Brazil, there are a few brands worth checking out, and you can find all of them at Park Shopping Batel! Here are a few of my favorites:

• Havaianas to shop the world-famous flip flops in a variety of styles!
• O Boticario for perfumes, soaps, and body care made of Brazilian ingredients. Fun fact: this is a major Brazilian cosmetics brand that is originally from Curitiba!
• Farm Rio for colorful prints and unique clothing. Fun fact: Farm Rio’s Brazilian line is different from the one sold abroad! The products are used using more affordable materials, and in Brazil, a Farm Rio dress costs ~$80 as opposed to ~$300 as seen in the USA!
• Lenny Niemeyer for high-end swimwear! Fun fact: Her last name might sound familiar from Curitiba’s famous Museu Oscar Niemeyer, and that’s because the brand’s owner and designer is married to Oscar Niemeyer’s nephew.

Like all shopping malls, Park Shopping Batel features restaurants and a food court. For a fancy meal, I love having steak at Pobre Juan! For a more casual meal, I like going to Moranga, a pay-by-weight buffet restaurant.

8. Admire the landscape and sunset at Parque Tanguá

General visiting information
⏰ Opening hours: 6 AM – 8 PM daily
🎟️ Admission: Free
🗺️ Other things to do nearby: Visit Opera de Arame to grab food, enjoy live music, connect with nature, and appreciate amazing architecture!
📍 Address: Rua Oswaldo Maciel, 97

Parque Tangua is known as Curitiba’s ultimate sunset spot, which makes sense given that its high location offers a nice view of the city. Although sunset is the park’s highlight, it also has nice walking/running trails, and Deck Tanguá Bar e Petiscaria, a restaurant suspended above water that offers an incredible view of the park’s giant artificial waterfall.

Although not one of the city’s highlights, the Parque Tangua is worth visiting if you happen to be nearby.

Transportation across the best things to do in Curitiba

Uber

Curitiba is one of Brazil’s safest cities, and using Ubers to get around is a the best option.

Driving

If you like having the flexibility of driving, renting a car can be a great option! Localiza is Brazil’s most famous rental car company, and the international car rental firm Hertz is also widely available in Brazil.

Please be aware of the risks of driving in big cities in Brazil! We have a full post talking about safety in Brazil that can inform you of all the precautions that should be taken while visiting the country.

In Curitiba, paid parking is easy to find near all main attractions. If you choose to use street parking, be aware that some “car watchers” might ask you for change in exchange for looking after your vehicle. Although you are not required to pay these people, it is a good idea to hand in R$5 to avoid having the “car watchers” themselves damage your vehicle.

Attractions intentionally left out of our selection of what to do in Curitiba

Don’t waste your time in Curitiba visiting attractions that are not worth it! Here are two of the places I visited and left quite disappointed.

Bar do Alemao

Often considered a must-do activity in Curitiba, Bar do Alemão is the most classic bar in town. Despite its fame and cultural relevance, I recommend skipping this destination as I found their food and service below optimal.

Passeio Público

Passeio Público once was a sweet spot in the city, but nowadays it is poorly maintained and is often full of beggars.

Want even more things to do in Curitiba? Check out its neighboring cities!

To go beyond our list of what to do in Curitiba, you can look into what to do near Curitiba! Here are my two favorite weekend getaways:

I hope you will enjoy the best things to do in Curitiba and it nearby towns! To prepare for your trip, check out my travel resources page.