Morretes

Morretes sits on the Nhundiaquara river at the foot of the coastal range, a small eighteenth-century town of whitewashed houses along the water, and most people arrive on the railway from Curitiba - a line completed in 1885 that drops off the escarpment through tunnels, over viaducts and along cut ledges, and is generally considered the most spectacular rail journey in Brazil. The other reason to come is barreado: beef cooked with bacon and spices for many hours in a sealed clay pot, the lid luted shut with a flour paste, then served with cassava flour, banana and rice. It is a caicara dish with colonial roots and every restaurant in town makes it. The Graciosa road, an old cobbled route over the range, is the alternative way down.

What you actually see

• The Serra do Mar railway - an 1885 line dropping off the escarpment.
• Barreado - beef sealed in a clay pot and cooked for many hours.
• A colonial river town - whitewashed houses along the Nhundiaquara.
• The Graciosa road - the old cobbled route over the range.

When to go

April to September. A day.

Honest expectations

Train tickets sell out and the return is often by bus, which is not the same. Fog on the descent hides the views on many days and there are no refunds. Barreado is heavy and served in large portions. The town is crowded when the train arrives and quiet otherwise.

Nearby

Antonina is a short drive; Paranagua and Ilha do Mel are east on the bay.