Sao Francisco do Sul

French navigators reached this island in 1504 and a settlement was formally established in 1553, which puts Sao Francisco do Sul among the oldest towns in Brazil - usually cited as the third, after Sao Vicente and Salvador. The historic centre along the Babitonga bay is listed: around four hundred buildings, mostly eighteenth and nineteenth century, including merchant warehouses with their loading doors onto the water, the Nossa Senhora das Gracas church and a national maritime museum holding traditional Brazilian boats. The island has beaches on the ocean side and mangrove on the bay side, and Babitonga bay holds a resident population of Guiana dolphins. A large oil terminal and port operate on the same island, which is visible from most of it.

What you actually see

• A listed colonial waterfront - warehouses with loading doors onto the bay.
• One of Brazil's oldest towns - settled formally in 1553.
• A national maritime museum - traditional Brazilian craft under one roof.
• Dolphins in Babitonga bay - a resident Guiana dolphin population.

When to go

October to March. Two days.

Honest expectations

The port and oil terminal are prominent and industrial. The historic centre is compact and takes a morning. Ocean beaches are a drive from town. In peak summer the island fills with Joinville and Curitiba traffic.

Nearby

Joinville is inland; Itapoa and the Parana border are north.