Sao Francisco do Sul

French navigators reached this island in 1504 and the Portuguese founded the village in 1658, though the town counts its age from the French landing, 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 to look for

• A listed colonial waterfront - warehouses with loading doors onto the bay.
• One of Brazil's oldest towns - counted from the 1504 landing, founded as a village in 1658.
• 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.

Things to know

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.

Key facts