Chapeco
Introduction
Chapecó sits in the western part of Santa Catarina, in Brazil's Southern Region. It is one of the larger municipalities in the state, and its position in the west gives it a character distinct from the coastal cities that often define Santa Catarina in the traveler's imagination.
Before you go
Chapecó sits far inland in western Santa Catarina, roughly 400 km from the Atlantic coast and about 100 km from the Argentine border, so plan your route around overland travel or a flight rather than assuming a quick hop from the coast. The city's economy revolves around the meat industry — cattle, swine and poultry — and it is agribusiness fairs that shape the local calendar: when a fair is on, hotels fill up and plane tickets become expensive, so book well ahead if your dates coincide.
Chapecó is also football country. The local club, Chapecoense, plays in Brazil's first division, and the city still carries the memory of the 2016 plane crash near Medellín, Colombia, in which virtually all of the players and coaching staff died, along with press and crew members. Expect match days to stir strong local feeling. The city marked its 100th anniversary in 2017.
Getting there
Chapecó is served by Serafin Enoss Bertaso Airport (XAP), which unusually for Brazil is owned and managed by the city itself rather than appearing in the federal airport management database. Gol, Avianca and Azul operate regular direct flights from São Paulo Guarulhos, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre. Be aware that, as at many airports in southern Brazil, winter fog frequently closes the airport between June and August. Since it is the main commercial airport within a radius of roughly 250 km, there is no quick alternative if your flight cannot land or leave; the nearest other main airports are Foz do Iguaçu, Porto Alegre, Curitiba and Florianópolis, all several hundred kilometres away.
Long-distance buses arrive at a terminal about 3 km from the church square. The building has an open structure, so it can be cold in the winter months, and the infrastructure is not great, meaning it is not a comfortable place to spend much time. The main destinations of interest with direct service are Foz do Iguaçu, Curitiba and Florianópolis.
Getting around
Chapecó is very walkable in its central area, so if your accommodation and plans are both in the centre, you can cover most of the city's core on foot. One local quirk matters before you start navigating: many addresses carry a letter suffix, usually D for "to the right" of a given reference road or E for "to the left". Do not ignore these letters when entering an address into a GPS navigation system, or you risk being sent to the wrong side of the city. There is no rail, metro or tram network, so getting around is done by road, on foot, by bus, or by taxi and ride-hailing apps.
- City buses: A network serves areas beyond the centre, with lines and timetables available on the Moovit app. The fare is paid for each ride, with no free transfer — not even at the central terminal — so budget for a second fare if your journey requires a change of bus.
- Taxis: Can be difficult to find unless you are leaving from a hotel, so it is unwise to rely on hailing one from the street at random.
- Ride-hailing: Uber has operated locally since February 2018 and is a useful alternative, particularly if you are not starting from a hotel rank.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Chapecó is a question the source material leaves open — no neighbourhoods, lodgings or booking areas are described. What can be said is simply that the city has somewhere to sleep, listed under the heading "Sleep," and that you should treat accommodation as something to arrange on arrival or in advance through your own research rather than from guidance here.Food & drink
Chapecó's dining scene leans Italian and churrasco, with a few standouts worth planning around. For something closer to fine dining, head to Vino & Tigelle on the once-pedestrian street near the Havan store, where Italian cuisine comes with a menu of tigelles paired with glasses of wine; it also works as an Italian wine shop and is the only street restaurant with nonstop service from lunch through dinner. For a serious meat meal, Galpão Grill on Av. Fernando Machado is a churrascaria widely regarded as the best in the region, famous for its costelão, a local beef rib speciality you won't find in churrascarias in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, along with excellent cupim. Francescon on Av. Porto Alegre is the lunchtime deal, an all-you-can-eat buffet with good churrasco included and the cheapest good cupim in town — though you're better off skipping the desserts. For lighter stops, Giulietta Café on Rua Barão de Rio Branco (with another unit inside Shopping Pátio Chapecó) has the best coffee in town, quality sweets, a good selection of coffee blends, and free wifi, making it a fine place to sit with a laptop for a few hours. Sabor & Cia on Rua Uruguai is a bakery and snack shop where you can try empadão de frango com catupiry, a Brazilian savoury pie that's not so easy to find for sale, alongside a wide range of cakes and sweets and surprisingly good macarons; the coffee is better at the Uruguai unit than the others.What to see and do
For a look at the region's natural side, head to the Sede Figueira Grotto, roughly a kilometre off the BR-282, where you'll find three small caves and an eight-metre waterfall. The Tropeiro Velho Museum is another local stop worth knowing about. Football is a big part of life here, and catching a Chapecoense match at Arena Condá is a genuine local experience; the stadium sits just a few blocks from the church square, and ticket prices vary, so check ahead before you go. If you're after something more active, the interstate zip-line at Centro Náutico Faé, in Goio-Ên about 25 km from downtown, runs 1.3 km and is the longest in South Brazil, carrying you over the Uruguai river that marks the border between Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. In the city itself, the SESC Chapecó cultural centre on R. Brasília keeps a regular programme going, though it's less busy than its São Paulo counterparts and the schedule isn't posted online, so you'll need to call or drop by to find out what's on.When to go
Chapecó has a humid subtropical climate, so you can expect rain at any time of year rather than a reliably dry season. Summer is warm and humid, peaking around January, and wet spells are frequent throughout the season instead of being confined to a short rainy period. If you visit in summer, plan for heat and regular downpours.
Winter brings genuinely cool weather, with July the coldest month and frost possible; snow has occasionally been recorded, so pack for cold days. August tends to be the driest month, though rain still falls. October is the wettest month of the year, with persistent rain and muddy ground, so waterproof clothing and footwear are worth bringing if your trip falls then.
Three days in Chapeco
Day one: Arrive at Serafin Enoss Bertaso Airport (XAP), served by Gol, Avianca and Azul with connections through São Paulo Guarulhos, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre. Chapecó sits in Santa Catarina, in Brazil's Southern Region, and it is a city shaped by its club, Chapecoense. Settle in, then get your bearings in the city centre, where the streets around the main squares give you a feel for everyday life here. Expect warm and humid weather for much of the year, with June and August bringing cooler, sometimes sharply cold spells.
Day two: Give the day to the story that made Chapecó known far beyond Brazil. The Chapecoense story reaches back to the club's rise and to the flight that went down near Medellín, Colombia, and the city carries that memory openly. Walk the centre, use the GPS on your phone, and lean on Moovit or a taxi if you would rather not work out the routes yourself; Uber can also be an option. February is carnival season, a lively time to be in town.
Day three: Take a longer look at the region. Chapecó is a natural stopover for travellers heading to Foz do Iguaçu or Curitiba, so if you have the time, plan a ride out and back, or simply spend the morning in the city before your flight. Be at the airport with time to spare, since connections through São Paulo Guarulhos, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre are the usual way onward.