Stand on the corner of Avenida General Daltro Filho in the Hamburgo Velho neighbourhood and the city's story is right in front of you: a 19th-century German-style house that now holds the Schmitt-Presser Museum, with the commerce of a working industrial city carrying on around it. Novo Hamburgo grew from a German immigrant colony into the centre of Brazil's footwear industry, and the Sinos River still runs through the urban area.
This guide suits travellers who are passing through the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, or who are in the Sinos River Valley on business connected to shoes, leather or trade, and want to add a half-day or a full day of local context. It also works for anyone tracing German immigration history in Rio Grande do Sul, since Novo Hamburgo was part of São Leopoldo, the cradle of that immigration, before it was emancipated in 1927.
What follows covers the sights and experiences the sources support, followed by a one-day plan and answers to common questions.
Top things to do in Novo Hamburgo
1. Schmitt-Presser Museum
Housed in a building constructed in the first half of the 19th century, the Schmitt-Presser Museum is one of the oldest examples of German architecture in Rio Grande do Sul. Its collection of objects tells the story of German immigration in the region, which makes it the most direct way to understand how this city began.
It sits on Avenida General Daltro Filho in the Hamburgo Velho area, the neighbourhood where Novo Hamburgo's first urban agglomeration appeared around the Hamburger Berg from about 1870. Pair the visit with a walk through the surrounding streets, since Hamburgo Velho is also where the city's early schools and church life took shape.
2. Hamburgo Velho
This is the neighbourhood where the city's first urban agglomeration formed around the Hamburger Berg, circa 1870, when a little commerce took root there. Walking it gives you the geography behind the museum visit and the German immigrant story.
The area is also the site of the Church Nossa Senhora da Piedade, which Jesuit priests took over in the mid-nineteenth century, and of the Engel Sisters' school for girls founded in 1866. Combine it with the Schmitt-Presser Museum in a single outing.
3. Hamburger Berg
The Hamburger Berg is the point around which Novo Hamburgo's first urban agglomeration appeared, circa 1870, where there was a little commerce. It is the origin point of the city as a settlement rather than a rural colony.
Visit it as part of your time in Hamburgo Velho; the two belong to the same stretch of the day. The Santa Catarina college, the first Catholic school in the town, was founded here on 10 June 1900.
4. Paschoal Charlemagne Theatre
The Paschoal Charlemagne Theatre is located at the Culture Department of Novo Hamburgo and has a capacity for approximately 490 people. Paranóia Productions runs a school in the theatre that trains local actors, and that school has sent students to the biggest cities of the country to work in plays and shows.
Check what is on during your stay if you want an evening of local performance rather than a purely historical visit. It pairs naturally with a day spent in the central commercial district.
5. Feevale University theatre
Feevale University inaugurated its theatre on 20 September 2011, with a capacity of 1,805 spectators, making it the largest theatre in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It was built on the university's campus II and is administered in partnership with Opus Promotions.
Because it is administered with a promotions partner, it hosts touring productions rather than only student work. If you are in the city for several days, it is worth checking whether a show falls during your visit.
6. Fenac
Fenac is the convention centre that hosts the National Fair of Shoes, held annually and started locally in 1963 in a small neighbourhood convention centre. Today Fenac is home not only to that fair but also to related events such as Fimec, the footwear machines exhibition, and Courovisão Ecovisão, the leather fair.
If your trip overlaps with one of these fairs, Fenac is the reason to be in the city at that moment. Otherwise, it is a useful landmark for understanding why Novo Hamburgo became the centre of Brazil's footwear trade.
7. The shoe trade and leather supply chain
Novo Hamburgo is most famous for its footwear industry, which grew quickly and led to the city being recognised as the Capital of Brazilian Footwear. The industry spread into neighbouring towns, with tanneries, chemical plants and shoe component factories opening around it.
The city developed a complete infrastructure for production, marketing and trading of footwear, and the export of shoes is a major part of the state's trade. If you work in the sector, the commercial district is where you will spend your time; if you do not, it is still the context that explains everything else you see here.
8. The shopping district
Novo Hamburgo is the largest commercial area of the Sinos River Valley, with more than 5,500 outlets, including major Brazilian chain stores such as Magazine Luiza, Lojas Renner, C&A, Lojas Americanas, Casas Bahia, Ponto Frio, Lojas Colombo and Delta Sul. Four large supermarkets also operate in the district.
Come here for everyday shopping rather than sightseeing, and note that the service industry around it includes cargo agents, brokers, export agents and trading companies, as well as important banks. It is the practical counterpart to the industrial story.
9. Bourbon Shopping Novo Hamburgo
Bourbon Shopping Novo Hamburgo is one of the two malls in the city. It is a straightforward option for air-conditioned time, food and chain retail when the weather is against you.
Novo Hamburgo has four well defined seasons, with winter temperatures that can hover around 0 °C and summer temperatures often above 30 °C, so a mall is a sensible fallback at either extreme. Pair it with the surrounding shopping district.
10. i-Fashion Outlet
i-Fashion Outlet is the second of the city's two malls. Given the city's identity as the Capital of Brazilian Footwear, an outlet is a logical stop for anyone shopping for shoes and leather goods.
Treat it as a shopping stop rather than a sight, and combine it with the wider commercial district if you are already in the centre.
11. The Sinos River
The Sinos River runs through the urban area of Novo Hamburgo, and the city is part of the River Sinos basin. Within the municipality the land is divided into four basins, formed by Pampa creek, Cerquinho creek, Luiz Rau creek and Gauchinha creek.
The river is the thread that ties the city to the wider valley and to its industrial history. Look for it as you move between the centre and Hamburgo Velho rather than treating it as a separate excursion.
12. Lomba Grande
A new Industrial District is being planned in the area of Lomba Grande, and some locals have voiced concerns that this construction may have environmental implications. It is worth knowing about if you are following the city's industrial development or its planning debates.
This is a district in transition rather than a visitor attraction, so go only if the subject interests you. Do not expect facilities arranged for tourists.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start in Hamburgo Velho, where Novo Hamburgo's first urban agglomeration formed around the Hamburger Berg from about 1870. Spend the morning at the Schmitt-Presser Museum on Avenida General Daltro Filho, a house built in the first half of the 19th century and one of the oldest examples of German architecture in Rio Grande do Sul, then walk the surrounding streets and the Hamburger Berg itself.
Afternoon. Move into the commercial district, the largest commercial area of the Sinos River Valley, and take in the scale of the shoe and leather trade that gave the city its identity. Stop at Bourbon Shopping Novo Hamburgo or i-Fashion Outlet if you want to shop, and look for the Sinos River as you cross the urban area.
Evening. Check what is on at the Paschoal Charlemagne Theatre at the Culture Department, which seats approximately 490 people, or at the Feevale University theatre on campus II, which seats 1,805 and is the largest theatre in the state. Either gives you a local evening to close the day.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of year to visit Novo Hamburgo?
The city has four well defined seasons. Winter temperatures can hover around 0 °C and in some instances reach −2 to −1 °C, while summer temperatures are often above 30 °C. The average temperature during the year is 19 °C, which is mild for the region, so plan your clothing around whichever season you travel in.
How do I get to Novo Hamburgo?
Novo Hamburgo is a municipality in Rio Grande do Sul, located in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, the state capital. It forms part of the Porto Alegre Intermediate Geographic Region and the Novo Hamburgo-São Leopoldo Immediate Geographic Region, so Porto Alegre is the natural gateway.
What is Novo Hamburgo known for?
It is most famous for its footwear industry, which led to it being recognised as the Capital of Brazilian Footwear, and it is the industrial centre of the Sinos River Valley, whose economy is based mainly on the manufacture of shoes and the associated leather goods supply chain. The city's population is still predominantly of German descent, and it was named after Hamburg, Germany.
Is there anything for visitors interested in history?
Yes. The Schmitt-Presser Museum contains objects that tell the story of German immigration in the region, and it occupies a house built in the first half of the 19th century. The surrounding Hamburgo Velho area, the Hamburger Berg, the Church Nossa Senhora da Piedade and the site of the first Catholic school, Santa Catarina college, all belong to the same early chapter of the city.
Use this guide to pick your days, then start planning your trip around the season you prefer and the fairs at Fenac that match your interests.