GENERAL INFORMATION and GETTING FROM/TO THE AIRPORT
Curitiba (Tupi: “Pine Nut Land”, Portuguese pronunciation: [kuɾiˈtʃibɐ]) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Paraná and one of the most prosperous and organized cities in Brazil. The city’s population numbered approximately 1,879,355 people as of 2015, making it the eighth most populous city in the country, and the largest in Brazil’s South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area comprises 26 municipalities with a total population of over 3.2 million (IBGE estimate in 2010), making it the seventh most populous in the country.
Curitiba is an important cultural, political, and economic centre in Latin America. The city sits on a plateau at 932 metres (3,058 ft) above sea level. It is located 105 kilometres (65 mi) west of the seaport of Paranaguá and is served by the Afonso Pena International and Bacacheri airports.
Curitiba is known as an innovative city, with good life quality since the beginning of the 70´s, when the urban planning began. It is widely considered to be one of the nicest places to live in Brazil and is a popular endpoint for migrants from around the country. Today the city is reference for public transportation, environmental care, waste management and garbage recycling. Curitiba´s BRT (bus rapid transport) is model and reference for 76 cities around the world, as a simple and unexpensive alternative. The creation of linear parks to preserve the river margins and avoid the settlement of slums in such areas was the alternative chosen by Curitiba since the years 1970´s.
Historically, the city was not important in the Brazilian history, but culturally the city is known by its large variety of options. The music workshop (Oficina de Música), Curitiba´s Festival and the great number of theatres and cultural centres are only a few examples of what Curitiba offers in this field. The city is also a melting pot, with great presence of immigrants from all over the world. Everything reflects in the way the city is and local inhabitants think and act. The city is also a gourmet paradise, with great restaurants and renamed chefs de cuisine.
Ambitious eco-tourists could spend days or even a couple of weeks exploring the green urban landscapes without leaving the city limits. Plenty also awaits those who venture outside the city. The Serra Verde Express tourist train runs on a historic railway between Curitiba and Paranagua, passing some of the most scenic mountain landscapes in southeastern Brazil. The passenger cars are restored versions of the original trains, which traveled the route to the state capital of Curitiba more than a century ago.
Local food and crafts are the stars of the Feirinha do Largo da Ordem, an open-air market that takes place Sunday mornings in the center of Curitiba. This is a great place to get a taste of Curitiba’s culture: Vendors sell paintings and sculptures and there are musical and cultural performances.
Eating organic is not difficult in Curitiba. Parana, the state of which Curitiba is the capital, is at the forefront of Brazil’s organic food movement and one fourth of the companies that are part of the nationwide program called OrganicBrasil are based here. Though a lot of the crops produced without the use of pesticides are exported, there are places in the city to find these natural eats. The best is the appropriately named Organic Market of Curitiba . Surplus food produced in and around the city is given to local residents in exchange for waste that they collect.
More information:
– http://www.curitiba.pr.gov.br/idioma/ingles
– http://www.curitibacvb.com.br/page/attractions-curitiba-and-around
– http://www.turismo.curitiba.pr.gov.br/categoria/atrativos-turisticos/3
– https://traveltoparana.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/inspiring-curitiba-20-photos-that-will-make-you-want-to-visit-curitiba-parana-brazil/
– http://www4.infraero.gov.br/aeroportos/aeroporto-internacional-de-curitiba-afonso-pena//
– http://www.aeroportocuritiba.net/