← Maratona Internacional de Blumenau·Day trip

Pomerode: A Day in the Most German Town in Brazil

A slow day in a small town of half-timbered houses 30 km from Blumenau, built around a café stop and a short drive, with the hotel bed waiting at the end.

DurationDay trip
TransitAbout 30 km by road, around 40 minutes each way depending on departure point and traffic
DepartsBlumenau

After the Maratona Internacional de Blumenau: Pomerode

The Route: Blumenau → Pomerode → Blumenau Logistics: Car, taxi or private driver, about 30 km each way. Check bus options locally. Marathon Month: July Duration: Day trip

Blumenau hotel ──(about 30 km, roughly 40 min)──> Pomerode centre ──(same road back)──> Blumenau hotel

Pomerode sits in the valley of the Itajaí-Açu, about 30 km from Blumenau, and describes itself as the most German town in Brazil. Its founders were Pomeranians, around 34,000 people live there, and a municipal law of 2017 gives the Pomeranian dialect of Low German joint official status with Portuguese. The marathon finished in Blumenau at about the time most visitors would be on their way to lunch. A day trip works best on the Monday, after a night of sleep in your own hotel bed.

July in Pomerode: this is winter in the Itajaí valley. Expect cool mornings and a chance of rain, with monthly averages in neighbouring Blumenau of about 11°C at night and 20°C by day. Wear a layer you can add and remove, and carry a light waterproof.

The Day

Leave late. Few runners want to be in a taxi before nine on the day after a marathon, and Pomerode's cafés open for the lunch trade, not for early risers. The drive takes around 40 minutes depending on where you set off and what traffic is doing. Book a driver or taxi for the round trip if you can, and agree a return time. Keep your luggage at the Blumenau hotel by arrangement, since you are coming back for the night.

In the town centre, start with a slow walk. The streets around the main square are the point of the trip, and a circuit of the central blocks takes about half an hour at a recovery pace. Look at the half-timbered houses, known as enxaimel, where dark timber frames are filled with white plaster. Then sit down. A café colonial, the Brazilian German tradition of a long table of cakes, breads, cold meats and coffee, suits a stiff runner far better than any trail.

The Associação Visite Pomerode describes a driving route through the surrounding countryside, the Rota do Enxaimel, and recommends allowing more than a day for the full thing. After a marathon, do a small part of it by car. Get out for a few minutes at one or two stops, keep the walking to flat ground and skip anything with a steep path or long staircase. Check each stop's opening days and hours before you go, because small rural attractions often close on Mondays.

Getting Home

Return to Blumenau for the evening, and plan your onward travel from there. The practical airport for Blumenau is Navegantes (NVT), where a paid shuttle connects with the city centre. Ask your hotel about the following morning's transfer and avoid a flight on the evening of your Pomerode day.