← Maratona Internacional de Blumenau·2 nights

Blumenau and Vila Itoupava: Two More Nights in the Valley

Two more nights in Blumenau with one pre-booked afternoon at Vila Itoupava and the city's museums on the spare day.

Duration2 nights
TransitLocal transfer within Blumenau; the cultural programme at Vila Itoupava is booked in advance
DepartsBlumenau

After the Maratona Internacional de Blumenau: Vila Itoupava

The Route: Blumenau centre → Vila Itoupava → Blumenau centre → Navegantes Airport (NVT) Logistics: Taxi or private driver within the municipality. Book the cultural programme in advance. Marathon Month: July Duration: 2 nights

Blumenau centre ──(local transfer)──> Vila Itoupava ──(local transfer)──> Blumenau centre ──(shuttle or taxi)──> Navegantes Airport (NVT)

This plan keeps you in one hotel for two more nights and adds a single outing. Vila Itoupava is a village within the municipality of Blumenau that bills itself as the most German village in Brazil. It is built around the culture brought by 19th-century immigrants, and a local operator, Vila Itoupava Turismo, runs a cultural programme there.

July in Blumenau: winter, with monthly averages of about 11°C at night and 20°C by day and roughly 99 mm of rain over the month. Keep a layer and a waterproof with you, and plan the outing for the warmest part of the day.

The Booking Question

The programme is aimed at groups and must be booked in advance. It is not a drop-in show that will necessarily run for one visitor on a Monday afternoon. The operator lists a shooting-club ceremony in which winners are crowned King and Queen, air-rifle target competitions, the traditional Vogelstechen contest of shooting at a bird on a pole, a procession and folk dancing in costume. Ask about the price, the duration and the departure times.

Contact the operator through its website or its Instagram account, @vilaitoupavaturismo, as early as you can, and ask whether a place on a group departure is open to individuals, how long the programme lasts and whether transport is included. If it cannot take you, the buildings can still be seen on a short drive.

Night One: The Same Hotel

Stay where you ran from. A central hotel in Blumenau, such as the ibis Blumenau at Rua Paul Hering 67 or the Slaviero Hotel Blumenau at Rua 7 de Setembro 640, lets you keep your luggage in one room and skip a check-out. Ask about a late check-out for the morning after the race, and about breakfast times.

Use the first day for the city. Two museums sit on the street where the race started, the Museu da Cerveja at Rua XV de Novembro 160 and the Museu de Arte de Blumenau at number 161. The beer museum has eight themed rooms and lists tours with the last start at 16:00. It is closed on the last Sunday of each month. Check the art museum's days and hours before you go.

Day Two: Vila Itoupava

Go in the afternoon by taxi or private driver, and agree a return time. The village's tourist and cultural centre was built in 1898 and once housed the Feldmann Brewery, which the operator says produced the first Bock beer in Brazil. The Casa Franz, built around 1880 in the wattle-and-daub style called taipa, is described as the second-oldest house in the Itoupava region. Look at both from outside first and ask locally how far apart they are before you decide whether to walk. Local chocolate, drinks and crafts are sold in the village.

Keep the walking short. A sore runner is better off at a table with a coffee than on a long village circuit.

Night Two and Getting Home

Return to the central hotel. Navegantes Airport (NVT) is the practical airport, and a paid shuttle runs between it and a stop in central Blumenau. Check the schedule, which depends on flight arrivals, and book a taxi if you have an early departure.