← Pelotas Marathon·Day trip

Charqueada São João: A Slow Morning in Pelotas's Estate Country

A guided walk of about an hour through a preserved salted-beef estate on the edge of Pelotas, built to be done in a taxi and in short, seated stretches.

DurationDay trip
TransitTaxi or arranged car from central Pelotas, crossing the city to the Areal district
DepartsPelotas city centre

After the Pelotas Marathon: Charqueada São João

The Route: Pelotas Centro → Charqueada São João (Areal) → Pelotas Centro Logistics: A taxi or arranged car each way. The estate sits on the Estrada da Costa in the Areal district, on the far side of the city from the market, and public transport is not worth relying on after a marathon. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

Pelotas Centro hotel ──(taxi, Areal district)──> Charqueada São João
        ▲                                                │
        └─────────(taxi back, same road)────────────────┘

The Pelotas Marathon finishes in the Mercado Público on a Sunday in October, and by Monday morning the stairs in your hotel have become a negotiation. A charqueada is a better answer than a museum queue. It is a flat estate visit with a guide, a house to sit down in and gardens you can skip.

October in Pelotas: this is spring in southern Brazil. The regional weather station records an October daily minimum around 13.6°C and a maximum around 22.2°C, with roughly 100 mm of rain spread over ten days of the month and a steady east wind. Mornings can be cool and damp. Bring a light waterproof, since the walk between the house and the gardens is outdoors.

The Estate

Charqueada São João is at Estrada da Costa 750 in Areal. A charqueada was a salted-beef works, and this one has been kept as a visitor attraction. The operator describes a monitored visit through the house and grounds that takes about an hour. Parties of fewer than ten people do not need to reserve a guided visit, according to the operator's own FAQ, but opening days differ between listings: the state tourism listing gives Tuesday to Saturday 09:00 to 18:00 and Monday, Sunday and holidays 14:00 to 18:00, while a municipal listing disagrees. Phone or message the estate the day before and ask for the exact hours on your day.

The visit is mostly level. Take the house first and treat the gardens as optional, since a bench in the shade does the same job as another hundred metres of gravel. Expect to be on your feet for the hour and no more.

A boat trip of about forty minutes and a set lunch also exist, but both run for groups. The operator's boat minimum is fifteen on one page and ten on another, and lunch needs a group of twenty. Two walk-in visitors should not plan around either. If you want a boat, ask about joining an existing departure.

If the Estate Is Closed

Fall back on the centre. The Instituto João Simões Lopes Neto at Rua Dom Pedro II 810 is the house of the author of Contos Gauchescos and opens Monday to Friday 14:00 to 18:00, with guided visits by arrangement. Check holidays first. The Mercado Público, where you finished, is in the centre, and Imperatriz Doces Finos at Praça Sete de Julho 179 sells the local sweets from 09:00 to 19:00 every day.

Getting Back

Arrange the return taxi in advance, or ask your driver to wait or come back at a fixed time. Keep your main luggage at the hotel. The return to the hotel is the same road, and if you fly out the same evening, Pelotas airport (PET) is about 8 km from the historic centre with taxis waiting at the terminal.