After the Pelotas Marathon: Rio Grande

The Route: Pelotas → Rio Grande → Pelotas (or onward) Logistics: Regional coach from Pelotas to Rio Grande, bought for a dated departure. Check the boarding address on the ticket, since the operator sells from more than one point. Marathon Month: October Duration: 1 night

Pelotas hotel ──(taxi)──> Pelotas bus terminal ──(regional coach)──> Rio Grande
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          Pelotas (PET) airport or hotel ◄──(coach and taxi, next day)─────┘

The Pelotas Marathon is run on a Sunday in October. Rio Grande is a port city and the nearest change of scene reached by regional coach. The one real constraint is the day of the week.

October in Rio Grande: spring. The regional record for Pelotas, the nearest weather station, gives cool mornings, mild afternoons and rain on about ten days of the month. Carry a light waterproof.

Getting There

Expresso Embaixador lists Pelotas to Rio Grande services on its website and sells tickets at counters in both cities. The operator tags luggage and asks for the ticket and an identity document at boarding. Journey times vary by service, so check the duration and the arrival terminal when you buy, and keep the luggage tag until you collect your bag. Leave the main suitcase at your Pelotas hotel only if the hotel agrees to hold it.

The Museum Problem

The museum worth building the stay around is the Museu Oceanográfico at FURG, the federal university. It opens Wednesday to Sunday from 14:00 to 18:00 and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, according to the university's schedule. A marathon on Sunday puts you in Rio Grande on Monday or Tuesday, when the doors are shut. There are two ways to handle that. Stay in Pelotas until Tuesday and travel on Wednesday, so you arrive in time for the afternoon opening. Or go on Monday and treat Rio Grande as a harbour and a pavement, with the museum as something for another trip. Check the university's page for holidays and changes before you commit.

The Walk

Plan a short walk and a long lunch. The port city is flat, and the walk after a marathon should be measured in blocks, not kilometres. Ask your hotel for a route to the waterfront and keep it under thirty minutes, with a seat at each end. The operator's Cassino sales desk, which serves the beach district, is seasonal and only staffed from December to March, so October is not a beach-district month.

Where to Stay and Eat

Book a hotel in the central part of Rio Grande, close to where the coach arrives, and confirm that it has a lift and will store luggage if you check out before your coach. Ask the hotel to recommend a restaurant for dinner within a few blocks, because a taxi after a long coach ride is easier than a long walk. Ask for the regional fish and the Pelotas-style sweets to finish.

Getting Home