Porto Alegre Vacations -- a Great Opportunity to Experience the Cultural Center of Brazil

Added: 05/05/2006

Situated on the eastern bank of the Rio Guaiba and marking the place where five rivers converge into the Lagoa dos Patos, Porto Alegre is the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul and one of the biggest cities in Brazil. Established in 1755 with the purpose to guard against the Spanish encroachment, it wasn't until the late 1860s that the city became the country's leading commercial center south of Sao Paulo. Today Porto Alegre, cosmopolitan in every sense of the word, is ranked with the most visited Brazilian cities.

As soon as you arrive at Porto Alegre, this medium sized metropolis with nearly 1,5 million inhabitants, you'll be delighted to find everything that creates a truly exciting and memorable vacation. The city's peculiar flavor lies in the enchanting mix of frenzied bustle and hustle with its countryside habits. On weekends it is nice to stroll one of the lanes at the lake, practice water sports or relax in one of the seven large parks welcoming locals and visitors alike.

Porto Alegre vacations offer a wonderful opportunity to experience rich cultural life, plentiful shopping alternatives and entertainment venues, as the city is lavish with cinemas, theatres, bookstores and shopping malls. Numerous technical and scientific events hosted by the city arouse interest of a great number of business travelers, who consider Porto Alegre vacations a nice chance to interact with leaders in a particular industry field.

The sixth biggest city in Brazil, Porto Alegre is perhaps best known for its nightlife, which is similar in many ways to that of New York, but on a micro scale. Located in the SoHo area is a block full of fantastic bars, clubs and restaurants, which open relatively late. In addition, visitors can choose from several neighborhoods, full of great bars, nightclubs and places to dance, one of most widely reputed being Cidade Baixa. Alternatively you may consider Rua Joao Alfredo, offering a number of excellent options. Among other nightlife intensive neighborhoods Moinhos de Vento makes itself conspicuous, with the renowned Rua Padre Chagas full of fashionable bars and restaurants.

For many travelers Porto Alegre vacations are associated with the thrilling shopping that is incomparable to any other place in Brazil. The best and possibly the largest mall in the city is Iguatemi, featuring more than 200 stores with a supermarket, two anchor stores, and a few best specialty chain stores in the country. Another nice option is the Bourbon Country Mall with a grocery store as its anchor and a movie theater. The Moinhos de Vento neighborhood is home to the Moinhos de Vento Mall, which is small and pleasant place.

Located in the city are some of the most popular Brazilian attractions that are a definite must-do during Porto Alegre vacations, notably Public Market, opened in 1869 and reopened in 1997 with completely new modern structure; Sao Pedro Theater, offering a great variety in music concerts, dance and theater, especially at night; Memorial Do Rio Grande do Sul, providing a deep insight in the state's history through its extensive exhibitions and books; Usina do Gasometro - a place for all major arts, from wonderful art exhibitions to handicraft markets. Porto Alegre is also home to a variety of monuments, the most famous of them being Fountain Talavera de La Reina, Monument of Lacador and Monument of Acoriano among others.

The city offers a warm welcome to each of its visitors, trying to make you feel right at home. Some of the most widely reputed Porto Alegre hotels include Sheraton Porto Alegre Hotel, Tryp Porto Alegre, Deville Porto Alegre Aeroporto, Parthenon Manhattan Poa and more.

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