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"Through successive editions, the Gramado Film Festival has strengthened as one of top events of its kind in South America."

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"Gateway to Gramado, featuring a well-defined Bavarian style, that was built to pay tribute to the city’s German founders."

Annual average temperatures of 64 degrees, cold winters with random snowfalls whose flakes sometimes cover the usually green scenery of Sierra Gaucha, and the strong legacy of Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Irish, Polish and Russian settlers have turned the southernmost state of this huge and stunning country into a European-like region that, as a matter of fact, is blessed with the longest-running strip of Atlantic shoreline on the planet.

There's a diversity of cultures and peoples whose historic and old Jesuit missions are part of the landscape of this state, the fourth-richest of all Brazil. Wheat fields and vineyards carpet vast croplands in the vicinity of the Las Campanas river and the northern zone, two major powerhouses of Rio Grande del Sur’s mighty agriculture that got its big break in the region with the arrival of the first German and Italian settlers back in the 19th century. Those crops wound up becoming traditional staples for the state, as much as corn and soy are right now. The state’s capital, Porto Alegre, is a big city perched on the bank of the Guaina river and the main trade hub between the rest of Brazil and the entire world, thanks in art to its efficient maritime, river, ground, railroad and air transportation systems –the region boasts one of the most state-of-the-art airports ever built in South America. The perfect checker-style urban layout, featuring gardens and abundant squares, is marked by numerous hotels, excellent restaurants, top-of-the-line shopping malls and a vibrant nightlife where local rhythms like chamamé, milonga, chacarera and tango blare out till the wee hours of the morning. However, all this much doesn’t prevent the state from flashing its European roots that, coupled with Porto Alegre’s own influences and what the gauchos have rubbed off on the town, are decisive ingredients in this incredible melting pot. Local residents are joyful and like wearing slacks during the traditional celebrations They still refer to young girls as prendas –a term used in the past– and prefer to dine on steaks during their red-letter days. In addition to its laidback ambiences and the chance to wallow in a very hospitable, kindhearted and cosmopolitan city, to visit the old core, to stroll down the bustling Calle de la Playa (Beach Street) in the downtown area, and to walk in its lovely cathedral, the surroundings are packed with must-sees, like the San Miguel’s Jesuit ruins –declared World Heritage by UNESCO– the Santo Angelo town and the famous Garibaldi and Bento Goncalves vineyards. For a beach day –if water temps are balmy– or for taking a ride on a sailboat, don’t miss out on the Torres, Tramandai, Canoa and Atlantica beaches. Sierra Gaucha Sierra Gaucha’s tourist icons are no doubt the amazing city of Canela –a charming travel destination trapped in a natural landscape dominated by araucarias, and Gramado, with the same German character of its founders and offspring. The green lawn that lent its name to the town (Gramado means lawn) and now for the blooming hydrangeas everywhere –sort of a local symbol– many people call this town the city of hydrangeas. An architecture featuring Norman or Bavarian elements is so commonplace in this quiet, well-designed and well-preserved city that always looks like a postcard. Nice hotels and restaurants serving first-string cuisine are available all the time. The bistros are small, but elegant and refined. There are may feasts for the eyes, like the Portico of Via Taquara, opened in 1991 as a tribute to the founding Germans, or the so-called Mini World, a compound of miniature castles, cathedrals, piers and house, or the Knorr Park, home to the Toy Factory and the Bears Chalet, among other facilities designed to let children and adults have a good time there. A very special place is Lago Negro (Black Lake), the brainchild of a well-to-do German Gramado neighbor named Leopoldo Rosenfeldt, who wanted to recover for his city this beautiful natural site that had been charred by a wildfire. He turned it into a charming park with walkways, sidewalks and lots of amenities. For these and many other reasons, Gramado now stands out as one of the most sought-after travel destinations in Rio Grande de Sur, home to major world-class international events, like the local Cinema and Winter festivals. Every year in the month of November, the city welcomes tour operators and tourist service providers at the Serra Park for the Gramado Travel Festival, an increasingly important event on the list of the world’s international travel fairs.

Rio Grande de Sur is Brazil’s fourth-richest state and its southernmost territory whose priciest tourist value is its condition as a diverse destination in terms of choices, even with options for winter and snow sports.