Things to do in Canela: attractions, parks and outings

Canela is Gramado’s neighbouring town in the Serra Gaúcha highlands, and it has enough for more than one day: the stone cathedral (Catedral de Pedra), Caracol Park and its waterfall, viewpoints over the Ferradura Valley, theme parks, museums and a rural route with a winery and farm produce. The descriptions below follow the official attractions catalogue of the Canela Tourist Office. Opening hours, tickets and rules change: always check each attraction’s channel before you go.

If you are staying in Gramado, see how to organise the trip in Canela day trip from Gramado.

Downtown Canela

• Catedral de Pedra (Our Lady of Lourdes parish): a church in English Gothic style and the town’s postcard image. Stained glass and sculptures decorate a nave for 800 people, and the tower holds 12 bronze bells.
• Sinos da Catedral (cathedral bells): a visit that climbs 154 steps to the 12-bell carillon, inaugurated on 7 September 1972, with a panoramic view of the town. Along the way you learn the history of the cathedral and of its founder, Canon João Marchesi.
• Praça da Matriz: the cross-shaped square in front of the cathedral, with the Stations of the Cross, the Sanctuary of the Evangelists, the Water Cross and a fountain.
• Praça João Corrêa: the locals’ meeting point, with the tree known as the “Caneleira”, a playground, a bust of Colonel João Corrêa and the Casino Ruins — a building meant to be a casino hotel, left unfinished after gambling was banned in Brazil in 1945.
• Teatro Municipal de Canela: the municipal theatre, a stage for shows and festivals, especially during the Sonho de Natal Christmas programme.
• Estação Campos de Canella: a complex with cultural spaces, shops, kiosks and a food hub with pubs, a brewery and restaurants — the tourism website calls it “Canela’s Rua Coberta”.
• Passeio das Cores: a colourful corridor of murals painted by the PAXART collective, with craft shops, restaurants, workshops and classes.
• Craft Fair (Canela Artisans’ Association): colourful huts on Rua Serafim Dias selling textile, iron, wood and ceramic crafts made by local artists.
• Casa Auxiliadora: a historic house reopened as a cultural and food venue.
• São João Evangelical Community: a Lutheran church built in 1983 with the help of the community.

Estrada do Caracol (RS-466)

The road from downtown to Caracol Park concentrates several attractions — group them on the same day.

• Caracol Park (Parque do Caracol): the town’s main natural attraction, home to the Caracol waterfall (Cascata do Caracol). The park offers trails, the Moinho waterfall deck, the Torre Araucária observation tower, barbecue areas and adventure activities.
• Parques da Serra — Cable Cars: a cable car with 12 cabins and an 860-metre route with three stations, with a view of the Caracol waterfall about 200 metres away. The park also has the Eagle motorised zip line, the Aerozuum suspended roller coaster, a food court and shops.
• Castelinho Caracol: one of Canela’s first homes, from the early 20th century, built entirely from araucaria wood with joints and no nails. Since 1985 it has been a museum and tea house serving apple strudel and waffles made on a wood stove.
• Mundo Gelado do Capitão: an ice cave with sculptures and sub-zero temperatures (thermal coats are provided), followed by a museum with replica ships and aircraft.
• Egyptian Museum (Museu Egípcio): replicas of Egyptian art produced by the artist Essam Elbattal, with pyramids, sarcophagi and a Tutankhamun collection.
• Noite Gaúcha (Garfo e Bombacha steakhouse): Brazilian-style barbecue with traditional gaúcho dance shows, in a barn decorated with ranch-life objects.

Nature and viewpoints

• Canela National Forest (FLONA): a protected area about 6.4 km from downtown, with araucaria forest and three trails (4.5 km, 6 km and 8.6 km). The Visitor Centre has a small museum with free entry. According to the tourism website, the forest opens daily from 8 am to 5 pm and the Visitor Centre opens Monday to Friday, closing on public holidays.
• Skyglass Canela: a steel-and-glass platform over the Ferradura Valley, 360 metres above the Caí River, with the “Abusado”, a monorail with suspended seats.
• Parque dos Canyons: viewpoints over the Ferradura Valley reached by a short trail of about 5 minutes.
• Ecoparque Sperry: an ecological park with forest trails and waterfalls, at Linha 28.
• Flor do Vale Ecological Park and Distillery: artisanal cachaça production, a viewpoint over the Ronco do Bugio waterfall and trails to the Sossego and Mata o Véio waterfalls.
• Parque do Palácio: 9.1 hectares of typical upland grassland vegetation that were part of the Palácio das Hortênsias, the state government’s summer residence. It was donated to the town in 2010.
• Parque do Lago: a municipal park with a lake, playground and paths for walking, cycling and skateboarding — good for families.

Theme parks and fun

• Terra Mágica Florybal: a theme park with more than 43 attractions among trails and sets, such as a 7D cinema, a zip line and a roller-coaster simulator, plus short shows every half hour. It reports accessibility features such as ramps and wheelchairs.
• Alpen Park: 15 rides and attractions, including a roller coaster, a toboggan, a 4D cinema, tree-top trails, a zip line and quad bikes.
• Parque Mundo a Vapor: open since 1991, with miniature steam machines, a train ride through the woods and a Ferris wheel more than 52 metres high.
• Vale dos Dinossauros: more than 30 life-size dinosaurs with sound and movement, set in nature.
• Big Land: a theme park of giant, interactive attractions.
• Space Adventure: a space exploration exhibition with a replica of Houston mission control, an Apollo capsule and a life-size lunar module.
• Cine Gracher Havan: an immersive cinema experience.

Museums

• Fashion Museum (Museu da Moda — MUM): a collection on the history of women’s clothing, created by designer Milka Wolff, in a 3,500 m² building. It has a ramp, an adapted toilet and accessible circulation.
• Canela Car Museum (Museu do Automóvel): 48 vehicles telling the history of the car from the 1920s to the 1980s.
• Truck Museum (American Old Trucks): trucks from several decades, of European, American and Brazilian origin.

Rural route, wine and flavours

• Jolimont Winery: founded in the Morro Calçado valley by Frenchman Jacques Briere, who arrived in the highlands in 1948. It has welcomed visitors since the 1990s and, according to the tourism website, opens on Sundays, public holidays and rainy days.
• Família Chaulet: a family charcuterie and knife-maker on Estrada Morro Calçado, selling salami, cheese, juices, jams, cachaça and handmade knives.
• Cervejaria do Farol: a craft brewery with guided tours and tastings, a German-style restaurant and a 32-metre lookout tower with a 360° view.

Faith

• Caravaggio Sanctuary: created in 1959 with the Monument of Prayer, two huge praying hands sheltering an image of Our Lady. The pilgrimage takes place every 26 May.

Prices of the main attractions

Events

Canela has its own calendar. Sonho de Natal (“Christmas Dream”), reaching its 39th edition in 2026, is the town’s Christmas event, with shows at the municipal theatre and in the streets; dates are published on the official Sonho de Natal website (Portuguese). If you travel during Gramado’s Christmas season, you can see both programmes on the same trip — see Natal Luz in Gramado.

How to plan a day in Canela

1. Start on Estrada do Caracol in the morning: Caracol Park or the cable cars, plus Castelinho Caracol.
2. Have lunch near downtown or at Estação Campos de Canella.
3. In the afternoon, explore downtown on foot: the stone cathedral, the cathedral bells, Praça da Matriz and Praça João Corrêa.
4. With a second day, pick a theme: the Ferradura Valley viewpoints (Skyglass and Parque dos Canyons), a theme park or the Morro Calçado rural route.

Viewpoints and waterfalls lose their appeal in fog, which is common in the highlands: on a cloudy day, swap them for museums and indoor parks. To decide where to stay, see Gramado or Canela; to fit Canela into a longer trip, use the 5-day itinerary.

Canela Tourist Office: centraldoturista@canela.rs.gov.br.