Things to Do in Florianópolis When It Rains: Ideas and Itinerary

Rainy day in Florianópolis? The best plan is to swap the beach for the historic center: have lunch at the Mercado Público, visit the museums on Praça XV and shop for handicrafts at the Casa da Alfândega, all on foot. If it’s just cloudy, the Azorean villages of Santo Antônio de Lisboa and Ribeirão da Ilha make a great outing, with oysters facing the sea. And for heavy rain, there are always movies, malls and a good sequência de camarão (an all-you-can-eat run of shrimp dishes).

The times below are from Trindade and are approximate, by car and without traffic. On rainy days in high season, traffic gets much worse.

What is the rain like in Florianópolis?

Knowing what kind of rain to expect helps you plan the day:

• In summer, rain usually comes as late-afternoon showers, sometimes with wind and lightning, and passes quickly. Often the morning is still good for the beach.
• With a cold front, more common in fall and winter, the weather closes in for one or more days, the wind shifts to the south and the temperature drops. That’s when an indoor itinerary is worth planning.

Before you cancel the beach, check the hourly forecast. And remember that with a south wind, the beaches in the north of the island are usually more sheltered.

Historic center itinerary (half or full day)

Downtown is about 15 minutes from Trindade, and the main sights are just a few blocks from each other. It’s the most complete plan for a rainy day in Florianópolis.

Mercado Público

The Mercado Público de Florianópolis (public market) has been the heart of downtown since the late 19th century. The building is a protected municipal landmark, and its covered central hall is full of bars and restaurants, making it perfect for a long lunch without getting wet. It’s home to Box 32, one of the city’s most traditional bars, open since 1984. In the wings, there are fishmongers, specialty food stores, cafés and shops selling local products.

Museu de Florianópolis

Opened in 2021 in the former Casa de Câmara e Cadeia (old town hall and jail) on Praça XV, the Museu de Florianópolis tells the story of the city and its relationship with the land: settlement, urban change, the island and the sea. It’s run by Sesc in partnership with the city government and also has a temporary exhibition room. It’s the best starting point for understanding Santa Catarina’s capital.

Museu Histórico de Santa Catarina (Palácio Cruz e Sousa)

The pink palace on Praça XV was once the seat of the state government and has housed the Museu Histórico de Santa Catarina (Santa Catarina History Museum) since 1986. Its name honors the poet Cruz e Sousa, born in Florianópolis and the leading figure of Brazilian Symbolism. The halls and wooden floors are worth the visit. Parts of the building have been under renovation in the past, so check what’s open before you go.

Museu Victor Meirelles

A few blocks from Praça XV, the Museu Victor Meirelles occupies a historic house linked to the painter, who was born in Florianópolis in 1832 and painted Primeira Missa no Brasil (The First Mass in Brazil). Admission is free. It’s a short visit, about 1 hour, that pairs well with lunch at the Mercado.

Casa da Alfândega and the Cathedral

The Casa da Alfândega, the port’s former customs house, is now a showcase for Santa Catarina handicrafts, with renda de bilro (bobbin lace), ceramics and pieces by local artists. It’s the right place to buy an authentic souvenir. To wrap up, walk up to the Catedral Metropolitana (cathedral), facing Praça XV.

Tip: parking downtown on a rainy day is hard. Take a ride-hailing app or a bus from the Trindade bus terminal (TITRI).

Museum and planetarium at UFSC, next to Trindade

If you’re staying near the university, you have two options a few minutes’ walk away:

• MArquE (UFSC Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology). It holds the collection donated by Franklin Cascaes, who recorded the island’s legends, witches and Azorean daily life in drawings, sculptures and writing. It also has archaeological collections related to the sambaquis (ancient shell mounds). Admission is free, and the museum opens on weekdays. Because it’s a federal museum, it can close during strikes; check the official MArquE website before you go.
• UFSC Planetarium. It has scheduled sessions and, on some nights, public stargazing, which only happens when the sky is at least partly clear. On a rainy day, go for the dome sessions, if any are scheduled for that date.

Azorean villages: Santo Antônio de Lisboa and Ribeirão da Ilha

Cloudy weather suits the island’s oldest villages. This isn’t a beach outing: it’s about strolling slowly, taking in the old houses and eating well.

Santo Antônio de Lisboa (~30 min). A village in the north of the island, facing the North Bay (Baía Norte). The Igreja Nossa Senhora das Necessidades, built in the mid-18th century, and Rua das Pedras, with its old stone paving, are in the village center. The restaurants along the bay serve locally farmed oysters. If the sky clears in the late afternoon, the sunset here is one of the most famous in Florianópolis.

Ribeirão da Ilha (~40 min). In the south, facing the South Bay (Baía Sul), it’s the city’s main oyster-farming hub. The colorful houses around the Igreja Nossa Senhora da Lapa, inaugurated in 1806, form one of the best-preserved Azorean ensembles in Santa Catarina. The privately run Ecomuseu do Ribeirão da Ilha displays objects and the history of Azorean settlement; check opening hours before you go.

To pick where to eat in each village, see our guide on where to eat in Florianópolis.

Malls and movies

For heavy rain all day, malls are the answer. The island’s three main malls:

Mall	Location	Highlights
Villa Romana Shopping (formerly Iguatemi)	Santa Mônica, next to Trindade	Closest to UFSC; shops, movie theater and food court
Beiramar Shopping	Downtown	Pairs well with the historic itinerary; movie theater and lots of shops
Floripa Shopping	SC-401, on the way to the north of the island	Movie theater, food court and supermarket

Heads-up: on rainy days in high season, parking lots fill up and the exits get congested. Arrive when they open or take a ride-hailing app.

More ideas for a gray day

• Projeto TAMAR, in Barra da Lagoa (~30 min). A visitor center with sea turtles in rehabilitation and guided tours. A good outing with kids. Part of the visit is outdoors, so it works better in a drizzle than in a downpour. Check opening hours on the TAMAR website.
• Sequência de camarão in Lagoa da Conceição (~15 min). A long lunch with one shrimp dish after another is the classic gray-day plan. See our Lagoa da Conceição guide.
• Theater and cinema. The Centro Integrado de Cultura (CIC), in Agronômica, brings together a theater, a cinema and exhibition spaces, and the Teatro Álvaro de Carvalho is downtown. Check the week’s program.
• Craft breweries. Greater Florianópolis has several breweries with taprooms. A great option for a rainy late afternoon.
• A rest day. Sometimes the best thing is to use the rain to work, cook and rest up for the next day’s beach.

Tips so you don’t lose the day

• Check opening hours on the day. Public museums in Florianópolis close fairly often for renovations or strikes, and several close on Mondays or Tuesdays.
• Head out early. In high season, everyone has the same idea: malls and downtown fill up after 2 pm.
• Wear closed-toe shoes. The stone sidewalks downtown and in the Azorean villages get slippery.
• Avoid trails and rocky shores in the rain. Wet rocks and mud are the main cause of accidents. See our guide to hiking trails in Florianópolis.
• Heavy rain floods some streets. If there’s a Civil Defense alert, avoid long trips.

A good base for rainy days

Trindade is one of the best places to be when the weather turns: downtown and Lagoa da Conceição are about 15 minutes away, Villa Romana is in the neighboring area, and MArquE is right on the UFSC campus. Floripa Studio Trindade is in Viva Trindade, next to UFSC, with an Angeloni supermarket, a pharmacy and a food court on the ground floor of the building. You can get through the day without taking the car out of the garage, and make the most of the full kitchen and 800 Mbps Wi-Fi while the rain passes.