Gramado is located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, 115 kilometers north of Porto Alegre, the state capital.
It is located in the so-called "Sierra Gaucha", it is the most important tourist pole of Rio Grande do Sul and one of the most sought after destinations by Brazilian domestic tourism.
Due to its German colonial architecture, it is known as the "Switzerland of Brazil".
Tourists visit it throughout the year, attracted by its natural beauties such as the mountains, the valleys, the crystalline streams and the pine forests.
Gramado differs in various aspects from other Brazilian cities, since it does not have a tropical climate, it is rather cold. And its colonial architecture is inspired by towns in the European Alps.
The hydrangea is the symbol flower of Gramado and is present in every corner of the city, both in private gardens and in public parks, streets and routes. The characteristic bluish color is given by the acid soil rich in iron oxide.
The name Gramado means pasture in Spanish. The first Portuguese settlers gave it this name since it was the place where cattle were fed.
At the end of the 19th century, the region began to receive European immigrants and Gramado gradually became populated by Italians, Germans, and Portuguese. It grew and was emancipated in 1954.
One of the attractions is the Quilombo Valley, where there are native araucaria forests and small agricultural colonies.
The Knorr Park which houses a theme park called Santa Claus Village.
The Mini World is a children's theme park with scaled-down replicas of famous German buildings.
The Black Lake is an artificial mirror of water surrounded by trees whose seeds were brought from the Black Forest, in Germany.
The climate is temperate oceanic, summers are not usually hot and winters are cold, with temperatures that drop below 0 °C, with strong frosts and occasional snowfalls.
See more about how to get to Gramado
See also information on Porto Alegre.
