historic highway
Estrada da Graciosa
A cobbled 1873 mountain road descending the Serra do Mar from Quatro Barras toward Morretes through Atlantic rainforest, with stone rest houses at its historic waypoints.
38 km · about 45 min drive
Paraná, Brazil · South America
Curitiba sits on the route: 15 minutes from Pinhais, 38km from Estrada da Graciosa.
Curitiba is a major city located in Paraná, Brazil. With a population of 1,948,626, it is one of the largest urban centers in South America.
On a road trip, Curitiba sits in Brazil, where you drive on the right. It's in the America/Sao Paulo time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Curitiba to your route.
Curitiba ( KOOR-ih-CHEEB-ə; Brazilian Portuguese: [kuɾiˈtʃibɐ]) is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,829,225 as of 2024, making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area comprisesRead more
29 municipalities with a total population of over 3,559,366, making it the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the country.
The city sits on a plateau at 932 m (3,058 ft) above sea level. It is located west of the seaport of Paranaguá and is served by the Afonso Pena International and Bacacheri airports. Curitiba is an important cultural, political, and economic center in Latin America and hosts the Federal University of Paraná, established in 1912.
In the 19th century, Curitiba's favorable location between cattle-breeding countryside and marketplaces led to a successful cattle trade and the city's first major expansion. Later, between 1850 and 1950, it grew due to logging and agricultural expansion in Paraná State (first Araucaria angustifolia logging, later mate and coffee cultivation and in the 1970s wheat, corn and soybean cultivation). In the 1850s, waves of European immigrants arrived in Curitiba, mainly Germans, Italians, Poles and Ukrainians, contributing to the city's economic and cultural development and richness in diversity. Nowadays, only small numbers of immigrants arrive, primarily from Middle Eastern and other South American countries.
Curitiba's biggest expansion occurred after the 1960s, with innovative urban planning that allowed the population to grow from some hundreds of thousands to more than a million people. Curitiba's economy is based on industry and services and is the seventh largest in Brazil. Economic growth occurred in parallel to a substantial inward flow of Brazilians from other parts of the country, as approximately half of the city's population was not born in Curitiba.
Curitiba is one of the few Brazilian cities with a very high Human Development Index (0.856) and in 2010 it was awarded the Global Sustainable City Award, given to cities and municipalities that excel in sustainable urban development. According to US magazine Reader's Digest, Curitiba is the best "Brazilian Big City" in which to live. Curitiba's crime rate is considered low by Brazilian standards and the city is considered one of the safest cities in Brazil for youth. The city is also regarded as the best in which to invest in Brazil. Curitiba was one of the host cities of the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and again for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Curitiba’s unemployment rate was one of the lowest recorded in Brazil in 2025, at 4.3%, ranking third in terms of the economically active population, behind Palmas (TO) and Florianópolis (SC).
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Curitiba offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.
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Curitiba is located in Paraná, Brazil, South America. The coordinates are -25.4278 latitude, -49.2731 longitude.
Curitiba has a population of approximately 1,948,626 people, making it a major city in Brazil.
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1 notable place within an hour's drive.
historic highway
A cobbled 1873 mountain road descending the Serra do Mar from Quatro Barras toward Morretes through Atlantic rainforest, with stone rest houses at its historic waypoints.
38 km · about 45 min drive
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