Curitiba has many options for families with kids, mainly owing to its slew of parks and associated playgrounds. These parks also have good walking and cycling, and invariably come with other interesting attractions. Barreirinha Park and Iguacu Park Zoo are particularly lots of fun, while those into beaches and surf can head for the nearby Praia Grande beach.

Barigui Park
Barigui Park is one of the biggest and most popular parks in Curitiba, both with locals and tourists. There are all sorts of sporting activities and things to do available in the park, with guinea pigs, herons, and skunks, and miles of cycling and walking paths. There is also a playground, a gym, and a restaurant here as well as the Automobile Museum and the Steam Train Station.

Barreirinha Park
Located on Anita Garibaldi Avenue, in the Barreirinha area of the city, Barreirinha Park is perhaps the most picturesque of Curitiba’s two-dozen or so parks and is another good place for kids. Amid the striking tree plantations are a children’s playground, walking paths, a pretty lake, barbeque areas, and a snack bar.

Iguaçu Park Zoo
Iguacu Park at Alto Boqueirao is Brazil’s largest urban park and comes with a huge amount of animals and things to do. The park is split up into seven areas, including the zoo, sports and fishing areas, and a wood and orchards. There are many exotic animals to marvel at in the zoo from all regions of South America, as well as a snack bar and a pub.

Merces Tower
Merces Tower on Lycio Grein de Castro Vellozo Street is the highest point in Curitiba and is thus perfect for getting an overall perspective of the city and for taking inquisitive kids to. It affords unhindered panoramic views of Curitiba and also has the interesting Telephone Museum onsite.

Praia Grande
Praia Grande beach is situated in nearby Paranagua and is a great place to head any time other than the winter. There is a nice sandy beach here, although Praia Grande is most popular with surfers rather than sunbathers, with its intermediate level waves. The other good thing about Praia Grande beach is that it is located in a natural reserve and has nice, clean waters and doesn’t get overly busy.

Walking in Tangua Park
Located on Bemben Street, Pilarzinho, Tangua Park is not huge but has some fantastic walking and cycling opportunities. There are a couple of quarries in the park that are joined by a long tunnel, with paths above and below for walking, while a jogging track and a cycle track add further possibilities. An observatory, a garden and a snack bar are also onsite.

There are many interesting cultural attractions in Curitiba worth a look, including museums, gardens, woods, and the old town centre. The German Wood is one of the most impressive places to visit, with its numerous old buildings and greenery, while the Natural History Museum in the Capao da Imbuia Wood reveals interesting information about the region, and Largo da Ordem has the oldest buildings in town.

Curitiba Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum can be found in the Capao da Imbuia Wood on Benedito Conceicao Street and features many fine dioramas and stuffed animals of the region. The highlight is the wood itself, with its Araucarias Path of the Araucaria Forest featuring an elevated pathway stretching for a quarter of a mile.

German Wood
Curitiba’s German Wood encompasses part of the Schaffer farm of years gone by amid its native forest. Also in the wood is an old wooden church replica from the 1930s, complete with neo-Gothic forms; the Bach’s Oratorium concert hall; the Philosophers Tower and the John and Mary path. Historians may also like to check out the Casa Mila German building.

Gutierrez Wood
Gutierrez Wood is another interesting part of Curitiba’s many nature areas and comes complete with the Chico Mendes Memorial and footpaths. Located on Albino Raschendorfer Street in Vista Alegre, the wood has lots of space and plenty of walking as well as a natural spring. The Chico Mendes Memorial remembers the famed Amazonian rubber extraction leader, while a doll theatre is also onsite.

Old Downtown (Largo da Ordem)
The oldest part of Curitiba naturally has the oldest and most interesting buildings, which include the 18th-century Romario Martins House and the Church of the Third Order of Saint Francis. Garibaldi Square, the Flowers Clock, Memory Fountain and Rosario Church are also worth a look and there is also much in the way of 19th-century German architecture here. Sunday morning is the best time to visit Largo da Ordem, with its craft fair and live music.

Sao Francisco Ruins
The stone Sao Francisco Ruins (Ruins’ Arcades) at Joao Candido Square are the remnants of a structure that was started in the early 1800s but never completed. A chapel was completed in 1811, along with a sacristy, but the stones set aside for the rest of the building were commandeered and used for the Basilica Cathedral Minor of Our Lady of Light (the Matriz tower) instead. The ruins today regularly stage gatherings and are littered with tunnels.

Curitiba is loaded with eateries in the form of cafés, snack bars, restaurants, fast food joints and bars, and it is always easy to find somewhere to eat. The atmosphere is generally good to boot, and the prices cheap. Por quilo restaurants are the most popular in town, with their buffet style self-serving.

Restaurants of note in Curitiba include: the ever popular Pizzeria Gepetto; Au Au, for salads and hotdogs; Beto Batata, for its fantastic potato tortillas and atmosphere; and Yume, for its Japanese food. For a typical Brazilian dish try feijoada; a rice dish with sausages and black beans. 24 Horas Street is alive day and night, and has some of the most accessible eating in Curitiba.

Curitiba has a number of nice air-conditioned shopping malls to wander about to pick up souvenirs or designer clothing. There are six major malls in town, including: Shopping Palladium, Curitiba, Mueller, Estacao, e Park Barigui, and Crystal. These malls are also good places to have a bite to eat and take kids to.

For street shopping, head to Carlos de Carvalho Street and nearby streets in Batel. You will find posh boutiques selling the likes of Dior, Armani, and Diesel on Comendador Araújo Street, near to Crystal shopping mall. For markets, the Feira do Largo da Ordem is a Sunday morning affair with much arts, crafts and food. Spain Square's Fair (Feira da Praça da Espanha) is good for antiques.