Florianópolis (nickname Floripa), the capital of Santa Catarina, is an island city with over 42 stunning beaches, as well as lagoons and sand dunes. It is a major tourist destination and one of the safest cities in Brazil, attracting visitors to its world-class surfing beaches and international surf competitions. Other popular watersports in Florianopolis include kitesurfing, and paddle-boarding and kayaking in Lagoa da Conceição. Aside from watersports, it is famous for its seafood cuisine, and vibrant nightlife. The island also has a rich history, with colonial-era forts and a historic downtown area.
The Brazilian currency is named Real (or Reais in plural) and as of 11/March/2026 1US$ corresponds to BRL 5.17 (Brazilian reais). Similarly, 1 Euro corresponds to BRL 6.01. The exchange rate can vary daily and may be different depending on where you make the exchange. You can see the current official rates in a site like Oanda: Currency Converter | Foreign Exchange Rates | OANDA
Venue and Hotel Reservation
The event will be hosted in the Conference space of the Hotel Costão do Santinho. We highly recommend the participants to make early reservation for the event in order to guarantee accommodation at the venue’s location. The participants staying in other hotels will have full access to the conference events, but we highly recommend people staying in this location for easy access to the event and to the facilities of the resort.
Website: http://www.costao.com.br
Hotel Reservation: Full Board included – Prices depend on the type of accommodation. Better deals can be achieved if you are willing to share an apartment with kitchen and multiple bedrooms.
Getting to Florianópolis
BY AIR
Florianopolis has its own airport, Hercilio Luz Airport, located on the island. All major Brazilian airlines fly to Florianopolis. If you are flying from outside of the country, it is likely that you will have to make a connection, probably in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. Make sure when you are booking your flight that your connecting flight to Floripa leaves from the same airport as your arriving flight, as both cities have more than one major airport, and transferring between them can be a great hassle. GOL and LATAM airlines are cut-rate airline companies that fly to Florianopolis.
The best way to get from the airport to your hotel is by taxi or Uber. Taxi drivers in Florianopolis are honest and reliable. The ride from the airport into town costs about R$200 ($40 USD). An Uber from Florianopolis airport to the hotel costs around US$30-40 or 25-30 euros. It is also possible to use airport transfer vans to the hotel which cost around US$15 (more detailed instructions will be sent closer to the event date).
BY BUS
Overnight buses are available to travel to Florianopolis from both Rio and Sau Paulo. The trip takes about ten hours from Sao Paulo, and eighteen from Rio. You can pay a little more to upgrade to a sleeper bus, which is more comfortable. From Sao Paulo, a standard bus costs around R$ 180 (“semi-leito), and a sleeper bus (“leito”) costs about R$350. From Rio the cost is about R$ 450.
For more information, please contact the event organizers:
Vanderlei Martins – martins@umbc.edu
