Gramado is about 150 kilometres inland from Porto Alegre (850 kms from Curitiba). Its strong Germanic influence and style, on top of a hill with wonderful views, makes it a popular tourist attraction particularly in the winter (there are radiators in the rooms!). We stayed at the Casa da Montanha, a very comfortable hotel with excellent service, 2 restaurants and a heated pool. It is in the centre of town within easy walking distance of the shops and restaurants - and there are plenty of shops, many shoe shops, as Rio Grande do Sul is the centre for extensive shoe manufacturing, leather jackets, knitted goods and a plethora of gift shops.

A day tour can be quite surreal - a visit to Papa Noel's Brazilian home, complete with a park lit up at night, a 'toy' factory, and Papa Noel's representative to welcome you - even adults; followed by a tour of a classic car museum - north American cars of the 40's and 50's and a few Harleys- with Elvis singing in the background; topped off (if you are lucky enough to visit in the first week of April) with a 'chocofest', a week long chocolate festival with every size and shape of Easter bunny for sale. Actually the sheer amount of chocolate put off even this confirmed chocoholic. In between all this there are some beautiful parks to visit including the waterfalls at Canela (about 10kms from Gramado) which you can walk down to - all 900 steps; the spectacular canyons at Canbará do Sul (Itaimbezinho and Fortaleza); the vineyards near Bento Gonçalves and Garibaldi where you can sample the wines; and horseriding gaucho-style - riding from 1 to 7 days in areas where there is no access by road, where fields are the size of small towns and the vistas are endless. You ride from horizon to horizon and feel enriched by this wonderful country. You can stay in small fazendas or shuttle back and forth to your hotel in Gramado. If horses are not for you, you can hike too.

Gramado and the surrounding area is definitely gearing itself up for the tourist. With a little planning you can have a great few days; staying close to town or exploring the countryside; in summer or winter; whatever type of break suits you I am sure you can enjoy yourself here.

Casa da Montanha: phone: 054 286 2544 or Internet www.casadamontanha.com.br 3 nights double room (low season) R$415,00.

Campo Fora: phone 054 24 1901 or Internet www.campofora.com.br horseriding only R$165 per day.

RS Tour Agência de Turismo: phone 054 244 2060 or Internet www.saachico.com.br/rstour - can book horseriding and all other tours.

Fellini Turismo: phone 051 228 6388 - Porto Alegre; car and driver for day with tour including lunch R$244.

Terra Bella Viagens e Turismo: phone 054 292 1461 or Mail to terrabela@bestnet.com.br

Douglas Coelho - can book horseriding and all other tours Transfer Porto Alegre/Gramado between R$170 and $210.

Eventtour: phone 041 222 9095, or Mail toeventtour@eventtour.com.br
in Curitiba.

We booked our whole trip with a travel agent in Curitiba - you can probably get better deals going direct.

Article written by: Gail Budd dcbgb@aol.com

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