Beautiful island of beaches on the Sao Paulo coast, with mostly only Brazilians.
A family-friendly beach destination, developed infrastructure with city comforts (shopping, stores, etc), nice beach boardwalk, many levels of accommodations to choose from, nature and trekking. If you want to hit a full island instead of just mainland coastal beach area like Ubatuba, then Ilhabela is for you.
3 days minimum considering that there are many areas to check out, and also for the effort you spend getting there. As with many Brazilian beach destinations…5-7 days is more what people spend. Soak in the vibe and feel like you have time to enjoy more different beaches.
Getting to Ilhabela may feel tricky for first-timers. The easiest way is to fly into Sao Paulo GRU airport, then take a bus (i.e. BrazilByBus) to Sao Sebastiao…arriving right near the ferry dock. Take the free ferry to Ilhabela island, takes 20 minutes to cross and leaves every 30 mins (from early morning to late at night…schedules depend on season).
Where to stay:
- Town center – worst area to stay. You’re centrally-located to everything but close to nothing. So walking is not fun, nicer restaurant options are far away. Not aesthetically pleasing to walk around here. Only reason to be here is because you want to be centrally-located (between north and south ends of the island) and/or because you found a cheap place.
- Vila Historica – this is IMO the best area to stay. Good range of accommodations, close to the highest density of restaurants, bars, things to do. Many beaches and piers to jump into the water. Or just head out to one of the farther beaches so it’s less crowded. Anywhere slightly north or south of here would be fine as well. Staying anywhere here, you’re much less likely to have to walk far or call a taxi to do things.
- South side – Praia do Curral or Juliao would be the southern area. Also nice, and perhaps less popular and busy like the northern stretch around Vila Historica.
The developed “city” part of the island is the western coastal part of it. With the “city center” of it being Ilhabela where your ferry arrives. The driving paths go all the way up to the north (Praia Jabaquara), all the way down to the south (Trilha do Bonete hiking trail), and also straight through the center (Praia de Castelhanos beach).
To get further…I think you can go foot as far as Praia da Fome beach (north), and Praia das Enchovas (south). The center, you can already cut straight to the beach by car.
Hostels & Hotels:
- Hostel da Vila – nice hostel in the nice part of town.
- Verde Hostel – great vibe, very chill, very social. More in the downtown center part of town…not my favorite area but it’s not bad by any means. Just that you find yourself slightly farther from the action.
Neighborhoods, walking areas, public squares:
Activities to do:
- Beaches, bridges, water-points:
- There are many nice beaches, with varying degrees of accessibility and infrastructure (restaurants, etc). The ones I listed below are the more important geo-markers for key things. But you should definitely explore and read up on beaches that I didn’t mention.
- NORTH
- Praia do Jabaquara – the nicest one and farthest that can be reached by car. Beautiful and good infrastructure (with car parking, restaurant, sun chairs, vendors, bathrooms, water activity rentals). And also probably busy for these reasons. Most people spend a solid 3-4 hours here either in the morning or afternoon. Restaurant closes at 5pm so you’ll have to eat your sunset dinner somewhere else. Ask the restaurant for WIFI to call your taxi.
- Praia do Fome – can be hiked to from Jabaquara. A good option if Jabaquara is too busy for you.
- Praia de Armacao – the farthest beach that you can reach with the local bus.
- Praia do Viana – amazing Viana Restaurante here. You can eat here for sunset, after coming back from Jabaquara!
- Praia do Jabaquara – the nicest one and farthest that can be reached by car. Beautiful and good infrastructure (with car parking, restaurant, sun chairs, vendors, bathrooms, water activity rentals). And also probably busy for these reasons. Most people spend a solid 3-4 hours here either in the morning or afternoon. Restaurant closes at 5pm so you’ll have to eat your sunset dinner somewhere else. Ask the restaurant for WIFI to call your taxi.
- CENTER (WEST)
- Boardwalk beaches – from Praia do Pequea down to Praia de Pereque, the beaches are one long connected strip of sand. With a narrow sandbar, and comfy sidewalk with a great view of ocean, walking past many nice hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, also outdoor parks and exercise machines. Also many beach piers to jump off of.
- Praia do Juliao – probably the best sunset IMO. First because there’s lots of nature landscape for the sun to set over. And the angle is better than other beaches (where the sunset seems to come straight on at you directly across the water). Here the sun comes from the side so you have more landscape variety in your view and photos. Also there are more areas to sit from with unobstructed view of the sunset. Good for families and water activities. Little island nearby you can visit with kayak.
- Praia do Curral – another popular one with many people.
- EAST
- Praia do Castelhano – nicest one that you can reach by car. It’s located in the Castelhano park and only 4×4 vehicles are allowed. Most likely, you’ll get here using a tour. Also, the road is scheduled (changing directions at different hours) since it’s only one lane.
- SOUTH
- –
- Praia do Bonete – nicest one on the entire island. Reachable by bus/car to the trailhead then 3-5 hour difficult hike, or 40min boat ride.
- Praia das Enchovas – hour hike from Bonete. Beautiful and isolated. Lots of rocks, beautiful waterfall that flows into the sea, natural pool. Some people also get here hiking from Castelhano to Bonete.
- Viewpoints, landmarks, sunsets, hikes
- Praia do Juliao for the sunset view
- Praia do Viana for sunset while you eat. Or if you’re already in this area.
- Buildings & architecture:
- Parks, gardens, green spaces:
- Arts, museums, culture:
- Vila Historica has some old-time buildings and church. Also some art gallery and souvenir shops. Walk around.
- Markets, shopping:
- Vila Historica
- Tours:
- Castelhano Jipe – jeep takes you to Castelhano beach, stopping at waterfalls and viewpoints along the water. Then takes you straight back afterwards.
- Castelhano Jipe x Barco – jeep picks you up from your place, and takes you through Castelhano park stopping at waterfalls and viewpoints, then drops you off at Castelhano beach for 2.5 hours. Then you take a boat to 2 other beaches and finally dropped off back in town center at Praia do Pereque. The boat addition was totally worth it!
- Barco a Bonete
- snorkel
- hikes
- Ilhavela Charters – “ilhavelacharters” on IG, boat tour company recommended by local Brazilian friend.
Restaurants & Cafes:
- Atelier do Tonhao – wow, great restaurant with top-tier food. Very nice-looking, much prettier and more upscale than in photos.
- Restaurante Viana – amazing restaurant. I’d eat here at sunset time after your daily tours or beach activities.
- Restaurante Alecrim – great restaurant with very good food and big selection. Feels more local and slightly less fancy, but still on the fancy touristy side. Big portions.
- Restaurante Conves – good restaurant right on the water (nice views) in the center of town. Tourist prices but indeed, it’s good food
- Ponto das Letras – great coffee shop with WIFI and many tables for working. You can sit in the back and nobody bothers you. Right across the street is beach view.
- Ilhabela Republic Downtown – another great cafe. Good food, good wifi, good for working as well.
There’s just so many great restaurants on this island. You can’t go wrong picking the ones with good reviews on Google.
Bars, clubs, and nightlife:
- There are many bars everywhere.
Miscellaneous tips:
- General travel tips for Brazil.
- Transportation
- Bus – there’s a local bus, that runs on the main street, and takes you north up to Praia da Armacao or south down town to Borrifos (45min walk, 9min drive from Praia do Bonete hiking trailhead).
- Once on Ilhabela, you’ll can rely on the local bus or taxis to get around (unless you’re renting a bike or car). Taxis can seem expensive but are reliable. Take the number of any taxi driver and if he’s not available, he’ll quickly forward your request to another driver.
- Insect Repellant – first rule everyone will tell you for Ilhabela. Bring insect repellant. Not for the mosquitos but the awful sandflies aka “black flies” or “barronoches”. They are small and fly very fast and harder to kill than mosquitos. Their bites sting more and last longer, also leaving marks that can be permanent or last for years. I’d say it’s the biggest drawbacks of this island.
- Barbearia do Renato – great barbershop! Nice owner. Good cut. Good price.
Itinerary:
- DAY 1 –
Nearby towns:
- Ubatuba
- Paraty
- Trindade
Unfiltered notes: