When Brazilians from other parts of the country visit Curitiba, they are invariably impressed with the Paranaense capital. Aside from its efficiency, safety, and general air of well-being, it provides an interesting example of enlightened urban planning. Due to city mayor (and later state governor) Jaime Lerner, a visionary architect who first came to power in the 1970s, Curitiba was an environmentalists’ dream long before Al Gore came along.

Concerned with the traffic pollution that was already afflicting large Latin American cities, Lerner inaugurated a modern, inexpensive, and very extensive municipal bus system and turned much of the small but carefully preserved historic center into an agreeable pedestrian district. Recycling and antipollution programs were adopted, and amidst new high-rises, vast tracts of land were transformed into public green spaces.

In fact, this truly emerald city boasts more than 30 municipal parks and wooded areas with plenty of walking and biking trails. Though not fascinating—you can easily see its most interesting sites in a day—Curitiba is definitely refreshing (located high up on a plateau, it is Brazil’s coolest state capital) and provides a good base for exploring the rest of Paraná.

Getting to Curitiba

Curitiba is easily reached from all other Brazilian cities by air. There are numerous daily bus connections from Rio, São Paulo, Florianópolis, and Porto Alegre.

By Air: Curitiba’s modern Aeroporto Internacional Afonso Pena (Av. Rocha Pombo, São José dos Pinhais, tel. 41/3381-1515) is 21 kilometers (13 miles) east of the city’s center. To get to the center of town, a taxi will set you back around R$50. A much better bargain is the excellent Aeroporto Executivo (tel. 41/3283-4321), a minibus that runs between the airport, the Rodoferroviária, Teatro Guaíra, Shopping Estação, and Rua 24 Horas. It costs R$6 and shuttles leave at 20-minute intervals.

By Bus: The main bus station and train station are one and the same, hence the hybrid moniker of Rodoferroviária (Av. Presidente Afonso Camargo 41/330, tel. 41/3320-3000). Buses travel to destinations throughout the state and country as well as to {node:8211 link Argentina], Paraguay, and Chile. Itapemirim (tel. 0800/723-2121, www.itapemirim.com.br) offers service to and from São Paulo (6 hours away). Pluma (tel. 0800/646-0300, www.pluma.com.br) heads all the way south to Porto Alegre (12 hours). Sulamericana (tel. 41/3373-1000, www.sula.com.br) offers service to Foz do Iguaçu (10 hours).

The only passenger trains still in activity run along the scenic line that goes to Paranaguá (tel. 41/3320-4007). Although the Rodoferroviária is an easy walk (around a dozen blocks) from the historic center, you can also grab a minibus that stops near the front entrance.