The city grew on the banks of the Guaiba river, what many call the river although it is a lake, according to studies at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Its border stretches for 72 km and concentrates many leisure options. As Iberê Camargo, cultural center housed in a building of bold architecture award at the Venice Biennale. Beyond shaping a poetic sunset, the whole hydrographic home islands rich in diversity (there are about 9,000 species of plants in Porto Alegre). Tree-lined streets, about 600 squares and parks are also reasons to be proud of Porto Alegre, which circulate through these locations, it is cold or heat, armed with your kit mate: gourd, pump, thermos and grass. At night, the emerging region of Windmills focuses uptight bars surrounding the “Walk of Fame” along the Rua Padre Chagas.

Good pubs dominate, turn the Lower City. In gastronomy, despite the fame of its export steakhouses, is a French restaurant that stands out, Le Bateau Ivre, best restaurant in southern Brazil, with two stars in the GUIDE FOUR WHEELS. There is legend, the football rivalry is also part of the local culture. Both the Guild and the International open the door of their stadiums for guided tours.

Directions

Salgado Filho International Airport is 10 km from the center. By taxi, paid on average R$ 20 to the central region. Bus line and trains make the same path (for the latter, access is via a footbridge over the Avenue of States). The road is busy central area with easy transport to other regions. Who choose to drive will find a city well-flagged.

Knowing around

Parks and squares well-maintained invite visitors to meet Porto Alegre walk. In the center, it is difficult to walk the other way on weekdays: narrow streets and bustling stress the drivers. Driving by the other districts is less complicated during the week; exception for late afternoons, when everybody leaves the central region along the avenues Protásio Alves, Independence and Patches.

How to save money

Addresses with daily account more concentrated generally in the central city. Staying out of there means, in most cases, pay more money.

Porto Alegre was founded in 1772 by immigrants from the Azores, Portugal. In the late 19th century the city received many immigrants from other parts of the world, particularly from Germany, Italy, and Poland. The vast majority of the population is of European descent.

The city lies on the eastern bank of the Rio Guaiba (Guaiba Lake), where five rivers converge to form the Lagoa dos Patos (Lagoon of the Ducks), a giant freshwater lagoon navigable by even the largest of ships. This five-river junction has become an important alluvial port as well as a chief industrial and commercial center of Brazil.

The port of Porto Alegre is important for transporting local produce. The “capital gaúcha” has a broad-based economy that lays particular emphasis on agriculture and industry. Agricultural production includes produce such as plums, peaches, rice and cassava grown on rural smallholdings. The shoe and leather industries are also important, especially in Novo Hamburgo, in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre.

Porto Alegre has a long coastline on the Guaíba Lake, and its topography is punctuated by 40 hills. In the lake, a vast body of water, a maze of islands facing the city creates an archipelago where a unique ecosystem gives shelter to abundant wildlife. The city area concentrates 28% of the native flora of Rio Grande do Sul, with 9,288 species.[3] Among these, there are many trees which are the vestiges of the Atlantic Forest. Fauna are also diversified, specially in the islands and hills. The Portoalegrense environs include many parks, squares and wooded streets.

In recent years, Porto Alegre hosted the World Social Forum, an initiative of several non-government organizations. The 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches was held in Porto Alegre in 2006.
Porto Alegre will be one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Fonte: Wikipedia, mTur