By road, Palhoça and Apucarana are about 412 miles (663 km) apart, or roughly 8 h 31 min of driving.
- Level 4: Do Not Travel in Brazil: informal housing developments (favelas, vilas, comunidades or conglomerados).
Full advisory: Brazil. Advisory issued: Brazil August 31, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Brazil: “Road maintenance is inadequate in many areas.”
| Distance | 412 mi (663 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 8 h 31 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-101 → BR-376 → BR-116 → BR-277 |
| States on the route | Santa Catarina, Paraná |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 16.5 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
What the drive from Palhoça to Apucarana is like
BR-376 (197 mi) and BR-101 (132 mi) carry about 80% of the 412 miles. It runs through 2 states: Santa Catarina, Paraná. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Palhoça to Apucarana
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | Santa Catarina |
| BR-101 | 1–133 | 132 | Santa Catarina |
| BR-376 | 133–176 | 43 | Santa Catarina, Paraná |
| BR-116 | 176–184 | 8 | Paraná |
| BR-277 | 184–254 | 70 | Paraná |
| BR-376 | 254–408 | 154 | Paraná |
| local roads | 408–412 | 4 | Paraná |
- Mile 134 of this route: Santa Catarina → Paraná (state line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Palhoça and Apucarana
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Praia do Estaleirinho (mile 45), Curitiba Zoo (mile 180)
- Nature and outdoors: Praia do Estaleirinho (mile 45), Praia das Taquaras (mile 48)
- Museums and history: Joinville Art Museum (mile 108), Sede da Fazenda Cancela (mile 224), Museu de Arqueologia de Ponta Grossa (mile 255), Museu Campos Gerais (mile 260)
- With kids: Curitiba Zoo (mile 180)
Praia do Estaleirinho
The first of six beaches along Balneário Camboriú's Interpraias road, Praia do Estaleirinho has coarse sand and plenty of waves, and sits a little over 10 km from downtown.
Praia das Taquaras
Reached by the Interpraias road, Praia das Taquaras (Praia de Taquaras) in Balneário Camboriú has about 1.1 km of coarse sand and calm but deep water, popular for surf casting, plus a small fishing community.
Joinville Art Museum
Opened on September 3, 1976, the Museu de Arte de Joinville documents, studies and conserves artworks, mainly by local artists. It is run by the Joinville Cultural Foundation and sits on Rua XV de Novembro.
Curitiba Zoo
Curitiba Zoo (Jardim Zoológico de Curitiba) lies inside Parque Regional do Iguaçu, an urban park of 8 million square meters in the capital of Paraná state.
Sede da Fazenda Cancela
Inside the Witmarsum Colony in the Campos Gerais of Paraná, the old headquarters house of Fazenda Cancela is a historic building that now serves as a museum.
Teatro Municipal Álvaro Augusto Cunha Rocha
Better known as Cine-Teatro Pax, this university theater in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, is run by the State University of Ponta Grossa; its renovation was completed in March 2008.
Museu de Arqueologia de Ponta Grossa
Officially the Museu de Arqueologia Ciro Flamarion Cardoso, this Ponta Grossa museum opened in 2001 and holds objects on the history, art and archaeology of ancient Egypt.
Museu Campos Gerais
Run by the State University of Ponta Grossa, Museu Campos Gerais works to preserve the cultural heritage of Paraná's Campos Gerais region.
Cineteatro Ópera
Ponta Grossa's Cineteatro Ópera is a performance venue with three auditoriums totaling 933 seats, the main hall holding about 690 people.
More drives to Apucarana
- São José do Rio Preto to Apucarana
- São Carlos to Apucarana
- Limeira to Apucarana
- Campinas to Apucarana
- Jundiaí to Apucarana
- Franca to Apucarana
From Palhoça to other places in Brazil
- Palhoça to Bento Gonçalves
- Palhoça to Guarapuava
- Palhoça to Santa Cruz do Sul
- Palhoça to Itanhaém
- Palhoça to Cubatão
- Palhoça to Francisco Beltrão
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Palhoça to Apucarana?
About 8 h 31 min of driving without stops, over 412 miles.
How far is Apucarana from Palhoça by car?
About 412 miles (663 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Palhoça to Apucarana drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Palhoça to Apucarana use?
In order: BR-101, BR-376, BR-116 and BR-277. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Palhoça to Apucarana?
Closest to the road: Praia do Estaleirinho (beach, mile 45, 0.7 mi from the route); Curitiba Zoo (zoo, mile 180, 0.6 mi from the route); Teatro Municipal Álvaro Augusto Cunha Rocha (theater, mile 255, 1 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.