By road, Porto Alegre and Joinville are about 383 miles (616 km) apart, or roughly 7 h 42 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.”
| Total distance | 383 mi (616 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 7 h 42 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-116 → BR-101 |
| States on the route | Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 15.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
What the drive from Porto Alegre to Joinville is like
BR-101 (317 mi) and BR-116 (59 mi) carry about 98% of the 383 miles. It runs through 2 states: Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina. Of the 9 stops listed below, 5 are within a mile of the road.
Porto Alegre to Joinville: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-116 | 4–63 | 59 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-101 | 63–380 | 317 | Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina |
| local roads | 380–383 | 3 | Santa Catarina |
- Mile 119 of this route: Rio Grande do Sul → Santa Catarina (state line)
Places worth a stop between Porto Alegre and Joinville
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museu Municipal Agostinho Martha (mile 17), Morro de Osório Protected Area (mile 62), Museu Willy Zumblick (mile 199), Teatro Adolpho Mello (mile 276), Praia da Ilhota (mile 316)
- Nature and outdoors: Praia da Guarita (mile 115), Guarda do Embaú (mile 254), Praia do Balneário do Estreito (mile 279), Praia da Ilhota (mile 316)
- Museums and history: Museu Municipal Agostinho Martha (mile 17), Museu Willy Zumblick (mile 199), Museu Etno-Arqueológico de Itajaí (mile 330)
Museu Municipal Agostinho Martha
At Rua Nossa Senhora dos Anjos 547 in central Gravataí, the Agostinho Martha Municipal Museum covers local history and art; it was created in 1974 and organized in 1981.
Morro de Osório Protected Area
Created in 1994, the Morro de Osório Environmental Protection Area is a municipal conservation unit of Osório, Rio Grande do Sul, originally covering about 6,896 acres.
Praia da Guarita
Guarita Beach in Torres, Rio Grande do Sul, is a public beach resort along the city's coast.
Museu Willy Zumblick
In downtown Tubarão, Santa Catarina, the Museu Willy Zumblick keeps a permanent exhibition of part of the collection of local-born artist Willy Zumblick.
Guarda do Embaú
About 46 km south of Florianópolis, Guarda do Embaú (Praia da Guarda do Embaú) is a beach recognized as a World Surfing Reserve, the first of its kind in Brazil.
Teatro Adolpho Mello
Founded in 1854 in the historic center of São José, Santa Catarina, Teatro Adolpho Mello opened its building two years later and is the oldest surviving theater in the state.
Praia do Balneário do Estreito
Praia do Balneário do Estreito stretches 1.8 km on the mainland side of Florianópolis, with views of small islands in North Bay, the Hercílio Luz Bridge and, to the other side, the city of Biguaçu.
Praia da Ilhota
On Itapema's coast in Santa Catarina, Praia da Ilhota pairs clear water and a wide strip of coarse golden sand with a string of seafood spots, and its slightly choppy sea draws local surfers.
Museu Etno-Arqueológico de Itajaí
Opened in 2010, the Museu Etno-Arqueológico de Itajaí covers prehistoric shell-mound (sambaqui) archaeology and the rural life of the lower Itajaí-Mirim valley on Santa Catarina's northern coast.
When you get to Joinville
Museu da Bicicleta de Joinville
Founded in 2000 and run by the city's cultural foundation, Joinville's bicycle museum holds more than 16,000 items, including bicycles, parts, posters, photos, unusual bikes and a model built to ride on rail tracks.
Museu Nacional de Imigração e Colonização
Joinville's Museu Nacional de Imigração e Colonização keeps memories, stories and objects tied to immigration in southern Brazil; it was created by federal law in 1957.
Museu Arqueológico de Sambaqui de Joinville
In Joinville, Santa Catarina, this archaeological museum explores the way of life and culture of the fisher-hunter-gatherer groups who were among the first peoples to spread across South America and settle what is now Brazil.
More drives to Joinville
- Curitiba to Joinville
- Sorocaba to Joinville
- São Paulo to Joinville
- Campinas to Joinville
- São José dos Campos to Joinville
- Ribeirão Preto to Joinville
From Porto Alegre to other places in Brazil
- Porto Alegre to Bento Gonçalves
- Porto Alegre to Caxias do Sul
- Porto Alegre to Erechim
- Porto Alegre to Chapecó
- Porto Alegre to Santa Maria, Brazil
- Porto Alegre to Ponta Grossa
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Porto Alegre to Joinville?
About 7 h 42 min of driving without stops, over 383 miles.
How far is Joinville from Porto Alegre by car?
About 383 miles (616 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.
Is it safe to drive from Porto Alegre to Joinville?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Porto Alegre to Joinville?
In order: BR-116 and BR-101. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Porto Alegre to Joinville?
Closest to the road: Museu Municipal Agostinho Martha (museum, mile 17, 0.6 mi from the route); Museu Willy Zumblick (museum, mile 199, 0.3 mi from the route); Praia da Ilhota (beach, mile 316, 0.2 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.