Going for a vacation has always been something that many people look forward to. But before you get your bags packed and head to the city of Florianopolis, here are some information that you may need to know in order to make the most of your stay in the city.
If you are a tourist from the U.S., you may also need to know where the country’s embassy is located. When having trouble that may need the office’s help, you can instruct your taxi driver to take you to this address:
U.S. Embassy
SES – Av. das Nações,
Quadra 801, Lote 03
70403-900 – Brasilia, DF
Phone: (55-61) 3312-7000
Fax: (55-61) 3225-9136
To make sure that communicating with friends, families, or business associates that you left behind for the vacation is hassle-free, make sure that you leave them Brazil’s country code which is 55 and the city’s area code which is 48. This means that in order to reach you in Florianopolis, they have to press 1-55-48, followed by your phone number in the city. Another option is for them to contact the overseas operator, inform them where you are to get information on how to dial your number. Some of these operators will even present to complete the call for you free of charge, or of minimum fee.
As for the time zone, the city of Florianopolis is under the UTC-3 time zone, which is an hour ahead New York’s time, two hours ahead of Houston, and ahead by three hours of the time in Denver. If you are living in a place where the time zone is really different, it would be good to make adjustments on your sleeping habit prior to your vacation to do away with jetlag.
For money matters, most of the merchandise items and services in Florianopolis are paid with Real, pronounced as “heh-ALL”, which is the currency in Brazil. There are, however, bank networks and ATMs throughout the city that accept most bank cards and credit cards. You can also have your money exchanged in Florianopolis’s exchange shops and some banks. The exchange rate for a U.S. dollar to Real averages from 0.534931 to 1.8694.
As part of Brazil, the main language used in Florianopolis is Portuguese. Thus, it would be wise to learn a little of the language as you explore the city and mingle with the locals.
Getting a vacation in Florianopolis is a great way to do away with stress, at least for a while; taking the information above will help you make the most out of it.