The environmental fee, the route, the right season and the right neighbourhood — what someone who lives here would tell a friend coming for the first time.
Before you leave home
Bombinhas is a peninsula with a single road in, and in high season the town charges a fee on vehicles from out of town. It applies to the whole town — not to any one beach. The beaches themselves stay public and free.
The car, motorbike, van or bus pays — not the person. The amount depends on the type of vehicle. Cameras at the town entrance read the number plate; there's no barrier and no queue to pay.
The fee is charged from November 15 to April 15 of the following year. Outside that period entry is free. That's the period set by municipal law — check the town council's website for any change before you travel.
Each payment covers 24 hours from the first recorded entry. Within that window the vehicle can come and go as often as it likes; after 24 hours, a new entry is charged again.
You can pay right after you enter, on the official portal, in the TPA app or at the official service points — all you need is the number plate. Don't wait for a bill in the post: if you leave without paying, you have up to 30 days from entry to pay without interest or fines, according to the town council.
Staying in town doesn't make you exempt: hotels, guesthouses and holiday rentals aren't on the list — the tenant exemption requires a registered lease of at least 6 months. Registration is done online, on the TPA portal or app, and most categories have to renew it every season.
This guide deliberately doesn't publish the amount: it's adjusted every year and varies by vehicle type. The current table is on the official TPA website and the town council's page.
The route
Every route in runs along the BR-101 to the Porto Belo exit. From there it's about 12 km to the town entrance, at Praia de Bombas.
Coming from the south (Florianópolis, Porto Alegre) or the north (Joinville, Curitiba), take the BR-101 to the signposted exit for Porto Belo and Bombinhas. The road runs through Porto Belo and enters Bombinhas at Bombas. In high season the last stretch gets jammed at weekends and on public holidays — arriving early makes a real difference.
Navegantes airport is the closest, about 60 km away — around an hour's drive without traffic. There are car-hire desks at the airport and transfers to Bombinhas.
Hercílio Luz airport in Florianópolis is about 80 km away and usually has more flights and better fares. The route is the same: leave the island, take the BR-101 north and turn off at the Porto Belo exit.
Intercity buses run to Bombinhas from the Florianópolis bus station and from nearby towns such as Itajaí, Balneário Camboriú and Itapema; in high season there are also routes from the state capitals of southern Brazil. Operators and timetables change from season to season — check at your departure station before you buy.
When to go
There's no single right season — there's the right season for what you want. Heat and a packed town, mild weather and empty beaches, or winter with the mullet run and quiet streets.
December to February, including Carnival
Weather
Hot, long days and the warmest water for swimming.
Crowds
The town fills up, especially between Christmas and Carnival. Parking runs out early, restaurants have queues and the TPA is in force. Book your accommodation well ahead.
March and April · October and November
Weather
Mild weather. In March the sea is still warm from the summer.
Crowds
Far fewer people, plenty of room on the beaches and shops open. Many locals consider it the best time of year. The TPA applies until April 15 and returns on November 15.
May to September
Weather
A proper winter: cool days, cold nights and cold water for swimming.
Crowds
A quiet town, no fee and cheaper accommodation. It's the season of the traditional mullet fishing, with canoes and nets on the beaches — a side of Bombinhas summer visitors never see.
December 31
New Year's Eve (Réveillon)
The busiest night of the year, with the town full. If you want to spend it here, book well in advance.
February or March
Carnival
The last big peak of the season. The date changes every year with the Carnival calendar.
March
Rowing Boat Festival
On Praia de Bombinhas, around the town's anniversary: a race of canoas de um pau só, dugout canoes carved from a single trunk, with fishermen from all over the state.
May to July
Mullet season
Traditional fishing takes over the beaches: lookouts on the headlands, canoes on the sand and the net closing in when the shoal arrives.
July
Saragaço
The festival that closes the mullet season, with contests between the fishing camps, traditional food and free concerts.
Where to stay
The peninsula is small, but every neighbourhood has its own pace. Choose by the kind of trip — and by the beach you want on your doorstep.
Families with children
Calm sea, shallow water and everything close by: supermarket, pharmacy and restaurants without taking the car out. Bombas has the longest stretch of sand in town; Centro has Praia de Bombinhas, the most sheltered.
Beaches for this profile
Diving and snorkelling
The dive operators leave from Centro, and Praia da Sepultura — a natural pool between rocky headlands — is a few minutes' walk from the end of Rua das Garoupas.
Beaches for this profile
Couples and peace and quiet
Small coves, the pace of a fishing village and silent nights. It's a little further from the bustle — which, here, is exactly the point.
Beaches for this profile
Surf and nature
Open sea, waves, dunes and trails. Mariscal is the longest beach in town; Quatro Ilhas has surf on one side and calm water on the other.
Beaches for this profile
Without a car
The neighbourhoods where almost everything is within walking distance and where the bus routes run. A good fit if you arrive by bus or transfer.
Beaches for this profile
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the type of vehicle, and the town council adjusts the amount every year. The current table is on the official TPA website (tpabombinhas.com.br) and on the Bombinhas town council's page.
In high season: from November 15 to April 15 of the following year. Outside that period vehicles enter for free.
Vehicles registered in Bombinhas and Porto Belo are exempt automatically. With registration on the TPA portal or app, so are owners of a built property in town, tenants with a registered lease of 6 months or more, people employed in town, service providers and vehicles supplying local businesses, public utility companies, plus ambulances and official vehicles, among others. The rules for each category are on the town council's registration page.
Yes. Hotels, guesthouses and holiday rentals don't give an exemption — the tenant one requires a registered lease of 6 months or more. But the fee is per entry, not per day: a car that enters once and only leaves at the end of the trip pays once.
On the official portal or in the TPA app, or at the official service points, using the number plate. If you leave without paying, you have up to 30 days from entry to pay without interest or fines. Each fee is valid for 24 hours from entry.
Navegantes, about 60 km away. Florianópolis is about 80 km away and usually has more flights. From either one, the route is the BR-101 to the Porto Belo exit.
Yes. Intercity buses run from the Florianópolis bus station and nearby towns, and in high season also from the state capitals of southern Brazil. Timetables and operators change every season — check at your departure station.
For heat and buzz, December through Carnival. For good weather with empty beaches, March, April, October and November. From May to September the town is quiet, there's no fee, and it's mullet-fishing season.
Centro and Bombas. Both have calm water that stays shallow for a good stretch and shops close to the beach, so you can do almost everything on foot.
Local help
Boa Vista knows every neighbourhood in Bombinhas. Talk to our team about holiday rentals or about owning a property here.
