Florianópolis is mostly an island, and the island has more beaches than anybody can reasonably visit. The city sits on and around Santa Catarina Island, joined to the mainland by bridges, among them the Hercílio Luz, a steel suspension bridge opened in 1926 that is the city's symbol and now closed to vehicles. About four hundred thousand people live here, in a mix of high-rise centre, lagoon-side suburbs and old fishing villages, and the local nickname, Magic Island, comes from its mix of surf, forest and the folklore of the early Azorean settlers.
Those Portuguese settlers from the Azores arrived in the eighteenth century, and their influence remains in the architecture of villages like Ribeirão da Ilha and Santo Antônio de Lisboa, with their low colonial houses, whitewashed churches and waterside restaurants. Oysters and shrimp are the local specialty, and the island is the centre of Brazilian oyster farming, which means seafood is fresh and affordable. The Lagoa da Conceição, a big lagoon framed by dunes and hills, is the hub of nightlife and sports.
Riding here is easier than you might expect. Roads follow the coast around the island, with views of sea, dunes and forested hills, and heading south on the BR-101 on the mainland, the highway runs through coastal plain, with eucalyptus, rice paddies and small towns, toward Praia do Rosa. Traffic, though, can be heavy in the high season from December to February, when the city fills with visitors from Argentina and the rest of Brazil, so early starts are wise. Wet roads and sand on the tarmac are hazards near the beaches.
As a city of this size, Florianópolis has all the fuel, workshops and food a rider needs, and Morro da Cruz and Saco dos Limões are among the neighbourhoods close to the centre. Try a plate of fresh oysters or a seafood stew called a moqueca, and take a walk on one of the quieter beaches before you head on. Weather is warm and humid in summer, mild in winter, with the odd cold wind from the south.