Apucarana brings together railway history, sacred art, green spaces and Japanese-influenced traditions. When planning your trip, consider whether you want to focus on the history of the municipality and its buildings, spend time in parks, or plan your stay around festival and market days. The city offers different points of interest for each of these interests.
City History, Collections and Sacred Art
Praça Mauá is part of Apucarana’s historic railway station complex. The history of the municipality is also told through the photographs, documents, newspapers, objects, tools and street signs at the Museu Municipal de Apucarana. The Exposição Iconográfica de Nossa Senhora e São José has a different focus: it comprises 6,000 images and serves religious and cultural purposes. The Museu Histórico do Café is near the former station facilities in the district of Pirapó and is part of Apucarana’s tourist route.
The Catedral Basílica Menor Nossa Senhora de Lourdes is designed in the Baroque style. At the top of its main tower is an image of a saint; sculptures of Saint Peter and Saint Paul stand on the front façade. The Santuário São José is also a religious landmark: it is considered the first sanctuary in Brazil dedicated to Saint Joseph. The Monumento ao Boné, shaped like a giant concrete cap, commemorates Apucarana’s cap-making industry and is considered a tourist attraction. The Memorial Casa de Portugal honors the Portuguese community in the city.
Cultural activities complement the historic sites. The Concha Acústica on Praça 28 de Janeiro was designed for music shows, theater and artistic performances, and continues to host smaller educational and alternative cultural events. The cultural offerings thus range from sacred architecture and historical collections to urban venues for events.
Festivals, Blossoms and Food Culture
The annual Festa da Cerejeira at the Associação Cultural e Esportiva de Apucarana combines Japanese dishes such as sushi and yakisoba with music and dance from Japan. As the event schedule may change, it is advisable to check the dates before visiting. Dozens of cherry trees grow in the Jardim Japonês; in Apucarana, they bloom annually in late autumn. The garden also features a replica of the Sakura-Haghi, or cherry blossom, bridge. The garden and festival offer different highlights: trees and blossoms shape the scene in one, while food, music and dance take center stage at the other.
Another date to bear in mind when planning is the Feira da Lua, held every Thursday from 6 p.m. With 23 participants, it offers food from various national cuisines, including Japanese sukiyaki, Ukrainian perohê, Italian macaroni and Brazilian specialties, with a focus on the cuisine of Minas Gerais. Check the weekly schedule before your trip. The Festa de Santo Expedito is held every year on April 19 at Parque Ecológico Santo Expedito, so the calendar includes an annual festival as well as the weekly market.
Green Spaces with Different Highlights
The Bosque Municipal preserves a 28,000-square-meter remnant of forest within the city. The Parque Jaboti is considerably larger, covering 230,800 square meters, and has a 150,000-square-meter lake fed by three springs. A three-kilometer illuminated path in the park is intended for walking, running, cycling and roller skating. The two green spaces thus differ in their stated highlights: the forest remnant at the Bosque and the lake and path at Jaboti.
The Jardim Japonês adds cherry trees and the bridge replica to this selection. The Parque Ecológico da Raposa offers another perspective on the landscape within the municipality of Apucarana. It is recognized as a permanently protected environmental area and also serves as a recreational space. Its features include two dammed lakes, an artificial cascade, a natural pool and a children’s playground.
The Parque da Redenção is also within the municipality of Apucarana, in the rural community of Barreiro. The area covers about 60,000 square meters; giant statues of biblical figures depict episodes from the life of Jesus. The Parque Biguaçu has a smooth concrete path for walking. The Parque São Francisco de Assis, with a grotto, fountains and a children’s playground, is also located there.
The Parque Ecológico Santo Expedito combines religious and natural features: an ecumenical chapel, a grotto with an image of Saint Expedito, a lookout point with an image of Jesus Christ, natural pools and a spring. Check current operating conditions before visiting.
Pilgrimage Route and Regional Orientation
The Caminho do Desafio das Catedrais is a 305-kilometer pilgrimage route. It connects the cathedrals of Londrina, Apucarana and Maringá and passes through the municipality of Apucarana. If you include the route in your travel plans, check the route organization and conditions in advance, as they may change. It is therefore best understood as a long-distance pilgrimage route, not as a short walk around the places mentioned in Apucarana.
The main reasons to choose Apucarana as a destination are easy to distinguish: city history and sacred architecture, green spaces with forest, lake and walking paths, and Japanese-influenced garden and festival culture. If you want to plan around events, the annual dates and weekly market day can serve as a guide; for parks and the pilgrimage route, it is important to check the relevant visiting and route conditions.
Discover more destinations: Curitiba, São Jerônimo Da Serra, Marechal Cândido Rondon, Maripá, Guaratuba, Medianeira, Tibagi, Presidente Venceslau.
For the broader travel overview: Paraná.
