What to Do in Andradas

The town of Andradas, known as the “Land of Wine,” sits at the foot of the Serra da Mantiqueira, in southern Minas Gerais, close to the towns of Poços de Caldas and Espírito Santo do Pinhal.

Even though it’s less well-known, the town has huge tourism potential that remains largely unexplored. We’ll share our tips from the town, where we spent Easter weekend.

With a population of roughly 41,000, it sits right on the São Paulo–Minas Gerais border. Andradas is part of the religious Caminho da Fé pilgrimage route, so along the road, you’ll spot several pilgrims passing through town, both on foot and by bike.

Beyond that, since it’s a mountainous region, it’s also popular for mountain biking and hiking. And for anyone who doesn’t know, the region is also home to wineries offering both tours and wine-paired lunches — an absolute must for your itinerary.

Wineries in Andradas

The municipality of Andradas also holds the title of largest wine producer in Minas Gerais state, and one of the largest in Brazil. It used to only produce wine from table grapes, but thanks to inverted or double-pruning technique, the region now produces good-quality dry, fine wines, even award-winning ones.

Vinícola Stella Valentino

The family behind Vinícola Stella Valentino (Instagram) has been producing everything from wine to coffee for five generations, and in 2002, they launched a project to produce and sell fine wine. More recently, they’ve started offering paired tastings for small groups, bookable through their website.

Guests are hosted by Mr. José Procópio Stella, who was born and raised where the winery now stands, and who shares his family’s history in Minas Gerais with real passion. The house’s architecture echoes Tuscany, the region his great-great-grandfather Valentino Stella came from.

The tasting of six wines is paired with cheese and cured meats, all dry, fine wines — genuinely worth both visiting and joining the tasting.

They’re currently planning to expand with a restaurant on site, though it’s still in the planning stage.

Vinícola Stella Valentino

Casa Geraldo

Casa Geraldo (Instagram) probably produces one of the best-known wines in southern Minas Gerais, Campino, which comes in five table-wine labels. The winery also produces fine wines, cachaça, olive oil, coffee, and even personal care products like soap and lotion.

There’s the option of touring the property followed by lunch at the on-site restaurant, or just lunch — we ended up just doing the latter.

Reservations are made by calling (35) 9952-7967. After lunch, we’d recommend stopping by the shop to buy wine, juice, or any of the products mentioned above.

Casa Geraldo

Wine-Paired Lunch at Casa Geraldo

Lunch can be done 3 different ways: just the dish, the dish with the Reserva pairing, or the dish with the Gran Reserva pairing — but if you love wine, we’d recommend the last one, since the wines are noticeably better, well worth the extra cost. The menu also has vegan and vegetarian options.

The menu changes every 3 months, so what I describe here reflects our own experience. The food was really good, but the explanations left something to be desired. The restaurant gets quite busy, and because of that, the technical details about the wine and its labels weren’t presented the way we felt they should’ve been — they’re just poured into your glass with no context.

The couvert was the house focaccia with Italian sardella, cheese terrine, creamy apple salad, and pancetta farofa. It was really tasty, beautifully presented.

The starter was fresh tagliatelle alla carbonara, and it was okay. That said, I would’ve preferred the pasta more al dente, and the sauce looked more like a white sauce than a proper carbonara.

For the main course, I ordered the angus bife de chorizo in a roasted onion sauce, served with mini rustic potatoes and pancetta farofa, and without a doubt, it was really tasty.

For dessert, we ordered the semi-bitter chocolate cake with strawberry sauce — we wouldn’t recommend this one, since the cake is extremely sweet, and the strawberry sauce is actually more like strawberry jam, making the whole thing overly sweet and missing the contrast the dish should’ve had.

Despite our criticisms, we think it’s worth visiting the property and the restaurant. In the end, our favorite wine was the Vinho Branco Grand Reserva.

Wine-paired lunch at Casa Geraldo

Enoteca Vinhos Marcon

Located near downtown, this is where the Marcon wines are sold, without a doubt well known throughout southern Minas Gerais for their table wines.

When we visited, it was closed, but we’re still leaving the tip for anyone wanting to check it out.

Enoteca Vinhos Marcon

Olive Oil in Andradas

Even though olive oil production is growing in the region, the companies aren’t yet set up to welcome visitors. There’s even olive oil here with international awards, though in town, you can easily find these products at cafés and shops in the area, like Azeite de Origem Trevisan and Azeite Borriello.

Azeite Terras Altas

This business is run by a couple, who set up their storefront and plantation right along the road to Pico do Gavião. When we arrived, the harvest was already done, though you can still see the olive trees on the other side of the road.

On site, you’ll also find a small craft brewery and a shop selling their products. They don’t offer olive oil tastings or tours, just shopping and a brief explanation of their products.

Azeite Terras Altas

Peaks in Andradas

The town is surrounded by an enormous mountain range from the Serra da Mantiqueira, and the peaks we’d recommend visiting are listed below.

Pico do Gavião

Pico do Gavião (Instagram and website) is, without a doubt, one of the most visited spots in Andradas, roughly 55 minutes from downtown, sitting at 1,663 meters of altitude.

Located right on the border between São Paulo (Águas da Prata) and Minas Gerais (Andradas), it’s a great spot for free flight sports for anyone interested, like paragliding, hang gliding, and parapente.

The site also has a diaper-changing area, restrooms, a snack bar, a first-aid station, and a playground, and the view over the region is, without a doubt, wonderful!!! So we think it belongs on your itinerary, even though it’s a bit farther out.

You can get there by car, van, motorcycle, or bike, and there’s a R$10.00 admission fee per person. There’s parking just a few meters from the entrance.

Pico do Gavião

Pedra da Cruz

Pedra da Cruz is located at the far eastern edge of the Serra do Pau d’Alho, at roughly 1,250 m above sea level, and without a doubt, it offers a beautiful view over the valley and the Serra do Pau d’Alho and Serra do Caracol.

Right on the border with the town of Itiúba de Minas, Pedra da Cruz is great for sunset lovers and doesn’t require much physical preparation, since you can drive right up close to the rock. On site, there’s a chapel and a 5-meter cross.

By car, from downtown, it takes about 40 minutes, though 13 km of it is unpaved, so we’d recommend a 4x4, especially if it’s rained.

We actually ended up running there via Pedra do Alto da Boa Vista, and I’ll describe that adventure below, though as mentioned, you can also just drive there directly.

Pedra da Cruz

View from Pedra da Cruz

Pedra do Alto da Boa Vista

This rock sits near Pedra do Pântano, and to reach it, we’d recommend starting from Abrigo do Sr. Paulo, since we always recommend leaving your car somewhere safe. The refuge is great for anyone wanting to get away in the mountains, since it’s about 30 minutes from downtown. Mr. Paulo is genuinely lovely, and he even joined us for the hike.

It’s a 9 km trail running from Abrigo do Senhor Paulo to Alto da Boa Vista and on to Pedra da Cruz. The route is mostly open, on unpaved roads, though there are stretches of denser forest, so we’d recommend wearing pants. It’s genuinely worth exploring the area and doing this hike, since the scenery is beautiful.

We’d recommend bringing water, food, bug repellent, sunscreen, downloading the trail beforehand to your watch or phone (download the GPX below, from the Wikiloc website), and as mentioned, wearing pants and a long-sleeve shirt to protect your arms and legs from getting scratched up.

Pedra do Alto da Boa Vista

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Pedra do Pântano

Pedra do Pântano is a rock formation in the style of Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf, standing 220 meters tall. Located in the Serra do Pau d’Alho, at 1,220 meters above sea level.

With almost no vegetation of its own, surrounded by gallery forest with diverse plant species. The site is great for rock climbing and other adventure sports, like ziplining and rappelling, though we ended up not doing any of those.

For climbing, we’d also recommend getting in touch with Mr. Paulo’s refuge, since he has contacts with professionals who can help with the climb up.

Pedra do Pântano

Pedra do Elefante

Pedra do Elefante gets its name from its shape, resembling a large elephant lying down, located in the Serra do Pau d’Alho, at 1,460 meters above sea level.

The site is great for rock climbing and other adventure sports, like ziplining and rappelling. There’s also a legend about Pedra do Elefante, where old-timers in the neighborhood claim a huge, priceless diamond was once held at the top of the rock.

Pedra do Elefante

Historic Downtown Andradas

That typical interior-town historic downtown, with a main square featuring a bandstand.

Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião

Construction began in 1914 and finished in 1941. The architecture follows a Neoclassical style.

With side altars in marble holding images of Nossa Senhora Aparecida, São José, and Santo Antônio, plus a hand-carved wooden pulpit with an image of São Sebastião. The main altar, in a modern style, features an image of Jesus on the Cross and paintings depicting scenes from Calvary.

Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião

Location: Praça Coronel Luiz Venturelli.

Casa da Memória

The Casa da Memória de Andradas and the Museu Municipal hold historic pieces tracing the town’s settlement, development, and growth, along with that of neighboring regions.

There’s also a collection of photos, audiovisual materials, newspaper clippings, along with historical books and some rare items, like the Álbum Chorográfico de Minas Gerais, from 1927.

The historic collection tells the story of winemaking and Italian immigration to the town, which happened around the turn of the 19th to 20th century.

Casa da Memória

Hours: Monday to Friday, noon to 6 PM. Location: Rua Major Bonifácio, 82.

Praça Dr. Alcides Mosconi

This is the town’s main square, downtown. It has a lit fountain, a bandstand, and other attractions. Around the square are two ice cream shops, Sorveteria Ponto Frio and Frutelli Sorveteria, and Açaí do Cauen, great spots to grab something cold and cool off from the heat.

Praça Dr. Alcides Mosconi

Teatro Municipal “José Stivanin”

Opened on November 27, 1981. The venue offers free music and theater workshops for the community, along with art and photography exhibitions.

Teatro Municipal “José Stivanin”

Location: Praça Coronel Antônio Augusto Oliveira - s/n.

Mercado Municipal de Andradas

Mercado Municipal de Andradas was established in 1929, meant to serve as a distribution hub for local agricultural production.

It’s gone through some changes over the years, but it retains architecture that stands out among the surrounding buildings.

Mercado Municipal de Andradas

Location: Praça Cel Antônio Augusto de Oliveira, s/n.

Prefeitura de Andradas

A building located downtown, surrounded by local shops.

Prefeitura de Andradas

Location: Praça Vinte e Dois de Fevereiro.

Waterfalls in Andradas

There are several waterfalls in the town’s rural outskirts — we read downtown that there are 130 catalogued, but we visited three.

Cachoeira do Joaquim

This is a 17-meter waterfall, cold water, located on private property that charges R$10.00 admission, but unfortunately the site is in terrible condition, not really worth the entry fee.

Cachoeira do Joaquim

Cachoeira das Andorinhas

Easy trail access with clear signage, and free admission. It has a drop of up to 10 m, surrounded by riparian vegetation that beautifies the landscape.

Cachoeira das Andorinhas

Cachoeira Aldeia Fazenda Velha

Located right behind Restaurante Aldeia Fazenda Velha, easy to reach. With small waterfalls dropping over rock ledges, resembling steps.

Cachoeira Aldeia Fazenda Velha

Where to Eat in Andradas

This is a town with several good restaurants to eat at. For all of them, we’d recommend booking ahead to avoid any headaches or long waits. Here are a few tips.

Restaurante Aldeia Fazenda Velha

Restaurante Aldeia Fazenda Velha (Instagram) serves traditional Minas Gerais cooking, self-service, fixed price at R$60.00, with plenty of pork and wood-fired dishes, plus a variety of traditional interior-style desserts.

We loved the spot, and we’d recommend booking ahead, since even though the space is spacious, it gets packed at lunchtime.

Restaurante Aldeia Fazenda Velha

Location: Restaurante Aldeia Velha - rural area.

Restaurante e Panquecaria Taverna

An à la carte restaurant located in the historic downtown — of everywhere we ate, without a shadow of a doubt, Taverna (Instagram) was the best of all, first because the owner, Abigail, who cooks there, is extremely warm, the food is delicious, and our reservation went smoothly.

We ate fish, since it was Good Friday, and it was a great choice — we ordered the tilapia and the caranha, both delicious and beautifully seasoned.

Sides: rice, mashed potatoes, salad, and fries, everything with that homemade flavor.

Restaurante e Panquecaria Taverna

Location: Rua Capitão Cirílo, 23 - Centro.

Soberano Steak House

Soberano Steak House (Instagram) is a steakhouse that puts a lot of emphasis on its raclette cheese dish, melted and poured straight onto your plate.

We ordered pancetta as a starter, which was good with plenty of meat, and for the main course, a Jumbo and a Marfim — even though Andrey’s steak came out a bit more well-done than he’d wanted, we still consider it a good restaurant.

The dishes were generously served, and we didn’t get to try dessert.

Soberano Steak House

Location: Rua Major Bonifácio, 71 - Centro.

Pizzaria Tradicionalle

With a pleasant, spacious atmosphere and delicious pizza. If you love pizza, this one’s worth adding to your itinerary.

Pizzaria Tradicionalle

Location: Rua Major Bonifácio, 820.

General Beer Cervejaria

One of the most popular spots in the region is General Beer Cervejaria (Instagram), with great draft beer and good snacks. Right across from the brewery is the landing spot for paragliders. Finally, it’s also a great spot to catch the sunset over town.

So whether you’re doing happy hour, killing time before your next outing, or you simply enjoy a good draft beer, this is the spot for you.

General Beer Cervejaria

Location: Avenida Procópio Stella, 1324.

Fun Facts About Andradas

There are two cheesemakers in town, Chavinho and Rigoni, the latter with its own shop at the town’s entrance.

At the town’s entrance, there are several shops selling Canastra cheese, specialty coffee, and traditional Minas Gerais sweets from across the region — well worth stopping by to check out.

Read more about what to do in Serra Negra.