What to Do in Igrejinha, RS

Igrejinha is roughly 83 km from Porto Alegre, located in the Vale do Paranhana, along the “Caminhos do Rural Saudável” route, and it made it onto our itinerary while we were heading to Cambará do Sul to see the canyons. The town was right on the way, and since our flight arrived in the morning and we had an afternoon to spare, here are our tips for what to do in Igrejinha, RS.

Its settlement began in 1824, by German immigrants. In 1847, Tristão Monteiro forged a path from the Vale do Rio dos Sinos to establish the newly founded Fazenda do Mundo Novo. Later that same year, the settlement of Casa de Pedra was formed.

Once called Santa Maria do Mundo Novo, the town became a reference point due to the church’s strong influence in the region, offering Christian teachings to newly arrived immigrants.

The town’s name comes from a small wooden Protestant church, built in half-timbered style, that was falling apart. The community banded together, donating resources to build a new one. It served the region’s settlers and became a landmark for travelers passing through — “Igrejinha” (“little church”) — serving as a resting spot, with plenty of food for the mule trains headed to the capital, since it was the only one in the area until 1874.

How to Get to Igrejinha from Porto Alegre

By car, you can take two routes: BR-116 and then RS-239 (93 km), a tolled route and the faster option, taking about 1 hour 15 minutes, or RS-020 (85.4 km), about 10 minutes slower even though it’s shorter.

When to Go to Igrejinha

You can visit the town year-round; for clear, rain-free weather, winter is usually your best bet, while summer is great for enjoying the waterfalls. Worth noting, the town’s most important festival is its Oktoberfest, celebrated across the whole region, so October is a great time to visit too.

What to Do in Igrejinha, RS

Cascata dos Italianos

Parking is tricky here, since there’s only a narrow pull-off on the road. From there, you need to walk down 180 steps to reach the waterfall, which drops 20 meters. The water pools into a natural pool, with a greenish color that’s genuinely eye-catching. This is our first tip for what to do in Igrejinha, Rio Grande do Sul.

Cascata dos Italianos

Igreja Gabriel - IECLB, Igrejinha

This church was built in 1900, on the very site of the old wooden church that gave the town its name. It’s located on Rua Independência, right downtown. The best time to visit is Sunday mornings, during services, since because of the pandemic, the church stays closed the rest of the time.

Igreja Gabriel - IECLB

Location: Rua Independência, 533.

Rua Coberta Ary Delmar Koppe

Rua Coberta in Igrejinha sits across from City Hall and next to Praça Dona Luísa. It gets decked out in red, black, and gold during Oktoberfest. Other events happen there too — when we visited, it was Children’s Day.

Rua Coberta Ary Delmar Koppe

Location: Praça Dona Luiza - 648, Rua Osvaldo Cruz, 562.

Praça Dona Luiza

A clean spot, great for a chimarrão, with playgrounds for kids, right next to Rua Coberta.

Praça Dona Luiza

Location: Rua Osvaldo Cruz, 562.

Igreja Mãe Santíssima

Inside Shopping Alles Blau (website), a shopping complex with well-known dining spots like Madero Container, Sushi Box, O Mágico das Pizzas, Pouso Novo, and Chokoland. Right next door, there’s an Ibis Hotel for lodging, plus fun activities like paddle boats, a small train tour of the complex, and a playground.

“Alles Blau” is German slang meaning “all blue,” or “all good” in Portuguese.

The church stands out for its unusual architecture, but despite looking new, it’s only about 6 years old — the church’s altar, though, came from Bento Gonçalves and is 131 years old.

Igreja Mãe Santíssima

Location: Rua Igrejinha.

Cervejaria Stier, Igrejinha

Stier is a craft brewery founded by descendants of German immigrants, all fans of a good mix of water, malt, hops, and yeast.

Recognized across several awards, including a gold medal for their IPA at the 2020 Brazilian Beer Competition.

They offer 8 different beer styles: Pilsen, Weiss, Red Ale, APA, IPA, Stout, Export, and Altbier — and without a doubt, we’d recommend it to beer lovers.

Cervejaria Stier

Location: Rua Paulo Ademir Kieling, 108.

Santinha Nossa Senhora do Equilíbrio

A religious site along the trail to Monte da Fé (Morro da Cruz) and Morro Alto da Pedra (paragliding). There, you’ll find an image of Nossa Senhora do Equilíbrio at an altar, a holy-water fountain, and restrooms.

Santinha Nossa Senhora do Equilíbrio

Parque Alto da Pedra, Igrejinha

Parque Alto da Pedra (Instagram) is run by the Clube Serra Grande de Voo Livre (CSGVL), a paragliding club. Its summit sits 750 meters above the town, offering an incredible view over the whole region. The club was founded in November 1983, in the early days of paragliding in Brazil, a fact that, without a doubt, put Igrejinha on the national map for the sport.

The site has parking, restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a playground. Worth noting, it spans more than 20,000 square meters, making it the ideal place to spend the day, and our top recommendation for what to do in Igrejinha, RS.

The park is only open Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, from 10 AM to 7 PM. Admission costs R$5.00, with a half-price ticket (R$2.50) for Igrejinha residents (with valid voter ID), people with disabilities, and students (with a national student ID). Kids under 16 and adults over 60 get in free.

Parque Alto da Pedra

Panoramic view

Location: Estrada da Voluntária, 5895.

Learn more about our trip through the region in What to Do in Canela and Cambará do Sul.