The Serra Verde Express

The Serra Verde Express runs one of the most spectacular railways in Brazil — and one that should never have been possible. To reach the coast from the highland city of Curitiba, the line has to fall off the edge of the Serra do Mar, the great forested escarpment that walls the Brazilian plateau from the Atlantic. When it was proposed in the 1870s, European engineers said it could not be done.

It was done anyway. Begun in 1880 and inaugurated on 2 February 1885, the railway drops through the mountains on 13 hand-cut tunnels and 41 bridges and viaducts, clinging to the cliffs above sheer drops, with the São João viaduct standing 113 metres tall. It was built to carry coffee and grain down to the port of Paranaguá; 140 years later it still runs, now carrying travellers instead.

The ride down to the colonial town of Morretes takes about three and a half to four hours, through unbroken Atlantic rainforest — tree ferns, waterfalls, gorges and birdsong, one of the best-preserved stretches of a forest that once covered the whole coast. You can travel in everyday Tourist class, the smarter Boutique service, or the glass-sided Litorina luxury railcar; whichever you choose, the line is the same, and it is unforgettable.

The journey begins in Curitiba, the cool, orderly capital of Paraná, on the highland plateau at around 900 metres. The train pulls out through the city's edge and across the farmland of the tableland, and for a while the ride is gentle — and then, quite suddenly, the ground falls away.

This is the Serra do Mar, and the next two hours are the reason to come. The line begins its long descent along the face of the escarpment, and the windows fill with Atlantic rainforest — tree ferns and bromeliads, waterfalls dropping out of the mist, and gorges like the Garganta do Diabo, the "Devil's Throat," opening straight below the carriages. The train crawls across steel trestles and stone viaducts and burrows into tunnels cut by hand in the 1880s, curving so tightly you can see your own locomotive ahead. Near Marumbi, the granite peaks of the state park rise sheer above the forest, and on a clear day you can see all the way down to the coastal plain and the sea.

By the time the line reaches the bottom, the air is warmer and heavier, and the train rolls into Morretes, a colonial town of whitewashed churches on the Nhundiaquara river — journey's end, and time for lunch.

A few things worth knowing about the run:

• It follows the 1885 Curitiba–Paranaguá railway down the Serra do Mar; the tourist run is Curitiba–Morretes, about 70 km.
• The descent takes about 3½–4 hours, dropping some 950 metres through 13 tunnels and 41 bridges and viaducts.
• Trains run daily, in Tourist, Boutique and Litorina (luxury railcar) classes.
• Sit on the left leaving Curitiba for the best of the drops and gorges (but the line curves constantly, so the views swap sides).

Because the return train runs only at set times, many travellers ride down by train and come back to Curitiba by road — a shorter afternoon that leaves plenty of time in Morretes.

The Serra Verde Express runs daily, with one departure down to Morretes each morning and a set return in the afternoon — so this is a train to plan the day around.

Real times (2026 — confirm before travelling):

The train leaves from Curitiba's Estação Rodoferroviária. The descent takes about 3½–4 hours; the uphill return is a little quicker.

Good to know:

• Book ahead, especially in the January–February peak and on summer weekends — the Litorina and Boutique classes are limited and sell out.
• Train down, road back is popular. Because there is only one return train, many travellers ride the train down and return to Curitiba by van/coach (sold as a package), which gets you back earlier and leaves more time in Morretes for lunch.
• Weekends add services and the fancier classes; midweek is quieter and cheaper.
• Go on a clear day if you can — cloud and rain (common on this coast) can hide the drops, though the forest is at its most dramatic in the mist.

Times as of the 2026 timetable. Confirm current schedules and classes with the operator — see the Tickets section below.

The train is run by Serra Verde Express, Brazil's largest tourist-train operator, and tickets are booked directly:

• Online, at serraverdeexpress.com.br (opens in a new tab), which has an English option and sells seats by class and date.
• At the station, at Curitiba's Estação Rodoferroviária, subject to availability.
• As a package — the operator sells combined train-down / van-back trips, which are the most popular way to do it.

There are three classes, all on the same line:

• Turística (Tourist) — comfortable standard seating; the everyday, best-value way to ride.
• Boutique — a smarter service with more space and extras.
• Litorina — a glass-sided luxury railcar with panoramic windows, air conditioning and onboard service; the premium experience, and worth booking well ahead.

Fares vary by class, day and season (weekends and the summer peak cost more), so we don't quote a figure here — the current prices and the exact timetable are on the operator's site above. Whichever class you choose, reserve early for summer and weekends.

The railway links two very different places, and the mountains between them are a destination in their own right. Curitiba at the top, the Atlantic Forest in the middle, colonial towns and islands at the bottom.

Curitiba is one of the most admired cities in Latin America — a pioneer of urban planning, famous for the bus rapid transit system that other cities copied, and for a run of striking public buildings. Besides the botanical garden and the Niemeyer museum, the wireframe Ópera de Arame, built in a former quarry, is worth the short trip out.

Morretes, at the bottom of the descent, is a colonial gem of whitewashed churches and a river running through the middle, and the home of barreado, the slow-cooked beef stew that is Paraná's signature dish — most people eat it here before catching the bus or train back. For those travelling by car rather than rail, the Estrada da Graciosa, a colonial cobbled road, winds down the mountain alongside the railway.

Because the train runs there and back in a day, most people base themselves in Curitiba and treat the railway as a day trip — but Morretes and the coast reward an overnight if you have the time.

In Curitiba, the comfortable choice is a hotel in or near the city centre, within reach of the Rodoferroviária station where the train departs — there is a good range of business and boutique hotels, and the compact centre puts the parks, the museums and the restaurants within easy reach. It is an easy, safe city to walk in the evening.

In Morretes, staying the night lets you linger over a long barreado lunch and enjoy the town once the day-trippers have gone. There are small pousadas (guesthouses) in and around the colonial centre and along the river, simple and characterful, and a night here makes it easy to carry on to Antonina, Paranaguá or the Ilha do Mel the next day.

On the coast, the island of Ilha do Mel has rustic pousadas for those who want beaches and lighthouses and no cars — a lovely two- or three-day add-on, reached by boat from Paranaguá or Pontal do Sul.

As with all our journeys, we keep this to the shape of the trip rather than specific bookings: base in Curitiba for the day-trip, or sleep in Morretes or on the coast to turn the train ride into a longer coastal escape.