Travel experiences to Joinville, Brazil. Santa Catrina State?

I am concidering a trip to this place and would appreciate any knowledge about it. Personal experience's, where to visit.

Try to learn basic words in portuguese, coz a lot of people there don't speak english! they speak portuguese, but if u talk spanish will help a bit! and change your money coz they don't have too much money echange.They have a lot of natural reserves and nice beaches! enjoy it!!

Why did you select Joinville out of so many places? As far as I know, this is a capital of blondes in Brazil.

I have been to Brazil 5 times. If you want to discuss more, please email me at jose425@hotmail.com

Joinville is a city in Santa Catarina State, Southern Region of Brazil. Joinville is Santa Catarina's largest city. In 2006 its population is about 500,000 in an area of 1180 square km. Most of Joinville's inhabitants are of German descent. Joinville is also home to the Metropolitan region of the North and Northeast of Santa Catarina with a population of about 1,100,000 inhabitants - It is the largest of the 6 official Metropolitan regions in Santa Catarina State.

The place is worth visited if you have friends or family there, but other cities in Brazil have more to offer

The first inhabitants in the region of Joinville were the Tupi-Guarani people.

Joinville was founded on March 9, 1851, by German and Swiss immigrants.

Even though it is considered a German-Brazilian city, its name is French (Joinville was named after the French prince François Ferdinand Philippe of Joinville, son of the king Louis Philippe, married Brazilian princess Dona Francisca, in 1843). The city's former name was Dona Francisca, but was changed to Joinville in 1851.

The land where Joinville is located was part of the French and Brazilian Royal Family Wedding gift, even though the Prince of Joinville and his bride have never been to the land, but a Royal Palace was built in their honor around 1870. In 1851, the French prince, after a money crisis, sold almost all his lands in Southern Brazil to the German senator Mathias Schroeder. The senator was member of the Colonizator Society of Hamburg and started to attract thousands of European immigrants to the region. In 1851, the first 118 German and Swiss immigrants arrived, followed by 74 Norwegian immigrants. Until the 1900's, when the Society was finished, almost 30.000 Germanic immigrants arrived in Joinville. Nowadays, about 85% of the population is of German-Brazilian descent. The city is home to many Brazilians of Italian descent.
The city has one of the highest standards of living in Brazil. Its industrial output is the third largest in the Southern States of Brazil - after the large main cities of Porto Alegre and Curitiba.

Joinville is also the fourth most populated city in the Southern region of Brazil - by the end of the decade it will replace Londrina (PR) as the third largest city in the South of Brazil.

Joinville is famous for its strong German-influenced culture. The city retains many aspects of the German culture, in its architecture, in the local dishes, parties and in the way of life of its inhabitants, known as workaholics.

Joinville is the host city of the "Joinville Dance Festival", which is the world's largest dance event, held every year during the month of July. Joinville is the only city outside of Moscow to have a school of the Bolshoi Ballet, the renowned Russian Ballet Company.

The Royal Palace, built in the mid-19th century, nowadays is a museum about the German immigration to Brazil. It has furniture and costumes dating back to the mid 19th century