A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Curitiba vs. Santa Elena for Backpackers, Food, Nightlife, and Families

Should you visit Curitiba or Santa Elena?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Curitiba and Santa Elena can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Curitiba

Curitiba is a vibrant, cultural, and active city. It's also popular because of the museums, nightlife, and food. See Curitiba travel costs.

Santa Elena

Santa Elena is a outdoorsy, scenic, and tranquil town. Santa Elena offers plenty of beauty for visitors. It's also popular because of the hiking and shopping. See Santa Elena travel costs.

Curitiba and Santa Elena: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Curitiba or Santa Elena?

Travelers will usually find more to do in Curitiba. Although Curitiba and Santa Elena are popular destinations, Curitiba has more sights and attractions for tourists. Curitiba is very popular for its museums and attractions, food, and nightlife, while Santa Elena attracts visitors for its hiking and impressive beauty. Santa Elena is more touristy than Curitiba and is known for its birdwatching and environmental conservation. Curitiba is famous for its performing arts, walkability, and culture. It is also well known for the Botanical Gardens.

How is Curitiba different from Santa Elena?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

Let's take a look at the differences and similarities between Santa Elena and Curitiba. Then, you can decide for yourself which place is better for your next trip.

Are the Museums and Historical Sights Better in Curitiba or Santa Elena?

Curitiba is a good destination for its historical sights. However, Santa Elena is not a good destination for its sights and museums.

If you're looking for an educational opportunity, there are a decent number of museums and historical sights around Curitiba. There are a variety of museums around town that include a number of history museums, a few art museums, and other cultural museums that are worth checking out.

Santa Elena offers a few options for museum-goers. The area is filled with outdoor gardens, parks, and nature reserves, but there are few museums to visit.

Is the Food Better in Curitiba or Santa Elena? Which Destination has the Best Restaurants?

Curitiba is great for its local flavors and cuisine. However, Santa Elena is not a good destination for its local cuisine and restaurants.

Curitiba has a number of nationally recognized food spots and restaurants. The official dish of the town is carne de onça, which first originated here and is a beef tartare that's served on flat bread. There are also many other traditional and authentic Brazilian restaurants around town, so this is a great place for a foodie to explore.

Santa Elena offers some easy restaurants to choose from. You'll find some basic but good restaurants around town. Many offer pasta, pizza, and typical Costa Rican dishes.

Is Curitiba or Santa Elena Better for Nightlife?

Curitiba is great for its evening party scene. However, Santa Elena is not a good destination for nightlife.

Many people head to Curitiba for the nightlife scene. Like most cities in Brazil, you'll find a great nightlife scene with plenty of bars and restaurants. Some of the best neighborhoods for nightlife are Batel, which is one of the most international parts of the city, Itupava Street, which is lined with Brazilian restaurants and bars, and São Francisco, which is popular with the student population because of its affordability.

Most people don't head to Santa Elena specifically for the nightlife scene, but you can find a few options. There's a couple of bars but not much else for nightlife in town.

Is Curitiba or Santa Elena Better for Hiking?

Santa Elena is a great town for hiking. However, Curitiba is not a hiking destination.

Many visitors go to Santa Elena for the hiking trails. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has a range of trails including a walk along the Continental Divide. There's also the famous red hanging bridge.

Curitiba is not a hiking destination.

Is the Shopping Better in Curitiba or Santa Elena?

If you're looking to go shopping, Curitiba and Santa Elena both offer plenty of nice spots.

Curitiba has a variety of shopping areas worth visiting. The city has large shopping malls and many great fashion boutiques. It's a great place to spend some time shopping.

Santa Elena is a great destination for shopping. There are some art galleries and artisan shops around town where you can pick up some interesting souvenirs.

Is Curitiba or Santa Elena More Beautiful?

Santa Elena is a town with good options for its scenery and beauty. However, Curitiba is not a destination known for its beauty.

Santa Elena offers plenty of beauty for visitors. The cloud forest and canopy walks give you access to breathtaking views and unique wildlife.

Curitiba is not a destination known for its beauty.

Is Curitiba or Santa Elena Better for Families?

Santa Elena is a great town for its kid-friendly activities. Also, Curitiba is not as popular, but is still a nice city for its family-friendly activities.

You'll find plenty of family-friendly things to do in Santa Elena. Monteverde has many canopy walks, zipline courses, and animal parks that the kids will love. The nature and wildlife make this a fun and educational destination for everyone.

Curitiba is a family-friendly place to visit. The city has parks and museums that are great for kids. In particular, the botanical gardens and Bosque Alemao appeal to young visitors.

Is Curitiba or Santa Elena Better for Couples?

Santa Elena is a great town for couples. Also, Curitiba is not as popular, but is still a nice city for romance.

Santa Elena is a great town if you're traveling as a couple. The cloud forest is filled with romantic views and unique landscapes. Couples who enjoy the outdoors will fall in love with this magical setting.

Curitiba is a nice destination for couples. The city has some great parks and restaurants that make it a pleasant place to explore with your significant other.

Is Curitiba or Santa Elena Better for Backpackers and Budget Travelers?

Santa Elena is a must-visit destination for backpackers and budget travelers. Also, Curitiba is not as popular, but is still a nice city for backpackers.

A large number of backpackers visit Santa Elena, as it is a very popular town for budget travelers. Backpackers will enjoy hiking and affordable activities. There are also many hostels with social activities that make this a great backpacker-friendly destination.

Plenty of backpackers visit Curitiba. The nightlife and music scene, combined with a great public transit system, make this a good, but often overlooked destination for backpackers in Brazil.

Is Curitiba or Santa Elena Better for Public Transit? Which Is Easier to Get Around Without a Car?

Curitiba is great for times when you don't have a car. Also, Santa Elena is not as popular, but is still a nice town for its public transit.

Many visitors use the public transit system in Curitiba. There's a great public transit system here that includes a metro system, trolleybuses, and buses.

Santa Elena has a few public transit options. There are buses through town that travel to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.

Is Curitiba or Santa Elena a more walkable city?

Curitiba is great for its ease of walking around. Also, Santa Elena is not as popular, but is still a nice town for its walkability.

Curitiba is a very walkable destination. It is a walkable city that is fun to explore on foot, but as always, take precautions in certain areas, particularly at night.

Santa Elena is somewhat walkable. It's relatively easy to walk around, but you will need to take a bus to Monteverde.

For even more information, also check out Is Curitiba Worth Visiting? and Is Santa Elena Worth Visiting?.

Should I spend more time in Santa Elena or Curitiba?

How long in Curitiba or Santa Elena?

It's fun to spend time in either Curitiba or Santa Elena. Generally, people tend to spend more time in Santa Elena due to the larger number of activities and things to do. Usually, 2-3 days is a good amount of time for Curitiba, and 2-4 days is enough time in Santa Elena.

Families should spend more time in Santa Elena than Curitiba. Because of the many family-friendly attractions and fun things to do for kids in Santa Elena, it's a great place to visit with the whole family.

One day in Curitiba or Santa Elena?

Visitors enjoy the nightlife and food when visiting the vibrant city of Curitiba. One day is usually not enough time for a trip here as there is plenty to do. The entire region has so many activities, and you'll want time to do everything.

The town of Santa Elena offers shopping. Many visitors also spend a good bit of time hiking. With so much to do, one day is probably not enough time to see everything. It will give you the chance to have new experiences.

A weekend in Curitiba or Santa Elena?

Visitors enjoy the food and shopping when visiting the vibrant destination of Curitiba. This city offers something for everyone. Plenty of people spend a weekend in the area when traveling. If you enjoy all that's offered here, then a weekend is just the right amount of time to spend here.

Santa Elena is a popular place that is full of things to see and experience. If you have a weekend, this town makes for a great vacation. Make sure you spend some time hiking while you're in the area. While some people choose to spend more or less time in Santa Elena, a weekend is sufficent for most. Take your pick from the many activities offered here.

Five days in Curitiba or Santa Elena?

The active city of Curitiba offers shopping and museums. Five days may feel like too much time unless you plan to do a lot of relaxing. The length of your trip often depends on your style of travel.

Santa Elena is a popular choice for travelers. Five days is usually plenty of time to spend here with extra days to spare. With this much time, visitors often visit nearby destinations or take day trips. The entire region has so many activities, and you'll want time to do everything.

A week in Curitiba or Santa Elena?

Many people enjoy the museums and nightlife when visiting Curitiba. Anyone can find something fun to do here. Most people find that one week is more than enough time to see everything.

Santa Elena is a great place to explore. Hiking can easily take up a good amount of your time here, too. One week is more than enough time to enjoy everything. Take some day trips to nearby places to fill the extra days. This town offers something for everyone.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Tours to Brazil, The Best Tours for Seniors to Brazil, The Best G Adventures Tours to Costa Rica, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Costa Rica.

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Curitiba and Santa Elena, we can see that Santa Elena is more expensive. And not only is Curitiba much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Curitiba is in South America and Santa Elena is in Central America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Curitiba would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Curitiba and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Santa Elena would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Santa Elena than you might in Curitiba.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Curitiba Expensive? and Is Santa Elena Expensive?.