Gramado

Gramado needs 3 days: Lake Negro, with its swan boats and flower gardens surrounded by araucaria trees, on one, Mini Mundo, a miniature park of monuments from around the world, on another, and the Gramado Film Festival or Natal Luz (if the season aligns) on the third. June-August is best, with Brazil's coldest climate and Christmas decorations starting in October. It's expensive by Brazilian standards, one of the country's priciest domestic tourism destinations. Founded by German and Italian immigrants in the late 19th century, it's Brazil's most popular cold-climate destination -with temperatures occasionally dropping below zero-, unusual for a tropical country, and its Natal Luz festival, with millions of Christmas lights between June and January, draws over 2 million visitors each season.