Palmas: City Beach, Lake and History

Palmas combines experiences by the water with places where the history of Tocantins comes to life. At Praia da Graciosa, a 500-metre-long promenade runs along the waterfront; it particularly attracts visitors who want to watch the sunset over Lago de Palmas. This gives you a choice when planning your holiday between spending time by the lake and discovering history and culture.

Enjoy the water at Lago de Palmas

Lago de Palmas offers opportunities for water sports and recreational fishing. Watching the sunset over the water is another experience available there. This means you can tailor your time at the lake to different interests: getting active on the water, fishing or taking in the evening sky. This range of options makes Palmas appealing if you want to include experiences on the water in your trip without limiting your holiday to just one activity.

Praia da Graciosa is Palmas’s main city beach. It has tourist facilities for visitors of all ages and is suitable for sporting activities and sightseeing boat trips. The long promenade adds a distinctive touch: it provides space to spend time by the water and is associated with views of the sunset over the lake. Families looking to bring different interests together can therefore consider water sports, recreational fishing, boat trips and watching the evening light as separate ideas; any specific offers or arrangements should be planned separately.

Distinguish between beaches and places to visit

Praia do Prata may also be of interest if you are interested in events: it can serve as a venue for medium-sized cultural, sporting and leisure events. This describes a possible use, not a fixed events calendar. Praia do Caju is in the south of Palmas, near the airport. Its facilities include lighting, landscaping and parking.

The different beach locations each have their own focus. At Graciosa, the promenade, sporting activities and sightseeing boat trips take centre stage; Caju is defined by its location in the south of Palmas and the facilities mentioned above. When choosing your accommodation, these interests can help you decide which part of your trip you would like to prioritise.

Discover the culture and history of Tocantins

Praça dos Girassóis is home to numerous monuments and works of art dedicated to the people and history of the state of Tocantins. These include the Monumento de Súplica dos Pioneiros, a sundial, the Monumento aos Dezoito do Forte and the Monumento à Bíblia. The collection at the square also includes the Museu Memorial Coluna Prestes, the Cruzeiro and the Centro Geodésico do Brasil with the Rosa dos Ventos. A map of Tocantins, a cascade, an illuminated fountain, friezes and the state coat of arms are also part of the collection. This breadth gives the square a distinct historical and artistic dimension.

At the Memorial Coluna Prestes, visitors can view documents, photographs and objects relating to the Coluna Prestes’s passage through the region that is now part of the state of Tocantins. The Museu Histórico do Tocantins, also known as Palacinho, was the first seat of the executive branch of Tocantins and the first building erected in Palmas in 1989. The two places shed light on different aspects of history: the Memorial focuses on the passage of the Coluna Prestes, while Palacinho highlights Tocantins’s early institutional history.

At Espaço Cultural José Gomes Sobrinho, visitors can visit Theatro Fernanda Montenegro. Museu Casa Siqueira Campos welcomes visitors Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. These cultural sites can add another dimension to the waterfront attractions during your stay: you can focus your trip more on the lake and beach or on monuments, museums and culture—or combine both.

Discover more places

Other destinations at this level: Porto Nacional, São Salvador do Tocantins, Taguatinga, Peixe, Araguaína, Araguatins, Barrolândia and Gurupi.

Back to the main travel overview: Tocantins.