Official language: Portuguese
Time zone: UTC-3
(summer),
UTC-2
(winter)
Currency: Brazilian real (BRL)
Brazilians love grilled and fried dishes. And French fries. Tasty, cheaply and in home vibe you can eat in Bar do Enresto at Rua Alvaro Mendes 188.
Varginha is the second producer of the coffee in the country. Cultivable fields are almost everywhere, where you look. Many locals are hired in the biggest manufacturer of coffee – Café Bom Dia.
A bit to the south from the city’s centre there is a zoo-botanical garden, where you can not only meet various animals, but also walk on paths full of abundant plants.
The city, as many in Brazil, became famous in 1996 after series of events that weren’t explained to this day. To attract tourists, Varginha focused on tourism connected to UFO. But this town has more to offer.
So-called incident from Varginha is connected to stories of citizens that saw UFO. One of the spaceship was supposed to crash. A few people claimed that they saw mysterious creatures, that get out of the car. The army, that according to local was supposed to efface traces, denies everything. The report from investigation conducted in 2010 claims that three girls that reportedly saw UFO, in fact met a homeless man covered in mud, military trucks were riding at night through the city as per regular work schedule, and seen in hospital strange beings was a couple of midget from abroad.
To this day, that story is igniting the imagination of many UFO hunters, that eagerly come to Varginha to solve the mystery on their own. The city welcomes such type of tourists. You can see there bus stops in the shape of spaceships, similar shape has also one of the water towers.
What to do in Varginha once you explored the UFO topic? Step by a lovely lake Furnas, to Furnas Dam harbour, where you can rent a boat or water skis. For avid fishermen there are designated places, where afar from tumult of beachgoers they can calmly fish. In the haven you can also have a tasty dinner made of local products.
If you are just planning your stay, make sure to book the accommodation in town for Thursday. Every week, on the railway station there is organized a party under the project Quinta da Boa Música, during which on stage perform local bands.
Or maybe you are a fan of some heavier sounds? In that case come to Varginha on the verge of May and June, when since two decades takes place the festival Roça N' Roll. Heavy metal resounds on fields and meadows of Varginha. Gigs taking place on a few stages, are accompanied by, among others, art exhibition. In the history of the festival more than 200 Brazilian and foreign bands have performed.