Where to Stay in Foz do Iguaçu: National Park, Avenida das Cataratas and Centro

Accommodation in Foz do Iguaçu is divided cleanly into three distinct zones along the 18-kilometre corridor linking the urban centre with the waterfalls: staying directly inside the gates of the UNESCO-listed National Park, basing yourself at a garden resort along tree-lined Avenida das Cataratas (Rodovia BR-469), or choosing a central hotel near the restaurants and bus links of Centro.

1. Inside Parque Nacional do Iguaçu: Exclusive Dawn and Dusk Waterfall Access

Only one hotel stands inside the Brazilian national park directly facing the waterfalls: the historic Hotel das Cataratas (a Belmond Hotel), designed in pastel-pink Portuguese colonial style with a central observation tower and opened in 1958. Staying here gives you an unmatched privilege in South America: because non-resident visitors must exit when the park closes at 17:00 and cannot enter before 09:00, hotel guests can walk the 1.5-kilometre Trail of the Falls and the Garganta do Diabo walkway at sunrise and sunset in complete solitude.

2. Avenida das Cataratas / Rodovia BR-469 (Corredor Turístico): Best for Resort Pools and Families

Stretching 15 kilometres between the southern edge of downtown Foz do Iguaçu, the turnoff for the Argentine border bridge, Foz do Iguaçu Airport (IGU), and the gates of Parque das Aves, Avenida das Cataratas (BR-469) is known locally as the Corredor Turístico. Shaded by Atlantic Forest trees, this green boulevard hosts Foz do Iguaçu's flagship four- and five-star resort hotels, thermal-spring swimming complexes, golf courses, and eco-lodges.

• Why stay here: You are 5 to 10 minutes by taxi or Municipal Bus 120 from both the airport and the Brazilian falls, and 10 minutes from the Tancredo Neves Bridge to Argentina, with expansive pool decks to cool off after a day of hiking.

3. Centro and Avenida Jorge Schimmelpfennig: Best for Dining, Nightlife, and Public Transport

If you prefer stepping out of your hotel on foot in the evening to choose between gaucho churrascarias, Paraná river-fish restaurants, Lebanese bakeries, and craft beer bars, base yourself in Centro around Avenida Brasil, Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek, and Avenida Jorge Schimmelpfennig. From here, Bus 120 to the Brazilian falls, international buses to Puerto Iguazú, and buses north to Itaipu Dam and Ciudad del Este depart every few minutes.