Pelotas International Airport stands five miles to the north of the city on a flat plain, surrounded by the densely populated Três Vendas suburb. Pelotas is in the far south of Brazil and the airport is mainly used for domestic flights within the state of Rio Grande do Sul and by Brazilian air force planes heading for bases in the Antarctic. It has a modern passenger terminal but with few extra facilities like shops or cafes. Visitors who hire a car at Pelotas Airport however, will find that it is an easy drive to the city centre.
If you hire a car from Pelotas International Airport, you can drive into the city itself and spot streets of old colonial houses and a relaxed leafy atmosphere. The highlight however, is the city's 200-year-old cathedral. If the outside is grand and imposing with towers and domes, the inside is breath-taking thanks to artist Locatelli's painted walls and ceilings, and the colourful stained glass. Elsewhere look out for the Caixa d'Água, an extraordinary decorative iron water tower, and the art nouveau influenced covered market.
