Curitiba.

The scene splits between the polished bars of Batel and the Sunday-morning ritual of the Feira do Largo da Ordem in the historic centre. Student nightlife is lively but low-key by Brazilian standards, with a strong craft-beer culture and university parties in Rebouças and around campus. Santa Felicidade delivers the big Italian feasts when you want a proper sit-down night.

• Batel is the nightlife core, with bars and clubs around Rua Comendador Araújo.
• Do the Feira do Largo da Ordem on Sunday mornings for crafts, food and live music.
• Ask the Curitiba group on Studcasa which university parties and craft-beer nights are worth it.

Curitiba sits mid-range for Brazil, pricier than the northeast but cheaper than Rio or São Paulo. Plan for about R$2,600 to 4,000 (roughly 420 to 650 euros) a month with a shared room and student transport. Craft beer and the nicer Batel restaurants can nudge that up, but por-quilo lunches and the bus card keep the basics low.

• A room in a shared flat near UFPR or in Rebouças runs about R$900 to 1,500 a month.
• A por-quilo lunch is R$28 to 40; a craft beer in Batel R$18 to 28.
• Get the Cartão Transporte for cheaper student fares across the RIT bus network.

Students cluster near the central UFPR campuses and in Rebouças, Água Verde and Cristo Rei. Repúblicas exist but shared flats (kitnets and apartamentos compartilhados) are more common here than in some Brazilian cities. Start on local Facebook groups and expect to view in person; the compact centre means you can often walk or take one bus to class.

• Rebouças and Cristo Rei put you close to UFPR's central buildings and the Ligeirão lines.
• Search Repúblicas e vagas Curitiba and Aluguel Curitiba estudantes on Facebook.
• Check the Studcasa Curitiba group for rooms opening up before each semester.

Curitiba invented the modern BRT, so the bus is genuinely good: colour-coded lines, tube-shaped stations where you pay before boarding, and biarticulated Ligeirão buses that move like a metro. There's no subway. Cycling is growing and the flat centre is walkable, though winter mornings are cold.

• Tap a Cartão Transporte at the tube stations; the Linha Verde and Ligeirão lines are the fast spines.
• Use Google Maps or Moovit, as the RIT's colour system is logical once you learn it.
• 99 and Uber are cheap for nights out in Batel when buses get sparse.

UFPR spreads across several central campuses and the Politécnico, strong in law, medicine, engineering and the humanities, with a big international office used to exchange students. PUCPR and UTFPR add well-regarded private and technical options. Classes are in Portuguese; the international office runs orientation and can point you to language support.

• UFPR's Agência UFPR Internacional (AUI) handles exchange paperwork and buddy programmes.
• UTFPR is the go-to for engineering and technology exchanges.

This depends heavily on your nationality. Most non-Mercosur students on a semester exchange need a temporary student visa (VITEM IV), applied for at a Brazilian consulate before travelling, with your university's acceptance letter, proof of funds, and often a criminal record check. Mercosur-country nationals have a simpler residence route. Some short stays can be done on a tourist entry, but for a full semester the student visa is the safe, correct path, so start early.

After arrival you must register with the Federal Police (Policia Federal) within the deadline on your visa to get your foreigner ID (RNM/CRNM). Keep certified, translated copies of everything, and expect the process to be slow and document-heavy.

• Most non-Mercosur students, VITEM IV student visa before arrival
• Mercosur nationals, simpler temporary residence route
• Register with the Policia Federal after arrival for your RNM/CRNM ID
• Bring proof of funds, acceptance letter and a criminal record check, often apostilled

Curitiba eats like its immigrant history: Italian cantinas in Santa Felicidade, Polish and Ukrainian pierogi, German bakeries, and barreado, a slow-cooked beef stew from the nearby coast. Pinhão, the nutty seed of the araucária pine, roasts up everywhere in winter. It's a coffee-and-cake city too, with an ingrained café culture.

• Book a long lunch at a Santa Felicidade cantina like Madalosso for the full Italian spread.
• Try barreado and pinhão in season, and hunt down Ukrainian pierogi in the local delis.
• The Mercado Municipal is the spot for cheeses, empanadas and a quick lunch near the centre.

The Centro and adjacent Rebouças put you in the middle of student life and transport; Batel is the upscale bar-and-restaurant district; Água Verde is leafy and residential; Santa Felicidade is the Italian food quarter on the edge. The Setor Histórico around Largo da Ordem is the prettiest but quietest at night.

• Rebouças and Centro: central, well-connected and close to UFPR; the best all-rounder.
• Batel: polished nightlife and cafés, a bit pricier.
• Água Verde: green, calm and residential, near Parque Barigui.

Curitiba's showpiece trip is the Serra Verde Express, a mountain railway that drops through Atlantic rainforest to Morretes (famous for barreado) and the colonial port of Paranaguá. From there, ferries reach car-free Ilha do Mel. Inland, the sandstone canyons of Vila Velha state park make an easy day out.

• Ride the Serra Verde Express to Morretes for lunch, then continue to Ilha do Mel for a beach weekend.
• Vila Velha state park (about 1.5 hours) for the sandstone rock formations and craters.
• Foz do Iguaçu is a long haul but a short flight, and pairs with the Argentine falls.

Pack warmer clothes than you'd expect for Brazil; Curitiba's winters can drop near freezing and flats rarely have heating. Locals have a reputation for being reserved, the friendly-but-formal curitibano, so persistence pays socially. The bus system is excellent but learn the tube-station payment quirk before your first ride.

• Bring layers and a warm duvet; June to August mornings are genuinely cold and homes aren't heated.
• Carry a light rain jacket year-round, as the weather flips fast.
• Learn the pay-before-boarding tube system so you don't hold up the queue on day one.