Maceió

Maceió is the capital of Alagoas, in Northeast Brazil. Maceió has a great coastal ambiance and stands out for its beauty, embedded in palm trees, mangroves and the bright green sea. It also has a remarkable culture, reflected in its arts and crafts, cuisine and customs.

Understand
Like many places in North-east Brazil, the city used to thrive on the sugar industry. Nowadays, it has a very good touristic infrastructure with excellent hotels, and has become an important destination for national and international tourists.

Climate
Maceió's climate is tropical - hot and humid during most of the year. The best time to go depends on your weather preferences. Summer extends from December through March, when temperatures are around 30⁰C. In May through September more clouds make it more pleasant during the mid-day and afternoon. It's around 27⁰C but it rains a lot. The water temperature is every day 26-27⁰C.

Get in
There are plenty of taxis at the airport's arrivals area. It is not possible for foreigners to take the bus to the downtown area. The only options are by Taxi or e-hailing (Uber/99Taxi).

From Salvador and Recife there are intercity buses. From Recife also check the lower priced shared rides on Blablacar.

From Maragogi and São Miguel dos Milagres scheduled vans bring you to the rodoviaria of Maceió.

By taxi
You can use an Uber or the 99Taxi riee-hailing app.

Other taxis are everywhere and you'll have no problem finding them. There is an initial fee, then it depends how far you go.

By bus
The bus system is operated by the company "Transporte Tropical," operating in the "Aeroporto - Ponta Verde" line, which connects the airport to Ponta Verde Beach. The price is R$ 3.35 (March 2021) for a single trip. There are no transfers though so each bus you take will require you to pay again. Around half of the local buses require the bus card "Cartão Bem Legal". In the near future all local buses will require the card. You can get it only in the Rua Buarque de Macedo 549 in the city center (M-F 07:00-17:00) and it's free. In March 2021 it was possible to get the card without a CPF.

In the regional minibuses you can pay only in cash.

By car
You can rent a car. This is a great way to explore the nearby beaches on a day trip.

Natural beauty
Approximately 140 km south from Maceió there is a very small town called Piaçabuçu, where you can get on a boat and sail through the São Francisco River and see where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. There are vans that can take you there or you can rent a car. The boat ride is absolutely amazing.

Do

 * Surfing and bodyboarding are popular in Maceió. The waves are safe and there are no sharks to worry about. There are also no dangerous reefs to worry about. The best place to go surfing near Maceió is at Praia do Frances (Frenchman's Beach). Waves aren't the best in Alagoas; sometimes there are good waves, but that isn't very consistent. There are also many low priced resorts you can stay at for the weekend or for months at a time.
 * Watch the sunset from Avenida da Paz.
 * Snorkeling in Ponta Verde beach (with low tide). Bring your own snorkel, there are usually none for rent.
 * The main tourist attraction in Maceió is the Piscinas Naturais in Pajuçara beach, a naturally shallow area in the ocean about 1 km away from the shore. You can get there by jangada (a traditional wooden sailboat). This is a good place to snorkel and there are always restaurant boats selling food and drinks.

Concerts are very common.

Beaches
Maceió is surrounded by beaches. There is no problem finding a nice beach to relax. You can choose between those with a lot of people or the empty ones.

To the beaches in the north of Maceio up to Ipioca you can take the bus line 223. It picks you up for example in Ponta Verde or Pajuçara. On the way you can pick a beach you like and simply get off at the next stop. The fare is R$3.35 (March 2021). For some buses of this bus line you need the Cartão Bem Legal. So it's better when you have the card. Without the bus card you can take a regional minibus from the country road AL-101 to the beaches. For the way back to Maceió you can also take any other local bus or regional mini bus. They stop in Maceió along the country road AL-101. From there you can change to another local bus line or take an Uber to where you stay.

Urban beaches

 * Cruz das Almas
 * Jatiúca
 * Pajuçara
 * Ponta Verde
 * Pontal da Barra
 * Sobral

North Coast

 * Barra de Santo Antônio
 * Carro Quebrado Beach
 * Croa Island
 * Tabuba Beach

South Coast

 * Barra de São Miguel
 * Francês It has nice sand and is touristy. It's more empty more south and more north to where Google Maps displays the Praia do Frânces. From Maceió you can go with frequent minibuses stopping in front of the central CBTU Brazilian Urban Train station. On the top of the windshield there is blue banner saying "Marechal Deodoro >> Maceió". The minibus arrives and goes back to Maceió on the same lane of a street near the beach. The fare is R$5 (March 2021). The last connection back to Maceió is around 21:00.
 * Gunga
 * Peba Beach
 * Penedo The city of Penedo is one of the historical cities of Brazil, it has been colonized by Portugal and was visited by Dom Pedro II during his travel to Bahia. With more than 400 years the beautiful city has a lot of churches from colonial period well preserved. It also has lots of old houses well preserved from the same period, this visit is like travel back in time. Those historical attractions can be enjoyed with local rich culinary in many restaurants nearby as well as tours through São Francisco River inside local boats.

Buy

 * Lace (renda) - At Pontal da Barra, near the Mundaú lagoon
 * Feira de Artesanato in Pajuçara for local arts and crafts.
 * Feira de Artesanato in Pajuçara for local arts and crafts.

Eat
There are many, many restaurants to choose from. The restaurants on the beaches alone will be more than enough for your stay. There are many different types of food to choose from. Fish and other seafood, a wide selection of fruits, and authentic Brazilian cuisine are very common. Make sure to try a Tapioca, a pancake made of manioc starch that can be filled with anything from ham and cheese to chocolate. They are sold all along the beach at lunchtime.

Drink
There are plenty of bars all along the beach. The Jatiuca neighbourhood has a good bar scene. It has two famous places, Skyy nightclub and MaiKai. Another famous nightclub is Middo located in the Pajuçara neighbourhood.

Budget
Just look on booking.com or Hostelworld and sort by price.

Splurge
There are many different hotels to choose from in terms of price. There are many large hotels to find tour guides and most of the hotel staff have a good grasp of English and other languages like Italian. Here are just a few:


 * Jatiúca Hotel, Lagoa da Anta 220 - Mangabeiras, +55 82 2122-2000
 * Hotel Meliá Maceió , Av. Álvaro Otacílio 4065, Jatiúca, +55 82 325-5656
 * Maceió Mar Hotel, Av. Álvaro Otacílio 2991, Ponta Verde, +55 82 217-8000
 * Ritz Lagoa da Anta, Av. Brig. Eduardo Gomes 546, Cruz das Almas +55 82 217-4000

Apartments
Temporary apartments are usually the best if your plan to stay more than a week. They are the cheapest and you don't need a lease or pay any utility bills. Many will allow you to stay less than a month. Each temporary apartment is different though. Not all include furniture, a stove, or a refrigerator.

Stay safe
As a city of this size, normal precautions should be taken.

Stay healthy
As elsewhere in Brazil, some beaches in Maceió are not suitable for bathing, and conditions can change from day to day. On the day of your visit, check the latest weekly bathing report (in Portuguese, relatório de balneabilidade) of the state's Environment Department (IMA).

Cope
The Policia Federal for extending your visa or visa-free stay is at the Av. Walter Ananias, 705 - Jaraguá, Maceió - AL, 57022-065. The department for foreigners is open M-F 14-18:00.

Go next
Hostels are available in all of these places, they are sorted northwards:


 * Ipioca with its stunning beach


 * São Miguel dos Milagres. The 'Caribbean of Brazil'. The hostel is in a village nearby called Porto da Rua. The scheduled vans from Maceió and Ipioca pass that village.


 * Maragogi a place with the most beautiful beaches with white sand, palm trees and famous natural swimming pool inside the Atlantic. It's 125 km north of Maceió. Tours to the pools from Maceió last all day.


 * Porto de Galinhas and the nearby Maracaípe


 * Recife
 * Olinda

In the south of Maceió you gonna find:
 * Aracaju