Recife

Recife, the capital of Pernambuco, is one of the largest and most important cities on the northeastern coast of Brazil. This lively capital, founded by Dutch colonizers, is brimming with a vibrant culture, an interesting old town (which includes the oldest synagogue in the Americas) and some nice beaches.

Understand
Recife (Portuguese: "The Reef") is on the Atlantic coast, at the estuary of the Capibaribe, Beberibe and Jordão Rivers, close to the easternmost point of the Americas. The city, which is only two meters above sea level (some parts are below), is distributed across rivers, canals and islands.

Due to the prevalence of waterways in its geography, Recife is known as Veneza Brasileira (Brazilian Venice). Its 1.7 million inhabitants (2020), 3.7 million in the Grande Recife, are called recifenses. Services are the base of the economy. Despite the high incidence of poverty, the municipal Human Development Index (HDI) in 2000 (0.810) was above Brazil's national average (0.800). Recife is famous for its beaches, history, Carnaval, arts and cuisine.

Orientation
The city can be roughly divided in four major areas:


 * The Centro (Center) is composed of the neighborhoods of Recife Antigo (Old Recife), Santo Antônio, São José, Santo Amaro and Boa Vista, which are scattered through a couple of islands and part of the mainland. They are connected to each other by a series of bridges over the Capibaribe River.  The Centro contains most of the historic and government buildings in the city.  The port, which is in Recife Antigo, was once the most active in all of the Americas.
 * Zona Sul (South Zone) is the most modern and touristic part of the city, as it was built around the beautiful natural reef beaches that gave the city its name. This area has a great many hotels, restaurants, bars, the airport, and the largest shopping mall.  Its most important neighborhood is Boa Viagem, set along the beautiful Boa Viagem beach. Because of the beach and the skyline Boa Viagem is also called the Copacabana of the North East.
 * Zona Oeste (West Zone) is by far the greenest part of the city. It contains remnants of the Atlantic Forest that once covered most of the Brazilian eastern coast.  It contains two famous museums (Instituto Ricardo Brennand and Museu-Oficina Francisco Brennand), as well as the Federal University of Pernambuco, and the Recife Military school (2nd best school around all Brazil).
 * Zona Norte (North Zone) is mostly a residential area. Throughout the centuries, the neighborhoods along the Capibaribe River were home to the local aristocracy.  It contains the city's best schools and hospitals, and is also famous for its parks and bars.

The term Grande Recife is used to describe the Metropolitan Region of Recife, the fifth largest urban agglomeration in Brazil (after São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre) and the single largest in the Northeast. Grande Recife offers superb touristic attractions inside and outside the city limits. Do not miss Olinda or Porto de Galinhas. The first is famous for its natural setting, colonial architecture and carnaval, while the second has been consistently voted the best beach in Brazil. Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Itamaracá Island and Igarassu are known for their beautiful beaches and important historical monuments.

History


A collection of fishing shacks, inns and warehouses started on the delta between the Capibaribe and Beberibe rivers in the captaincy of Pernambuco, sometime between 1535 and 1537, at the long reef (actually a petrified sandbank) that runs parallel to the shoreline, enclosing its harbor. Here is found the city's. Eventually it became a port for the capital Olinda, which is just across the Beberibe. In 1630 came the Dutch invaders, establishing the colony of New Holland. They laid siege to Olinda, pillaging it in 1631, and built a new city on the island of Antônio Vaz opposite the first settlement, naming it Mauritsstadt, after count Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen, governor from 1637 to 1644. His Vrijburg palace was built at the spot where Republic Square is today. Mauritsstadt's map shows two large forts, built of earth and wood, on either side of the walled city; the four-pointed northern one, Fort Ernest, was demolished to make way for the present Princesses' Field Palace. The five-pointed southern one, Fort Frederik Hendrik, has survived, rebuilt in stone, officially renamed Five-Pointed Fort, and has long been home to the Recife City Museum.

Nassau was a tolerant man, and allowed freedom of religion, but the Dutch West India Company bosses were hardline Calvinists, severe in architecture and taxation. This frustrated Nassau, who went home and left the company to impose its own rule, which drove the natives to rebellion. After the Dutch West India Company's larger, better equipped army's defeat (albeit a narrow one) to a Portuguese and Native force in the 1649 Guararapes battle at Recife's outskirts, opinion in Amsterdam considered that "Dutch Brazil by now no longer has a future worth fighting for". The last invaders were expelled in 1654, and a sizable resident Sephardic Jew community moved to New Amsterdam.

Recife became the capital of Pernambuco in 1827.

Climate
The climate is tropical, with two main seasons: dry (September–March) and rainy (April–August). Average annual temperature is 26°C (78.8°F), with limited variation.

Tourist information centers

 * Recife Tourism information portal

From the airport

 * MetroRec Subway has an Aeroporto stop on its southern line which will take you directly downtown.
 * Bus 033 (Aeroporto) goes every 20 minutes to Boa Viagem (15 min) and to the city center (Av. Dantas Barreto, 30 min). You can also take the Aeroporto opcional which is a little bit faster. Stop in front of the airport building.
 * Bus 161 (Brigadeiro Ivo Borges) and Bus 163 (Cajueiro Seco) also go to the city center. Stop on the other side of the street opposite the airport building.
 * Taxis are also available.

You may also want to consider flying to the airports of Maceió, Natal or João Pessoa. From there you can take an intercity bus or shared ride with Blablacar to Recife.

By car

 * BR-101, also known as the Translitoranean, connects to the north with Natal and João Pessoa, and to the south with Maceió, Aracaju, and Salvador, as well as Vitória and Rio de Janeiro further down the coast.
 * BR-232 runs east-west across most of Pernambuco, connecting Recife with Gravatá, Caruaru and other destinations.
 * BR-408 connects Recife with Tracunhaém and with Campina Grande, Paraíba.

By intercity bus


Direct buses from all Northeast and many other capital cities:


 * From Fortaleza by Guanabara, R$90-120 (April 2021), 12 hours.
 * From Natal by Progresso, R$80 (April 2021), 4½ hours.
 * Hourly from João Pessoa
 * From Maceió from R$80 (April 2021)

By shared rides
Especially from Maceió and Natal you can get a better price from the frequent shared rides. Have a look on Blablacar.

By boat
You can arrive in cruise ships at the Port of Recife. Cruises may come from other Brazilian states, from other countries in South America and the Caribbean, or from Europe. Transatlantic cruise liners include Holland America Line ms Rotterdam, Holland America Line ms Prisendam, Oceania Cruises Insignia, SeaDream Yacht Club, Royal Caribbean International Splendour of the Sea, P&O Cruises Artemis, Cunard Line Queen Elizabeth II, among others. Cruises from Recife to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago are also available.

By e-hailing
Uber and 99Pop operate in Recife.

By taxi
Look for registered taxi companies which charge standard rates. Ask for a car with air conditioning (especially in the summer).

By bus
Buses are the most useful form of mass transportation. The Sistema Estrutural Integrado (Integrated Structural System), known as SEI, has 119 bus lines which are integrated with the subway system at 13 points throughout the metropolitan area.

By subway
MetroRec, Recife's subway system, is the third largest in Brazil, although it covers only limited areas of the city. 13 of the 28 stations have connections to the SEI metro bus system and, depending on your destination, it may be possible to purchase a single combination subway/bus ticket. MetroRec has three basic lines:
 * Two Central lines run together from downtown to the west, where they split after Coqueiral station and go to Jaboatão dos Guararapes and Camaragibe respectively. It does provide a useful link between the city center and the TIP Bus Station in the outskirts, at the penultimate stop on the Camaragibe (Centro 1) line.
 * The South line provides direct access to the airport and Shopping Center Recife on its way to Cajueiro Seco.

Beaches
Recife is known for its amazing beaches.





Museums (historic interest)






Other historic buildings




Do

 * Maracatu Rehearsals (ensaios de maracatu). Some of the most traditional maracatu (Pernambuco-style carnaval dances and parades) groups include:  Leão Coroado (since 1863), Estrela Brilhante do Recife (since 1909), Porto  Rico (since 1916), Cambinda Estrela do Recife (since 1935), and Elefante, among others.
 * Volleyball and footvolley at Boa Viagem beach. The latter was first developed into a sport in the sands of Recife, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s.
 * Volleyball and footvolley at Boa Viagem beach. The latter was first developed into a sport in the sands of Recife, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s.
 * Volleyball and footvolley at Boa Viagem beach. The latter was first developed into a sport in the sands of Recife, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s.
 * Volleyball and footvolley at Boa Viagem beach. The latter was first developed into a sport in the sands of Recife, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s.

Theaters
Recife is the third largest theater production center in Brazil, after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The most traditional theater is Teatro Santa Isabel, while the most modern is the one at Convention Center of the Federal University of Pernambuco. <!-- Commenting out because: 1. There's no description for any of the theaters. 2. I remember it was discussed somewhere a few years ago that there's no point in listing theaters and the like if they don't have shows in English (per the talk section in Brazil's article this doesn't seem very likely), because most of this guides' readers wouldn't be able to understand them. The same goes for the movie theaters/cinemas; according to that same Talk section in the Brazil article, everything everywhere would be dubbed into Portuguese. 3. And the address was placed in the content parameter for many of these, so there's a chance they've simply been copied from somewhere.



Smaller theaters:



Cinema


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Football
Football (soccer) teams from Recife participate in the A-Series (First Division) Brazilian Championship, the Brazil Cup, Pernambucan Championship, and the Copa Libertadores da América.

The three most traditional teams are Clube Nautico Capibaribe (home: ); Sport Clube do Recife (home: ); and Santa Cruz Futebol Clube (home: ). Nautico and Sport are in the A-Series Brazilian Championship. Santa Cruz is in the C-Series.

Recife is home to internationally famous football players including Juninho Pernambucano, Rivaldo, Ricardo Rocha and Vavá.

Roller hockey
The city of Recife is home to some of Brazil's top roller hockey teams: Clube Portugues do Recife, Clube Nautico Capibaribe, Sport Clube do Recife and Associacão Amigos do Minho do Recife. Both Clube Portugues and Sport have been national champions.

Events

 * Recife's Carnaval is one of the country's busiest. Very different from its carioca counterpart, in Recife street shows and parades play contagious rhythms like frevo and maracatu, attracting more than 1.6 million people to celebrate and dance on the streets every year. Apart from frevo and maracatu, two other cultural manifestations that are typical of Pernambucan Carnaval include bumba-meu-boi and caboclinho. Recife's Carnaval is known for being multicultural, as people from different cultures, ages and likes gather around to be part of one of the biggest carnavals of the world.

Local specialties
Pernambuco has a multicultural gastronomy with African and indigenous influences, among others. The national dish Feijoada (a stew of beans, pork and beef, served with rice and Farofa) is not very popular in Recife. On the other hand some ingredients which are widely used in Recife are hardly found in the South of Brazil, as manioc flour (which is the main ingredient of tapioca), cuscuz (corn flour), pumpkin, jerked beef, goat or lamb. Seafood is exotic and delicious. The regional food has some peculiarities like Carne de Sol and buchada, a dish prepared with the stomach of billy goat.
 * Recife is the birthplace of two traditional and delicious cakes Bolo de Rolo and Bolo Sousa Leão.
 * Do try the snacks on offer from beach vendors---little chicken and beef kebabs, oysters, prawns, and grilled cheese. Just be aware that some of the vendors may have been carrying them around for hours--if it doesn't look fresh, it probably isn't.
 * A must try is Caldinho: a soup served all over the place (restaurants, dedicated carts and people with flasks selling it on the beach). Comes in a variety of flavors from black bean to shrimp. The person selling it will say "completa" when you order it. This simply means "complete", and if you say yes at this point you get a few added extras, such as a small boiled egg put into the cup of hot soup.

Restaurants
Recife is the gastronomic capital of the Northeast. There are more high-quality restaurants here than in any other city in Brazil north of Rio de Janeiro.

Budget








Mid-range










Beach food
Fancy sitting around all day on the beach under a beach umbrella? Well, you can! The chairs and the guy that moves the umbrella are free. All they ask in return is that you buy your food and drink from them.

They all carry a menu and the food arrives quickly and freshly made on the beach. Try the seafood. The fish is usually caught locally and earlier that same day.

Apart from your own vendor, there will be a variety of vendors walking up and down the beach, selling a variety of things. Learning the language for these items is useful but unnecessary as the vendor will take the time to show you what he/she has on offer.
 * Prawns (camarão) - Be careful of the prawns-- smell them before purchase. A free sample is available with the word provar. They might have been walked up and down the beach for hours in the hot sun. A quick sniff is enough to tell you if they are fresh or not. If you decide to eat them, here is a quick tip: hold the tail of the prawn, tear off and discard the head and leg sections, hold the very tip of the tail, pop the rest in your mouth and bite off the tip leaving it in your fingers. Yes, you can eat the shell; peel it if you wish, but you will not see the locals doing this.
 * Oysters (Ostra) - Vendors will be carrying a bucket full of ice and live oysters. They are prepared for you one at a time. Served with a squeeze of lime, salt and cumin powder.
 * Crab - They do not come prepared, so unless you know which bits to eat and which bits to discard, steer clear!
 * Grilled cheese (Queijo de Coalho) - No warnings here--just go ahead and enjoy. It's a real treat.
 * Kebabs (Espetinhos) - Grilled chicken or beef. Cooked fresh right in front of you.
 * Ice-cream - The prices are a lot more expensive than just off the beach. But you don't have to get out of your chair. In that heat, you will appreciate that.
 * Caldinho - you will notice guys walking up and down the beach with flasks. These are full of different flavors of a soup called caldinho. Try prawn one with hot pepper sauce.
 * Ovos de codorna - Small boiled quail eggs ready to peel, salt and eat.
 * Nuts - A variety of nuts is available, cashew being the most obvious, because it's grown right there in northeastern Brazil. Also, peanuts in 2 varieties: roasted or boiled.

Bars
There are many many bars in Recife, most, if not all, serving food as well as drinks. The prices are cheap.

At the less classy end of the market, there are some great bars. They don't have great signage to tell you that it's a bar. Basically, if you see some plastic garden furniture in the street, you are looking at a bar. These are usually the most fun places with the loudest people and the best vibe. Be careful of the ice in places like this as it might not be made from bottled water. It also helps to have a good constitution of you are going to eat in these bars.


 * There are huts selling food, beer, and the like about every half kilometer in the center of Boa Viagem beach.
 * Warning: It might not be safe to walk to and from all these nightspots. Ask around, and take a cab to escape muggings.

There are bars of varying quality up and down the streets of Recife. A few good picks include the following:



Sleep
Many tourists stay along the beach in Boa Viagem, 10 km (7 mi) south of the center. The area of Boa Vista just across the Ponte Velha from the train station has a number of budget and mid-range hotels.

Stay safe
Recife's reputation for safety is not one of the best. Robberies on streets and buses are fairly common. Do not be alarmed &mdash; odds are you will have a fabulous time here &mdash; but be aware of your surroundings and take the usual big city precautions.
 * While entering or leaving Olinda at dusk or dawn, you have an elevated risk of being ambushed. Taxis are recommended.
 * Beware of the unlicensed guides. Make sure you have the travel itinerary planned out and a price (including meals, fuel, etc.) agreed upon before starting out.
 * Watch out for shark warnings before entering the water at the Boa Viagem beach.
 * If you are carrying notes of R$ 50 or 100, be sure to tell the taxi driver before you get in because he might not have change. Some taxi drivers might not know how to get to where you are going, so make sure that you have the address written down. If you are a woman traveling alone, sit in the back as some drivers may try to take advantage of the situation.
 * Avoid Recife's downtown on Sundays. Streets are deserted all day long and are very unsafe. Consider taking a tour to a neighboring city or beach instead.

Cope
The Policia Federal for extending your visa or visa free stay is in the airport on the ground floor.

Consulates

 * 🇦🇷 Argentina
 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇵🇹 Portugal
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Honorary consulates

 * 🇦🇹 Austria
 * 🇧🇪 Belgium
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
 * 🇨🇾 Cyprus
 * 🇩🇰 Denmark
 * 🇪🇨 Ecuador
 * 🇫🇮 Finland
 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇬🇹 Guatemala
 * 🇮🇩 Indonesia
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico
 * 🇵🇦 Panama
 * 🇷🇴 Romania
 * 🇸🇰 Slovakia
 * 🇪🇸 Spain
 * 🇸🇪 Sweden
 * 🇨🇭 Switzerland
 * 🇺🇾 Uruguay

Stay healthy
As elsewhere in Brazil, some beaches in Recife are not suitable for bathing, and conditions can change from day to day. On the day of your visit, check the map of the latest weekly bathing report (in Portuguese, informativo de balneabilidade) of the state's Environment Department (CPRH). There is also a mobile app called #deupraiaPE (in Portuguese) that provides an up-to-date map of polluted bathing sites.

Go next

 * Olinda - This cute colonial town, just across the bridge from Recife, is a World Heritage Site. You can find hostels there.
 * Porto de Galinhas is the best beach in the vicinity of Recife. On New Year's this place is like a fantasy with amazing open-air parties and tourists from all over Brazil. In Porto de Galinhas and in the nearby Maracaípe are hostels.
 * Serrambi and Tamandaré are wonderful beaches. Further awesome spots are São José da Coroa Grande, Muro Alto, Cupe, Suape, Calhetas, Gaibu and Maria Farinha.
 * Itamaracá Island for its beaches, Coroa do Aviao islet, the 17th century Dutch Fort Orange, the colonial village of Vila Velha, and the IBAMA manatee nature center.
 * Maragogi with its famous swimming pools inside the ocean. Hostels are available.
 * São Miguel dos Milagres The 'Caribbean of Brazil'. It has a hostel. See Get In
 * Igarassu, home to Brazil's oldest church and Latin America's largest collection of baroque paintings.
 * São Benedito do Sul waterfalls.
 * Caruaru and Tracunhaém for their rich handicraft. Caruaru is also famous for its open-air market, the largest in Brazil.
 * Nova Jerusalém, the world's largest theater-city, famous for its enactment of the Passion of Jesus Christ during Easter (holy week).
 * Serrita, in the Sertão region, for its annual Missa do Vaqueiro, a religious-cultural event that honors northeastern cowboys.