Teresina

Teresina is the capital of the State of Piaui, Brazil. It is a hot, sleepy, and unpretentious town. It is not a coastal city and it has a small-town feeling. The city sits between the Parnaíba and Poti rivers. It is one of the hottest cities in Brazil, and is also an important center for hospitals and other health-related institutions.

Formerly called Nova Vila do Poti, Teresina replaced Oeiras as capital of Piauí in 1852. The city was named after the Brazilian Emperor's wife.

By bus

 * From Piripiri by Guanabara, 5 daily, 3 hours, R$26.
 * From Parnaíba and Luis Correa by Guanabara, 5 daily, 6 hours, R$45.
 * From Parnaíba and Luis Correa by Guanabara, 5 daily, 6 hours, R$45.

By car
It is best not to drive at night through the remote highways of the Brazilian North and Northeast. Lack of shoulders and tall farm crops growing right up to the roadside make visibility difficult on curved stretches. You may hit a farm animal, such as a burro, and damage your car and injure yourself and passengers. Driving at night can also be dangerous since thieves and gangs can more easily create roadblocks at night to rob drivers.
 * from Fortaleza (via BR-222 and BR-343 through Piripiri, PI).
 * from Recife (via BR-232 and BR-316 through Salgueiro, PE).
 * from Brasília (via BR-020, BR-242, BR-135, BR-343, and BR-316).

Bus
Municipal bus service is provided by SETUT and costs R$2.10 (2013). Buses carry about 225,000 passengers a day in the city and you can get most anywhere you need to by bus. Don't take valuables with you if traveling by bus.

Taxi
Taxis are affordable in Teresina and are a good alternative to renting a car if you don't plan on traveling too far outside of the city.

Metro
Teresina has a light rail system with 9 stations that was built on tracks laid in 1922 (it is referred to as a metro, but is completely an above-ground system). The rolling stock is new, but the stations are dilapidated and, with the exception of two stations (Engenheiro/Bandeira and Frei Serafim), are nowhere near where you would travel in Teresina as a visitor or even as a member of the upper poor class or higher. Most of the stations on the east side of the Poti River are on narrow, dead end streets in poor neighborhoods with no commerce nearby and no bus terminals. Station names can be a point of confusion for both locals and visitors. The west side terminus is referred to as "Bandeira" station, yet the station's official name is "Engenheiro Alberto Tavares Silva." "Novo Horizonte" is sometimes referred to as "Parque Ideal." Other stations on the east side also vary in name and have no signage to indicate which station you are at (e.g., Mercado, Itararé, Novo Horizonte).

Approximately 8,000 people ride the metro per day (225,000 ride buses per day). Although it was started in 1991 around the same time as larger and more successful metro systems in central and southern Brazil, the Metro appears to be more of a vanity project for local politicians than a useful transportation alternative to buses.

See




Do




Events

 * February - Carnaval.
 * June-November. River Beaches. The rivers levels fall between June and November exposing large sand banks known as the “crowns of the rivers”. These are turned into popular river “beaches” complete with life-guards and vendors selling fried fish straight out of the rivers.
 * June 29 - Procissão de São Pedro. A penitential procession of boats on the river Parnaíba.
 * July - Teresina hosts the three-day Micarana festival, attracting top artists and visitors from all over Brazil - and no foreigners.
 * November - Salão Internacional de Humor. The city is given over to cartoons and charicatures, attracting participants from Brazil and abroad.

Eat

 * Celso's. Piauíese specialities. Rua Angélica 1059, Fátima
 * Panela de Barro, Av. Pedro Freitas 1965
 * Camarão do Elias. Seafood, especially crabs. Av. Pedro Almeida 457
 * O Pesqueirinho. Rua Domingos Jorge Velho 6889 (by the river)

Drink
Cajuína is a sweet soft drink made from the cashew fruit, which link with Teresina was immortalized in the Caetano Veloso song "Cajuína"

The local cachaça brand is Mangueira.

Most nightlife is in the vicinity of Shopping Riverside. A few clubs along Avenida Nossa Senhora da Fátima



Budget
A few cheapies in front of the bus station, although this location is inconvenient if you don´t have your own car. The area between the centre and the hospital zone, south and east of Avendida Frei Serafim, is dotted with cheap pensões, although many of these seem more like hospital waiting rooms.

Cope

 * There are a few internet spots in the center at R$1-2/hour, but they all close evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Head for more expensive places at the shopping malls.
 * There are a few internet spots in the center at R$1-2/hour, but they all close evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Head for more expensive places at the shopping malls.

Go next

 * Parnaíba (beach destination in Piauí)
 * Seven Cities National Park (Parque Nacional Sete Cidades)