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Recife

Beaches in Brazil. 18-Oct-2009 .brazilbeachtravel
Recife, historical and multicultural capital of the state of Pernambuco, is the main urban center of the Brazilian northeast.

The Pernambucanos call it "The Brazilian Venice", because of the multiple canals and bridges that cross it, however, Recife is more linked by history to the other famous European city of the canals: Amsterdam, capital of the powerful Dutch empire that conquered the then prosperous and coveted Recife of the seventeenth century and turned it into the capital of its colonial Brazil for 24 years. A Dutch Brazil that comprised almost all of what is now known as the northeast, from Ceará to the state of Alagoas.

Playa de Boa Viagem
Playa de Boa Viagem
photo by josemurilo - CC 2.0 by

This historical Dutch legacy remains even today in the particular urban layout of bridges and canals and in the architecture of some of its colonial buildings, as can be seen in the fort of Brum , which dates from 1630 , and in rua Bom Jesus ( View on map ): this street, formerly called "Jewish street", it housed the first synagogue of the Americas, founded in one of its houses by Dutch Jews, which it is said would then depart to found its New Amsterdam in the north of the continent, on the island of Manhattan, now New York.

Vista de Recife
Vista de Recife
photo by Americo Nunes - CC 2.0 by-sa

In this same neighborhood, Antigo Recife , the historic center where the city was born is preserved, and the architecture preserved from many of its centenary buildings stands out. At present, many of these have been recycled and house art galleries, bars and restaurants, which make this neighborhood one of the main places where nightlife is concentrated.

Antigo Bairro Recife
Antigo Bairro Recife
Foto de Raul DS - CC 2.0 by

With its almost 4 million inhabitants including the metropolitan area, Recife is also one of the largest cities in Brazil and except Bahia, the most populated in the northeast. For what it has an important tourist infrastructure and hotel capacity. The size of the city and its industrial development however makes it difficult to find good beaches in the urban sector, practically only the beach of Boa Viagem can be highlighted, which is not too attractive anyway, to the enormous coastal buildings that make the sun, already fast enough to hide in beaches near the equator, stop covering the sand very early in the afternoon. However, the city is an excellent starting point to visit other attractive destinations; as Olinda( View on satellite map ), a historic city declared a World Heritage Site that also has one of the the most beautiful carnivals in Brazil, and the neighboring beaches outside the urban area.

Playa de Boa Viagem
Playa de Boa Viagem
photo by nicholasbittencourt - CC 2.0 by-sa

These beaches have characteristics similar to those of the Caribbean, with coconut trees, natural pools formed by reefs, white sand, turquoise blue sea, have a warm climate throughout the year; stand out among them, the island of Itamaracá to the north( View on satellite map ) and Porto de Galinhas south( View on satellite map ).

How to get there

The modern international airport of Guararapes ( View on map ), located south of the city very close to the beach of Boa Viagem ( View on satellite map ) and about 11 kilometers from the center of Recife, it receives direct flights from all Brazilian capitals, as well as some international flights. The subway can be a good option to go from the airport to the city center or to the bus terminal( View in map ). Despite the proximity to the beach of Boa Viagem, it is not convenient to make the journey on foot if you do not know the city, since the areas surrounding the airport, as is generally the case in other large cities of Brazil, are not entirely safe mainly at dusk, which, as has already been pointed out, is much earlier(between 5 and a half and 6 in the afternoon) because of the proximity to the equator.

By land, it is reached through the main highway of the Brazilian coast, the BR-101, there are buses from the main cities, although the distances and hours of travel are usually enormous:

From São Paulo: 2672 km - Approx 45 hours
From Rio de Janeiro: 2399 km - Approx 38 hours
From Fortaleza: 819 km - Approx - 12 hours
From Salvador: 838 km - Approx - 12 hours

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