Belém

Introducing Belém

Belém is a surprisingly rewarding city, with streets and parks shaded by mango trees, and a number of fascinating monuments and museums. The sloping central park is quiet during the week and bustling on weekends, when locals come out en masse for free performances and tasty street food. Nightlife tends toward the bohemian intellectual sort: art house theaters, small music venues, heady café-bars. From Belém you can take overnight trips to Algodoal and Ilha de Marajó, both appealing coastal destinations, and it’s an important launch pad for journeys up the Rio Amazonas. The Amazon is not known for its cities, and Belém can’t compete with places like São Luis or Salvador for charm or urban flair. But given time to explore, most find Belém is not nearly as rough around the edges as they expected.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009