Showing 1-16 of 16 results
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Boa Viagem
The only beach worth visiting in Recife is at Boa Viagem. It's a busy urban beach, packed on weekends and a good place to watch or play beach sports, but very few people enter the water, which is unclean and subject to shark attacks.
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Capela Dourada
The Capela Dourada, a church begun in 1696, is a gem of Brazilian baroque. Further south stretches a bustling commercial area with shops and stalls lining every street, dotted with dilapidated colonial churches and fine façades. This district throbs with city life during the week but is deserted on Sundays.
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Concatedral de São Pedro dos Clérigos
The Concatedral de São Pedro dos Clérigos, an 18th-century baroque church with incredibly fine wood carvings, overlooks the Pátio de São Pedro.
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Fundação Gilberto Freyre
Fans of Brazilian literature and history should visit the Fundação Gilberto Freyre, 8km northwest of downtown, home of the author of the revolutionary 1933 book Casa Grande e Senzala (published as The Masters and the Slaves in English) about life on Pernambuco sugar plantations. Catch the Sitio dos Pintos/Dois Irmãos bus west from Av Conde da Boa Vista downtown.
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Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco
The most important building to visit in the city center is the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, a church dating from 1697 with a Capela Dourada (Golden Chapel) that is one of the finest examples of Brazilian baroque architecture.
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Instituto Ricardo Brennand
From Tuesday to Friday afternoons, you can go to the scenic Instituto Ricardo Brennand, Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand's cousin's museum, 10 minutes south by taxi. This contains a massive collection of European and Brazilian art, swords, armor and historical artifacts in a fake medieval castle in lovely grounds. The best way to reach these exhibitions is to arrange a round trip by taxi. From Boa Viagem, with about 1½ hours at each place, this costs around R$60 .
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Marco Zero
The waterside Marco Zero, a small monument on a broad square, marks the spot where Recife was founded by the Portuguese in 1537.
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Museu da Cidade do Recife
The Museu da Cidade do Recife is housed in the Forte das Cinco Pontas, a fort built by the Dutch in 1630. It has interesting exhibits on Recife's history and popular culture.
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Museu do Homem do Nordeste
The Museu do Homem do Nordeste, has anthropological exhibits on Northeastern life ranging from slave chains to Carnaval costumes, with good photos throughout. It's extensive and well done, but was closed for renovations at research time, so check to see if it has reopened.
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Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand
A surreal sculpture garden of bizarre sexualized earthworms, frogs and turtles covers the landscape at the unique Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand. The artist Francisco Brennand, descended from 19th-century Irish immigrants and considered Brazil's greatest ceramicist, revitalized his family's abandoned tile factory to create his own line of decorative ceramic tiles.
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Parque 13 de Maio
A great place to hang out, especially on a Sunday, is Parque 13 de Maio in the Boa Vista district. There's a lot of action in the park, including capoeira, heated domino games and even more heated political debates.
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Pátio de São Pedro
The Pátio de São Pedro is a traffic-free square lined with bars, restaurants and colorfully painted 19th-century houses.
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Praça da República
Praça da República at the northern end of Santo Antônio has a formal park with tall trees and a pretty fountain, and is surrounded by imposing 19th-century buildings.
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Praia Boa Viagem
Recife's wealthy beachside suburb Boa Viagem is a primo spot for visitors who want to stay near the surf. Though more southerly beaches, such as Praia Enseada dos Corais, Praia Gaibu and Praia Calhetas, are cleaner, Boa Viagem is popular, packed on weekends, and great for watching the locals at play.
Note that very few people enter the water, which is unclean and subject to shark attacks.
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Rua Bom Jesus
Rua Bom Jesus was formerly known as Rua dos Judeos (Jews' St) because a number of Jewish businesses opened here during Dutch rule (1630-54).
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Sinagoga Kahal Zur Israel
The first synagogue in the Americas, Sinagoga Kahal Zur Israel, now a Jewish Cultural Center open to visitors, still has a bit of its original 17th-century structure and interesting murals depicting the role of Jews in Recife's development. This area is at its best during the colorful Sunday crafts market.
Showing 1-16 of 16 results
