Recife

Marco Zero, the golden chapel and Boa Viagem in three days

Recife's old port, Olinda and the beach make a natural three-day split. Begin at Marco Zero and Rua do Bom Jesus with the Kahal Zur Israel synagogue museum, see the Capela Dourada in the morning before it closes for lunch, then the Mercado de São José; give day two to Olinda and day three to Boa Viagem.

Day one, the old port. Start early at Marco Zero on the island of Recife Antigo, then walk Rua do Bom Jesus, the street of the old Jewish quarter where the Kahal Zur Israel synagogue site is now a museum. Cross to Santo Antônio for the Franciscan convent and its Capela Dourada, going in the morning as it closes over lunch. After lunch, browse the Mercado de São José and the craft stalls of the Casa da Cultura, a former prison. Finish on a late-afternoon catamaran trip along the Capibaribe.

Day two, Olinda. Spend the morning climbing to the Alto da Sé in Olinda for the view back over Recife, and take a taxi back before dark.

Day three, art and sand. Head west to the Instituto Ricardo Brennand, with its mock castle and Dutch-period paintings, then the ceramic workshop of the Oficina Francisco Brennand nearby. Spend the late afternoon on Boa Viagem, swimming only inside the reef, and eat grilled fish on the promenade.

Bolo de rolo, tapioca and carne de sol at the São José stalls

Pernambuco eats manioc, corn, goat and dried beef, and few recifenses touch the feijoada of the south. Breakfast is tapioca folded round cheese or coconut, or steamed corn cuscuz; lunch is carne de sol with macaxeira and butter. On Boa Viagem, vendors walk the sand with oysters, grilled prawns and coconut water.

Pernambuco cooking leans on manioc, corn, goat and dried beef; few recifenses eat the feijoada of the south. Breakfast is often tapioca, a manioc-starch pancake folded around cheese or coconut, or cuscuz made from steamed corn flour. At lunch look for carne de sol, salted sun-dried beef served with macaxeira (cassava) and butter, and on adventurous menus buchada, a goat-stomach dish from the interior.

Seafood is the coastal side of the story. On Boa Viagem, vendors walk the sand with small kebabs, oysters and grilled prawns, and the beach huts sell coconut water straight from the shell. In the old centre, the lanes around the Mercado de São José are the place for cheap lunch counters.

Save room for sweets. Bolo de rolo, a roll of paper-thin sponge and guava paste, and the dense bolo Souza Leão were both born here and are sold whole as gifts. Bars are easy to find: plastic chairs on a pavement usually mean a boteco serving cold beer and snacks.

Galo da Madrugada, rain months and the Recife calendar

Come between September and February, when rain stays under about 100 mm a month and highs hold at 30 to 31°C; May and June bring 317 and 391 mm. Carnaval, in February or early March, defines the city, with fast frevo brass music and maracatu drum groups, and the Galo da Madrugada parade opening the party.

The year divides into a dry half and a wet half. From September to February monthly rain stays under about 100 mm, falling as low as 39 mm in November, and highs hold around 30 to 31C with lows near 23C. From April the rains arrive in earnest: May averages 317 mm and June 391 mm, often in heavy afternoon bursts. Temperatures hardly change, so the wet months stay humid.

Carnaval is the event that defines the city. It falls in February or early March, and Recife's version runs on frevo, the fast brass music born here, and on maracatu nation groups with their drums and royal courts. The Galo da Madrugada parade on Carnaval Saturday is one of the largest street blocos anywhere, and Recife Antigo hosts free stages through the week. Many visitors split the days with the hillside parties in Olinda; our Recife and Olinda Carnival page covers dates, blocos and planning.

In the weeks before, maracatu groups such as Estrela Brilhante and Porto Rico hold open rehearsals, a less crowded way to hear the music. June brings the São João festivals of the Northeast, with forró and corn dishes, though the main celebrations are inland at Caruaru on BR-232.