
Fortaleza Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Fortaleza is a major city on Brazil's northeast coast, and the capital of Ceará state.
Contents |
Get in
By plane
Fortaleza has an international airport which is served daily by TAP Air Portugal from Lisbon. Varig offers several flights from Brazilian cities and several charter airlines fly depending to traffic. There are also weekly 4-hour flights from Cape Verde.
By bus
Fortaleza is a major hub for long-distance bus service in the northeast as well as the entire country. (You can catch buses all the way from Brasília, but it is a 56 hour ride!). The rodoviária is about fifteen minutes by city bus from the center of town.
See
- Praça do Ferreira is the major city square, and has stores, restaurants, and movie theaters as well as plenty of benches for just sitting and watching people.
- Praça José de Alencar has plenty of greenery and is the place to catch the city's best street performers.
- The relatively new Dragão do Mar culture center has an art museum and other modern attractions.
- Museu de Arte e Cultura Popular, Rua Senador Pompeu, near the beach. Located within the Centro de Turismo, this museum, housed in a single large room, displays many fine examples of folk art as well as boats and other cultural relics.
Do
There are two nice city beaches, Praia de Iracema and Praia do Futuro. The former is right in the city, within walking distance of the central district. The latter is a bit to the south, accessible by city bus. Wednesday is the night to go to Praia do Futuro as the locals go there to dine on caranguejo (crab) and dance the night away.
Eat
If you're on the beaches, grab a crab vendor (vendedor de caranguejo) for some tasty snacks and wash it down with a beer or coconut water. However, be careful of purchasing food later in the day, as the vendor may have been carrying the food around all day in the heat.
Drink
- Chico do Caranguejo is the best-known bar at Praia do Futuro.
- Mucuripe, Travessa Maranguape, 108. Tel.55 85 254.3020 [1].
- Forró do Pirata on Mondays in Praia de Iracema. A very happening crowd dances to forró and axé music.
Sleep
- Hotel Passeio, Rua Dr. João Moreira 221, across from the Passeio Público. Budget-priced and a bit run-down. Singles around R$25.
- Hotel Caxambu, Rua General Bezerril 22. Modern and well-equipped. Rooms with TV and A/C for the same price as the Passeio.
- Ibis Fortaleza, Located just 2 blocks east of Dragoa Do Mar.
- La Maison, Av. Des. Moreira 201. Small, conveniently located hotel with nice rooms and friendly staff. Singles R$100.
Get out
The outlying beaches of Ceará such as Jericoacoara and Canoa Quebrada are considered some of the best in Brazil.
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