Recife

Where should I stay?

Where should I eat?

• Parraxaxá · Boa Viagem · Northeastern Brazilian (sertão): Long-running buffet of sertão dishes like carne de sol, baião de dois and cuscuz, served by staff in cangaceiro-style outfits.
• Bargaço · Boa Viagem · Seafood / Bahian: Established seafood house known for moquecas and shrimp dishes meant for sharing.
• Entre Amigos o Bode · Boa Viagem · Northeastern Brazilian (goat): Popular spot for roasted goat (bode), a Pernambuco staple, with regional sides.
• Chica Pitanga · Boa Viagem · Brazilian per-kilo buffet: Well-regarded pay-by-weight buffet with a wide spread of regional and home-style dishes.
• Mercado de São José · São José · Market: Iron market hall from 1875 selling crafts, herbs and snacks, a good place to try local street food.
• Mercado da Boa Vista · Boa Vista · Market / bar food: Neighborhood market whose bars fill up with locals for cold beer and petiscos, especially on weekends.
• Oficina do Sabor · Olinda (Amparo) · Pernambucan: Long-established Olinda restaurant known for regional dishes served in hollowed-out pumpkins, with views over Recife.

What should I do?

• Instituto Ricardo Brennand · Várzea: Castle-style museum with Dutch-era paintings by Frans Post, arms and armor, and landscaped grounds.
• Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand · Várzea: Former tile factory turned into a vast open-air gallery of Francisco Brennand's ceramic sculptures.
• Paço do Frevo · Recife Antigo: Museum dedicated to frevo, Recife's carnival music and dance, with exhibits and live rehearsals.
• Sinagoga Kahal Zur Israel · Recife Antigo: Site of the first synagogue in the Americas, on Rua do Bom Jesus, now a museum of Jewish history in Brazil.
• Cais do Sertão · Recife Antigo: Interactive museum on the culture of the Northeastern backlands and the music of Luiz Gonzaga, set in a waterfront warehouse.
• Centro Histórico de Olinda · Olinda: Hilly UNESCO-listed colonial town next to Recife with churches, artist studios and views from the Alto da Sé.
• Praia de Boa Viagem · Boa Viagem: Long urban beach with reef pools at low tide; swim only near the reefs and heed shark warning signs.
• Boat trip on the Capibaribe River · Recife Antigo: Catamaran rides along the river show Recife's bridges and historic waterfront from the water.