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Voykit pocket guide · Brazil
Recife
Give Recife 2 nights: one full day for Recife Antigo and the Golden Chapel, one for Boa Viagem beach; add Olinda as a half-day and Porto de Galinhas as a day trip.
Recife is the capital of Pernambuco and the biggest city in Brazil's Northeast, built across rivers, canals and islands at the mouth of the Capibaribe. The historic core (Recife Antigo) holds the colonial and Dutch-era sights, while Boa Viagem in the south zone has the hotels and the beach. Most travellers use it as a base for Olinda, Porto de Galinhas and the rest of Grande Recife, so two nights is the practical minimum and three is comfortable.
- Country
- Brazil
- Best months
- Sep–Mar (dry season)
- Avoid
- Apr–Aug (rainy season, heaviest Jun–Jul)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- BRL
- Money
- Currency is the Brazilian real (BRL, R$). About R$5–5.8 per US dollar in 2026 — check. Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere, even at beach kiosks.
- Daily spend
- Budget R$180–300 excl. bed · Mid R$300–550 excl. bed · High R$550+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vivo, Claro and TIM cover the country; buying a prepaid SIM needs a passport and sometimes a CPF — an eSIM before you fly is easier.
- Emergency
- Police 190 · Ambulance 192 · Fire 193
- Plugs
- Types N, C · 127 V (Rio, São Paulo) or 220 V (Brasília, much of the Northeast) · Check the voltage on the socket; most chargers are dual-voltage.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 10% service (serviço) usually on the bill; optional but normal.; Beach kiosk / bar: Often included; round up.; Taxi / Uber: Not expected; round up.; Guide: US$5–15 per person per day.; Hotel staff: Small tip for porters.
- Water
- Do not drink tap water; filtered water is provided in most homes and hotels.
- Toilets
- Put toilet paper in the bin, not the toilet, in most places.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or coconut water on the beach | R$5–15 |
| Plate of the day (almoço executivo) | R$25–50 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a shop | R$10–18 / R$5–8 |
| 5 km Uber or taxi3.1 mi Uber or taxi | R$20–35 |
| MetroRec or bus ride | R$5–6 (check) |
| Museum entry | R$10–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- REC · Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International
- 8 km south of the centre; MetroRec Aeroporto station and bus 033 link it to Boa Viagem and downtown5 mi south of the centre; MetroRec Aeroporto station and bus 033 link it to Boa Viagem and downtown
Typical fares
- REC airport → Boa Viagem, Uber
- R$25–40, about 15 min (check)
- REC airport → centre, bus 033
- R$5–6, about 30 min (check)
- Recife → Olinda, Uber
- R$30–50, about 25 min (check)
Get around
MetroRec subway (three lines) plus the integrated SEI bus network covers the centre, the airport and the TIP long-distance bus terminal. Uber and taxis are cheap and the usual choice at night. Recife Antigo and Boa Vista are walkable; Boa Viagem to the centre is a 20–30 min ride.
See and do
Known for
- Recife Antigo and the Golden Chapel
- Boa Viagem beach
- Kahal Zur Israel, the oldest synagogue in the Americas
- Carnaval and frevo
- Gateway to Olinda and Porto de Galinhas
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Olinda | Bus or Uber from Recife Antigo, about 20–30 min | About 45 min |
| Porto de Galinhas | Bus or car south along BR-101/PE-60, about 60 kmBus or car south along BR-101/PE-60, about 37 mi | 1.5–2 h |
| Igarassu | Bus or car north along BR-101, about 30 kmBus or car north along BR-101, about 19 mi | About 1 h |
| Itamaracá | Bus or car north past Igarassu, about 50 kmBus or car north past Igarassu, about 31 mi | 1.5–2 h |
| Cabo de Santo Agostinho | Bus or car south along BR-101, about 40 kmBus or car south along BR-101, about 25 mi | 1–1.5 h |
Sleep
- Boa Viagem
- South zone; beachfront hotels, restaurants and the airport 15 min away. Best for a first trip and for beach time.
- Recife Antigo
- The old island core; colonial streets, bars and museums on foot. Quieter at night outside event evenings.
- Boa Vista
- Between the centre and the north zone; cheaper, more local, good bus and metro links.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Oláoh-LAH |
| Thank you | Obrigado / Obrigadaoh-bree-GAH-doo / -dah |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-tah |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favorah KON-tah por fah-VOR |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagar com cartão?POH-soo pah-GAR kon kar-TOWN |
| Where is the toilet? | Onde é o banheiro?ON-jee eh oo bah-NYAY-roo |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, hug or cheek kiss (one in São Paulo, two in Rio); avoid: Being stiff with new acquaintances
- Gestures: Use thumbs-up freely; avoid: The OK hand sign (it is rude)
- Language: Try Portuguese; say obrigado/obrigada; avoid: Defaulting to Spanish
- Time: Expect relaxed social punctuality; avoid: Being late for tours and flights
- Beach: Bring only a towel, cash and a copy of your ID; avoid: Leaving things unattended
Scams and watch-outs
- Do not swim past the reef wall at Boa Viagem: the water beyond is deeper and there have been shark incidents.
- Rainy season (Apr–Aug) brings heavy downpours and local flooding; June and July are the wettest.
- Street crime is a real risk in the centre and at beaches after dark: carry little, avoid empty streets, use Uber or taxi at night.
- Beach vendors are persistent; a simple 'não' is enough.
- Some central streets and the old port area are best avoided on foot after dark.
Recife is a big Brazilian city with a real street-crime problem: keep phones out of sight, avoid the centre and beaches after dark, and use Uber or a registered taxi at night. The reef at Boa Viagem is safe inside the wall only.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Recife yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Recife Antigo and the Golden Chapel
- Boa Viagem beach
- Kahal Zur Israel, the oldest synagogue in the Americas
- Carnaval and frevo
- Gateway to Olinda and Porto de Galinhas
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Prefeitura do Recife — tourism portal: conecta.recife.pe.gov.br/
- MetroRec (Recife metro): www.metrorecife.com.br/
- Wikivoyage: Recife, revision 5316298 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5316298
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/recife). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.