Making the most of Belem
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Cruise vessels berth in the town centre. Larger ships remain at anchor and carry passengers ashore to Icoaracy Village aboard local double-decker tenders.
Complimentary shuttles connect the Village of Icoaracy with Belem’s city marketplace on a pleasant 35-minute journey. Helpful residents greet arrivals with maps and answers to questions.
A riverside walk reveals many of Belem’s highlights, beginning at the docks and continuing towards the old fort. Look inside the numerous historic churches en route, and leave time for the lively markets.
Print or save a map to take ashore.
Like Manaus, Belem is a departure point for Amazon adventures and ranks among Brazil’s busiest ports, despite lying about 60 miles upriver from the Atlantic. It stands on the Para, part of the broader Amazon river system, and spreads across small islands divided by channels and other waterways.
Modern towers define one side of Belem, while its colonial quarter features appealing tree-lined squares, churches and traditional blue tiles.
Belem is hot, wet and exceptionally humid. Its equatorial climate changes little from one day to the next, with January to May bringing the greatest rainfall.
Several worthwhile museums and restaurants sit among Belem’s distinctive architecture and colourful colonial buildings, some decorated with elaborate iron gates.
Getting around
Walking through central Belem quickly reveals both the city’s layout and its leading attractions, many of them colonial buildings. Notable examples include Teatro da Paz, or Peace Theatre, and the distinctive waterfront Mercado Ver-o-Peso. At Estacao das Docas, an ambitious and successful renovation transformed three early 20th-century riverside warehouses into a contemporary commercial complex with a small theatre, shops and restaurants offering open-air dining with views.
Food and shopping
Mercado Ver-o-Peso market stands at the docks and ranks among Brazil’s largest. Designed and manufactured in England before being assembled in Belem, it sells abundant fresh fruit, plants and fish, as well as medicinal herbs and potions, crocodile and alligator parts, and anaconda snakes.
Money
The currency is the Brazilian real.
Staying connected
Portuguese is spoken locally.
Only a small number of cafés provide customers with free Wi-Fi.
Opening Hours and
Most businesses and shops generally trade from 9am to 6pm, with an extended lunch break between roughly noon and 2pm.
A large number of museums close on Monday.
On the morning of October’s second Sunday each year, hymns, bells and fireworks fill Belém. Established in 1793, Círio de Nazaré is Brazil’s biggest religious festival, drawing people from across the country who may even camp in the streets to join the major celebration.