Making the most of Recife
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 ships use Recife's commercial harbor, where passengers must take a shuttle from the port facility. Walking through port facilities is prohibited, and there is no cruise terminal or associated services. The shuttle goes downtown to a large shopping mall, where taxis are available for further travel.
Downtown Recife is 3 kilometers away.
Take a printable map with you.
In northeast Brazil, Recife is Pernambuco state's capital and one of the country's largest cities. Canals and waterways crisscrossing it have earned the name 'Venice of Brazil'. It has many churches, a popular beach-resort waterfront with restaurants, and takes its name from the Portuguese word for reef, reflecting its position behind a protective coral reef.
Getting around
In Recife Antigo, or Old Town, walk cobbled streets, admire colonial architecture, visit Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue, the Americas' first synagogue, and explore Praça do Marco Zero, the historic center.
Pickpockets and bag snatchers pose a greater risk to tourists, so stay alert and take the usual precautions.
Taxis and Uber-style ride-sharing services are convenient and widely available for city travel.
Nearby places
Rivers and lagoons give Recife a tropical Venice of canals and bridges. Explore its churches and markets, visit Boa Viagem beach, which rivals Rio's Copacabana, or go a few miles to Olinda, an artists' mecca. Patiently restored baroque masterpieces fill its streets and earned it UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition.
The beaches are shark infested and not clean.
Food and shopping
Recife has a large shopping center with ten cinemas and numerous restaurants, plus several markets selling traditional handicrafts such as rugs, carved wood, ceramics and jewelry.
Near Old Town is the unique Prison Mall, which was Recife's prison at one time and has since been converted into a shopping mall, with shops in former cells.
Fresh coconut is widely available, and many dishes feature a delicious coconut sauce.
Money
Currency: Brazilian Real.
Staying connected
Portuguese is spoken.
Customer free WiFi cafes are sparse.
Opening Hours and
For most stores and businesses, standard opening runs from 9am until 6pm; an extended lunch is taken from around noon to 2pm.
Many museums close on monday.