Pernambuco · Brazil
Where to stay in Recife
Recife is a city in Pernambuco, Brazil, home to about 1,489,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- REC9 km · Recife/Guararapes - Gilberto Freyre International Airport
- Currency
- BRLBrazilian real
- Time zone
- America/Recife
- Language
- Portuguese, Brazilian Sign Language
About
About Recife
Recife is the state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North and the Northeast Region of Brazil.
Recife (Portuguese: "The Reef") is on the Atlantic coast, at the estuary of the Capibaribe, Beberibe and Jordão Rivers, close to the easternmost point of the Americas. The city, which is only two meters above sea level (some parts are below), is distributed across rivers, canals and islands. Due to the prevalence of waterways in its geography, Recife is known as Veneza Brasileira (Brazilian Venice). Its 1.7 million inhabitants (2020), 3.7 million in the Grande Recife, are called recifenses. Services are the base of the economy.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Recife
See
- Boa Viagem Beach
- Brasilia Teimosa Beach
- Pina Beach
- Convento Franciscano de Santo Antônio
- Igreja da Madre de Deus
- Nossa Senhora do Carmo
- Nossa Senhora da Conceição dos Militares
- Nossa Senhora do Pilar
- Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Homens Pretos
- Santa Cruz
- Santíssimo Sacramento - Matriz de Santo Antônio
- São Pedro dos Clérigos
Do
- Catamaran Rides in the Capibaribe River
- Agenda de Eventos do Recife
- Scuba diving
- Panorama flight
- Aflitos Stadium
- Ilha do Retiro Stadium
- Arruda Stadium
- Carnaval Recife
- Abril Pro Rock
- Festival de São João
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Recife to stay in
Many tourists stay along the beach in Boa Viagem, 10 km (7 mi) south of the center. The area of Boa Vista just across the Ponte Velha from the train station has a number of budget and mid-range hotels.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Recife
23 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Central (Recife) | 1928 | 1.1 km |
| Bristol Recife Hotel & Convention | 6.9 km | |
| Bugan Recife Hotel by Atlantica | 8.6 km | |
| Euro Suite Recife Boa Viagem | 8.4 km | |
| Fity Hotel | 7.6 km | |
| Golden Park Recife Boa Viagem | 9.6 km | |
| Grand Mercure Recife Boa Viagem | 8.1 km | |
| Hotel Atlante Plaza | 9.5 km | |
| Hotel Jangadeiro | 7.2 km | |
| Hotel Luzeiros Recife | 3.9 km | |
| Hotel Pousada da Praça | 9.0 km | |
| HY Beach Flats | 4.5 km | |
| Ibis Recife Aeroporto | 9.5 km | |
| Ibis Recife Boa Viagem | 4.7 km | |
| Kastel Manibu Recife - Boa Viagem | 5.0 km | |
| Mar Hotel Conventions | 9.0 km | |
| Marante Executive Hotel | 4.7 km | |
| Marante Plaza Hotel | 5.3 km | |
| Nobile Suítes Executive | 4.6 km | |
| Park Hotel | 8.9 km | |
| Radisson Recife | 6.0 km | |
| Transamerica Prestige Beach Class International | 4.6 km | |
| Vitória Praia Hotel | 9.3 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Recife
Recife has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; June is the wettest, with about 362 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Recife: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Recife/Guararapes - Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC), about 9.4 km from the city centre in a straight line; Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport (JPA, 101 km) and Presidente João Suassuna Airport (CPV, 142 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
Uber operates in Recife with available pickups at the airport. Look for registered taxi companies which charge standard rates. Ask for a car with air conditioning (especially in the summer).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
REC · Recife/Guararapes - Gilberto Freyre International Airport
JPA · Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport
CPV · Presidente João Suassuna Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Recife
Eat
Pernambuco has a multicultural gastronomy with African and indigenous influences, among others. The national dish Feijoada (a stew of beans, pork and beef, served with rice and Farofa) is not very popular in Recife. On the other hand some ingredients which are widely used in Recife are hardly found in the South of Brazil, as manioc flour (which is the main ingredient of tapioca), cuscuz (corn flour), pumpkin, jerked beef, goat or lamb. Seafood is exotic and delicious. The regional food has some peculiarities like Carne de Sol and buchada, a dish prepared with the stomach of billy goat.
Drink
There are many many bars in Recife, most, if not all, serving food as well as drinks. The prices are cheap. At the less classy end of the market, there are some great bars. They don't have great signage to tell you that it's a bar. Basically, if you see some plastic garden furniture in the street, you are looking at a bar. These are usually the most fun places with the loudest people and the best vibe. Be careful of the ice in places like this as it might not be made from bottled water. It also helps to have a good constitution of you are going to eat in these bars.
Stay safe
Recife's reputation for safety is not one of the best. Robberies on streets and buses are fairly common. Do not be alarmed — odds are you will have a fabulous time here — but be aware of your surroundings and take the usual big city precautions.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Recife: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Recife?
Recife has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; June is the wettest, with about 362 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Recife?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Recife/Guararapes - Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC), about 9.4 km from the city centre in a straight line; Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport (JPA, 101 km) and Presidente João Suassuna Airport (CPV, 142 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Recife?
Brazilian real (BRL).
Nearby
Destinations near Recife
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.