Experience the best of Recife

Recife spreads across islands and peninsulas where the Capibaribe and Beberibe rivers meet the Atlantic, and its many bridges have earned it the nickname Venice of Brazil. The old port district, Recife Antigo, dates from the Dutch occupation of the seventeenth century and holds the Kahal Zur Israel synagogue, said to be the first built in the Americas, and the Marco Zero square.

Olinda, a UNESCO-listed hill town of colonial churches and brightly painted houses, lies a short drive north and is known for its Carnival with giant puppets. Boa Viagem beach, in the city itself, has reef pools at low tide, and Oficina Francisco Brennand is a park of ceramic sculpture. Further along the coast, Porto de Galinhas has natural tide pools, and the Fernando de Noronha islands are reached by air.

Bolo de rolo, a thin sponge rolled around guava paste, is Pernambuco's best-known sweet, and tapioca pancakes, carne de sol, caldinho de feijão and fresh seafood fill the street stalls and restaurants. Frevo and maracatu drive the music of Carnival. The climate is warm all year, with the heaviest rains from April to July.