two nights in

Recife

Recife, the capital of Pernambuco, is one of the largest and most important cities on the northeastern coast of Brazil. This lively state capital, founded by Dutch colonizers, is brimming with a vibrant culture, an interesting old town and some nice beaches. Wikivoyage

Population 1,488,920 (Wikidata)

Live guide From your hotel

Before you go

Emergency numbers in Brazil

Visas and entry What your passport needs for Brazil

Getting there

Remembered in this browser only, with the last few you used.

Best-documented sights

All of them in the guide

Within a kilometre of the centre, ordered by how well documented each is — not by a "best" anyone decided. Each opens on the map in the guide. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited there.

Through the year

  1. Carnaval Recife

    February – March

    Recife's Carnaval is one of the country's busiest.

    Official site

  2. Abril Pro Rock

    April

    Two-day rock music festival established in 1993, described as one of the largest independent rock festivals in Brazil. The last event took place in April 2024. Because of a lack of funds it will not be held in 2025

    Official site

  3. Festival de São João

    June

    Music festival taking place around the city for much of the month of June. Yearly celebration of nordestino culture, with loads of traditional music and food

Annual events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage (Recife); descriptions from Wikipedia where it has one, photos from Wikimedia Commons. Dates move year to year — check before you plan around one.

Markets

  • Mercado da Madalena

    Covered hall

    Construído na década de 1920, recebeu o nome de Mercado Bacurau por funcionar no período noturno. Conta com 180 compartimentos com os mais variados produtos, como também é hoje centro gastronômico e de animação popular.

    1. Monday: 06:00–18:00
    2. Tuesday: 06:00–18:00
    3. Wednesday: 06:00–18:00
    4. Thursday: 06:00–18:00
    5. Friday: 06:00–18:00
    6. Saturday: 06:00–18:00
    7. Sunday: closed

    06:00–18:00

    990 m from the centre

  • Feira de Orgânicos do Colégio Fazer Crescer

    1. Monday: closed
    2. Tuesday: closed
    3. Wednesday: closed
    4. Thursday: closed
    5. Friday: closed
    6. Saturday: 05:00–12:00
    7. Sunday: closed

    05:00–12:00

    2.2 km from the centre

  • Feira Livre Encruzilhada

    No hours mapped

    1.7 km from the centre

  • Encruzilhada Public Market

    Mercado da Encruzilhada

    Covered hall

    Modelo de obra arquitetônica do estilo art déco no Brasil da década de 1950, possui 214 compartimentos com os mais variados produtos, funcionando também como ponto de gastronomia e animação popular aos sábados e domingos.

    No hours mapped

    1.7 km from the centre

  • Mercado da Boa Vista

    Covered hall

    Inaugurado no fim do século XIX o mercado possui 63 boxes que vendem diversos tipos de produtos, além de alguns bares que oferecem comida regional. Está localizado em uma área Boêmia da cidade.

    No hours mapped

    1.9 km from the centre

  • Feira do Cordeiro

    Covered hall

    No hours mapped

    2.3 km from the centre

  • Mercado do Cordeiro

    Covered hall

    No hours mapped

    2.4 km from the centre

  • Mercado de Santo Amaro

    No hours mapped

    2.6 km from the centre

Markets mapped on OpenStreetMap, with their hours where someone has added them. Check locally before you go.

Eating nearby

All 10 places to eat

Somewhere to run

Getting around

Something wrong or missing on this page? Tell me

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors, as of 9 October 2026. Description from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA). Events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage, population from Wikidata.