Fortaleza is a major city on Brazil's northeast coast, and the capital of Ceará state.
Understand
Fortaleza is mostly about beaches. Temperatures range from 23-31 C with rare exceptions. July - November has virtually no rain. February - May can have its share, but mostly at night. The city has been invaded by Europeans over the past decade and prostitution is rife in tourist areas. Fairly safe for a Brazilian city this size (about 2,5 million), but don't wander too far from Beira Mar, especially not after dark. Although quite a party town, Fortaleza itself hibernates during carnival, when any party-animal who can afford to goes to some outlying beach.
The author José de Alencar is so important for the identity of the city of Fortaleza (and also the state), that its inhabitants are known as Alencarinos. He eagerly discussed the origins of the people, languages and geographical names of the region. Most important in this context is the novel Iracema, with its renowned main character lending her name to several neighbourhoods and inspiring statues around town.
In Brazil, Fortaleza is also known for its crop of comedians, and the forró music and dance, all gaining popularity countrywide.
Get in
By air
The very modern International Airport Pinto Martins was opened in 1998. Airlines fly to almost everywhere in Brazil and also other capitals of South America. One daily flight to Miami, via Belem and Manaus, by TAM, one to Lisboa by TAP, and several weekly charters to major European airports, and even Cape Verde.
There is a bus running from the airport, but it is inconvenient as you have to change lines to get to the beaches, or even to any nearby bus terminal.
There are two types of taxis, follow the signs: Airport taxis are more expensive, and have fixed prices. Regular taxis offer just about the same comfort, and run on the meter, stopping at about R$ 25 to Praia de Iracema or Meireles. Bargaining is tough out here.
By bus
The Central bus station links Fortaleza with all the capitals in the Northeast region and also Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and most rest of the country via connections. Note that most lines within the state of Ceara have their last coach leaving around 1800-1900.
Taxi to Beira Mar is about R$ 15. The bus 078 Siqueira Mucuripe will take you the same place, -mind the direction!
Get around
Orientation
Most tourists will not go more than 5 blocks from the sea, except for the airport and bus station, and perhaps a shopping mall. The following main streets will take you from the city centre to the fish market, by way of Dragão do Mar and the beaches Iracema and Meireles, totalling some 6 km: Avenida Almirante Barroso, Avenida Beira Mar (until Rua Idelefonso Albano, where it's cut off by an artificial beach), Avenida Historiador Raimundo Girão, Avenida Beira Mar (from Avenida Rui Barbosa). This last section of Beira Mar (literally Sea Side), covering some three km, is by far the most attractive part of the city, with police stands and patrols making it fairly safe around the clock, although rather deserted from midnight to dawn. From the fish market, where the Avenida Beira Mar with its broad pavement stops, to the beach of Praia do Futuro is the port area, backed by a refinery and slums. Walking here at daytime can be risky, -at night it's asking for trouble.
By subway
Many years in the planning, and quite some time under construction, always halted but budget quarrels, Metrofor promises to take you there and back in no time. Whenever it will be operational.
By bus
As any major Brazilian city, Fortaleza can be done almost entirely by bus. Ticket price is R$ 1,60 (rare exceptions), and if you get off at a terminal you can change lines without paying again. Most lines run 7 days a week 0500-2300, give or take. The lines listed here, deemed most useful for tourists, will run roughly every 5-10 minutes daytime weekdays, frequencies perhaps halved nightime and weekends. Only the most useful parts of the routes are described. Some lines have the number 1 or 2 after their names, only to indicate direction, others don't. I.e. the very same bus with the same number and name could be running either from A to B, or from B to A. Ask!
Centro/Beira Mar Caca e Pesca is comfy and air conditioned. It runs Monsenhor Tabosa - Joao Cordeiro - Historiador Raimundo Girao - Beira Mar and all along Praia do Futuro. Returning it swaps Beira Mar for Abolicao. This bus can get very packed from Praia do Futuro before sunset. Risk of muggings at Praia do Futuro bus stops after dark.
Circular 1/2 City centre - Mercado Central - Dragao do Mar - Historiador Raimundo Girao - Abolica - Desembargador Moreira passed Shopping Aldeota.
Siqueira Mucuripe Abolicao - Barao de Studart - Tenente Benevolo - Dom Manuel, takes you to Policia Federal (for visa extensions etc.) and, right after, the bus station. Returns by Dom Manuel - Dragao do Mar - Historiador Raimundo Girao - Abolicao.
Grande Circular 1/2 24 hours!!! City Centre - Dragao do Mar - Historiador Raimundo Girao - Abolicao - Praia do Futuro - Terminal Papicu - Shopping Iguatemi.
Centro Iguatemi R$ 2,50. Last bus leaves Iguatemi at 2200, does not run on Sundays. Comfy and air conditioned. City centre - Monsenhor Tabosa - Abolicao - Desembargador Moreira (Shopping Aldeota), leaves you inside the Iguatemi shopping mall.
By taxi
All taxis in town run on the same meter system, except the special cabs at the airport. Start price is R$2,96, then R$1,48 per km on rate 1. Rate 2 is 30% more expensive. Rate 2 is charged on weekdays from 20:00 to 24:00 and from 00:00 to 06:00, Saturdays from 13:00 to 24:00 and all Sunday, public holidays, and the whole month of December. Cab drivers in Fortaleza are fairly honest. The meter should always run unless yoy have fixed a price before getting into the car. Most trips that would exceed R$ 10 on the meter are negotiable, and when you pass R$ 30 on the meter a discount of up to 50% could be obtained if you bargain well.
Average bargained prices to out-of-town-destinations:
Cumbuco R$ 80 return same day.
Canoa Quebrada R$ 140.
Rental car
Brazilian city traffic makes this option rather less than tempting for anyone that normally honks less than once a minute while driving back home. The city is best covered by bus and cab, but a car can make many daytrips to outlying beaches. Rental shops are virtually everywhere. Despite huge signs claiming low prices, you will hardly end up paying less than R$ 60 for the most basic car, -plus fuel. Beach buggies start at R$ 100.
See
Do
Urban Beaches
Advice: Don't buy anything from beach (or street) vendors. Their food is a potential hazard to your health, and most anything they sell can be had from the beach shacks at a similar price. Souvenirs and clothing is cheaper and more varied at the Feirinha or Mercado Publico (see Buy-section). Many of them will distract you and steal your belongings. And, please, don't feel sorry for the kids: The more money they can make on the street/beach, the more colleagues they will attract: Their income goes either straight to their parents, or to drug dealers. The city of Fortaleza provides food and shelter for homeless kids, -note the people with the high visibility vests strolling Beira Mar. If you are sitting at a table, and really need something from a vendor, -say cigarettes, -ask the waiter to do the shopping on the pavement. This will be appreciated by everyone around you.
There are two nice city beaches, Praia de Iracema and Meireles. Some people discourage bathing here, although no official reports on high pollution exist. The whole stretch from the Ponte Metalica (or Ponte Inglesa) pier to the fish market is paralleled by the Avenida Beira Mar, very nice for an evening stroll. A string of shacks line the beachfront, mostly good for drinking and people watching. Unless otherwise stated, cross the street for food. The busiest strip (with the more expensive beer), including the bulk of beggars, prostitutes and vendors, is right in front of McDonald's. A selection listed from west (Praia Iracema) to east (Fish market):
The most attractive urban beach is Praia do Futuro. Windy, with rather strong current and undertows, swimming can be a challenge, but for a dip it's fine. Numerous beach shacks, here a selection listed from north (closest to Beira Mar) to south, with their special features:
At the very end of Praia do Futuro its name changes to Caça e Pesca. Freshwater swimming in a strong current where the river Cocò meets the ocean.
Schooner cruises
The two motorized schooners Philosophie and Whatsitcalledagain both do 2 hour cruises along the city beaches at R$ 25 per person, setting out daily at 10:00 and 16:00 from near the Iracema-statue, where they also have their ticket booths. The latter time is better, as you get the sunset. Bring swim-gear. Minimum of ten people required- often cancelled in the low season.
Another schooner takes you all the way to Cumbuco at 09:00, lands you for lunch and has land transport back to Fortaleza. R$ 130.
Deep sea game fishing
R$ 600 for a day.
Cinemas
The largest complex at the Iguatemi-mall, with some 12 showrooms mostly displaying the latest fare from Hollywood. At Dragão do Mar there's a more alternative selection. Oba has the full program for the city's cinemas.
Buy
There are handicraft shops all around the city, but the best places to go are the Feirinha da Beira Mar (Beach front fair, daily from around 16:00) and the Mercado Público (Near the cathedral). These places have a large number of stalls and shops, and competition drives prices down. The state of Ceará has a large textile industry, and arguably the cheapest clothing in Brazil. Also the capital of hammocks, varieties of which can be found ranging from less than R$ 10 to more than R$ 100. Best place to buy is opposite the cathedral, city centre.
Eat
Thursday is crab day in Fortaleza, especially in the many shacks at Praia do Futuro.
Three options for a rodizio (grilled meats en masse):
The state of Ceará is renowned for it's seafood. Near the fish market are several restaurants:
If you are a bit more courageous, buy your shrimp, lobster, squid, whatever straight from the stalls, and one of the nearby shacks to fry it for you. One kilo of mid-sized shrimps about R$ 15, R$ 3 for frying, the plenty of beers!
There is bad, watery, plastic flavoured ice cream galore in Fortaleza, as elsewhere in Brazil. Try these for the real stuff:
Drink
Grab a chilled coconut from a stall at Beira Mar, possibly less than R$ 1!
Fortaleza is a forro-stronghold. Virtually any day of the week you can find a party with live music and this traditional dance, sometimes in quite modern variations (often referred to as forro universitario). On weekends you can choose from literally dozens of places. For a more genuine, tourist-free happening, you must move towards the outskirts of the city, paying up to R$ 30 by cab.
Traditionally, Fortaleza nightspots have their dedicated day of the week, like Pirata (below) on Mondays. So, when asking around for a place to go, always be specific on when.
For daytime drinking, which can be quite a party, specially on weekends, see the Beaches-section.
The largest concentration of watering holes, very practical if you want to hit and miss and don't have a car, is at Dragão do Mar, Praia Iracema. This area features refurbished colonial buildings, loads of open air seating, live music (sometimes charged), and happy hour beer. Fridays and Saturdays the party is everywhere:
Many of the shacks at Praia do Futuro host parties nightime Thursday - Sunday.
Another area of interest is Varjota, inland from Mucuripe. Plenty of bars and restaurants. Take Rua Frei Mansueto from Beira Mar, 5-10 blocks.
Prostitution
Like it or not, Fortaleza has grown into the Brazilian Gringo-prostitution capital. Many foreigners, especially Europeans, fly in on charters with this as the main attraction. Unfortunately, this affects other travelers, particularly single men. Many Brazilians, including otherwise sympathetic girls, will assume you are there for "business". The main concentration is at "Happy Street", Praia de Iracema, where the clubs Forrò Mambo (R$ 20), Café del Mar (R$ 15) and its immediate neighbours serve overpriced drinks. Any drinking spot that attracts foreigners is bound to attract working girls, therefore some of them try to filter the entries.
Sleep
Reservations are essential in January, when Brazilian holidaymakers pack in. September-November and March-May have room for bargaining at most posted prices.
Most hotels are on the strip Praia Iracema - Meireles - Mucuripe, parallel to Avenida Beira Mar, and up to about 4 blocks inland. Categories are spread about, but Praia Iracema probably has most budget options. Many cheap deals can be struck at Paria do Futuro, but be aware transport costs and lack of security at night.
There are two youth hostels in Praia Iracema, both within 100 m from the church. They charge R$ 30-35 for a dorm bed, which is more expensive than the cheapest single rooms in the same area.
There are dozens of agencies renting furnished apartments. A typical modern two bedroom 65 m2 fully furnished and equipped flat 2 blocks from Beira Mar will cost around R$ 70 a day in low season, double in high. Monthly rates are about R$ 1000 low season, R$ 2000 or more peak. Mostly you have to pay electricity on top of this. Be aware that an air conditioner can set you back R$ 20 a day if you leave it running.
If you go for a furnished room with a bathroom (often no fridge or a/c), referred to as a kitchenette, you will typically be charged R$ 3-400 a month in high season. Praia Iracema has most of these.
Get out
Out-of-town Beaches
Any tour agency, and a number of pushers along Beira Mar, can offer you daytrips, and longer packages, to outlying beaches. The one thing they have in common is the price, -it's fixed in between them, and it's far too expensive. If you are a group of 3-4 persons, a taxi can mostly be negotiated for less.
Cumbuco is a small fishing village, grown into a kite-surfers' paradise. Fresh water lakes with swimming nearby. Dune buggy tours. Horseback riding along the beach. A traditional fishing boat, Jangada, gives you a postcard view of the coastline, -R$ 10 per person, about 45 minutes. Buses from Ideal Clube R$ 3.
Jericoacoara is among Brazil's finest, and hence makes its way into any global listing. Buses from outside Praiano Palace Hotel in Fortaleza.
Canoa Quebrada used to be quite rustic, attracting mostly hippies. Now it's slowly growing into a resort town. Fairly fast and cheap transport by bus to Aracati, then switch to vans.
Some 16 km outside Fortaleza, at the beach of Prainha, is a huge water park with slides and other wet interactive fun, Beach Park. Stiffly priced at R$ 80 for a day. Out of season they typically close once or twice a week, although rarely on weekends. The beach right outside the park is very nice, and totally for free!
:For the fortress and governor's mansion in Puerto Rico, see La Fortaleza.
Fortaleza (Portuguese for fortress, pronounced foh.ta.le.zÉ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in northeastern Brazil. With a population of over 2.4 million, it is the fourth most populous city in Brazil and the third most important city in the region in economic terms, after Recife in Pernambuco and Salvador in Bahia. Fortaleza has an area of 336 sq km. To the north of the city lies the Atlantic Ocean; to the south are the cities of Pacatuba, Eusébio, Maracanaú and Itaitinga; to the east is the county of Aquiraz and the Atlantic Ocean; and to west is the city of Caucaia.
History
Fortaleza's history began on February 2, 1500, when Spaniard Vicente Pinzón landed in Mucuripe's cove and named the new land Santa Maria de la Consolación. Because of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the discovery was never officially sanctioned. Colonisation began when the Portuguese Pero Coelho de Souza constructed the Fortim de São Tiago in the estuary of Ceará River in 1603. Later, the Dutch occupied the Brazilian Northeast and founded the Fort Schoonenborch. When they were expelled from Ceará, the Portuguese renamed it to Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora da Assunção and, around the well-preserved fort, a small village grew to become the fifth largest city in Brazil. In 2004, Luizianne Lins was elected as mayor.
Geography
Climate
Fortaleza has a typical tropical climate, with warm to hot temperatures and high relative humidity all throughout the year. However, these conditions are relieved by a near absence of extreme temperatures and pleasant trade winds blowing from the ocean. January is the warmest month, with mean maxima of 32°C and minima of 22°C and more sun; July experiences the coolest temperatures, with mean maxima of 28°C and minima of 18°C and more rain.
Vegetation
Fortaleza has a Tropical forest. Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 2,000 mm (about 78 inches or 2 meters) and 1700 mm (about 67 inches). The soil can be poor because high rainfall tends to leach out soluble nutrients. There are several common characteristics of tropical rainforest trees. Tropical rainforest species frequently possess one or more attributes not commonly seen in trees of higher latitudes or trees in drier conditions on the same latitude.
Demographics
As of the census of 2006, the population was 2.416.920. The population density was 7.587.68 habitants/km².
Fortaleza Ethnic Groups
According to the 2007 census, the racial makeup of the city was:
Fortaleza Demographics History
1. Amerindians, Brazil's indigenous population, came from human groups that migrated from Siberia across the Bering Strait around 9000 BC.
2. Portuguese colonists and settlers, arriving from 1500 onward.
3. Diverse groups of immigrants from Europe arriving in Fortaleza during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. And now, because of tourism.
4. African slaves brought to the country from 1530 until the end of the slave trade in 1850.
Curiosity
Vehicles: 484.672 (jun./2006);
Daily newspapers: 3 (jul./2006);
Foundation day: 13/04/1726.
Education
Portuguese language is the official language of schools. But English language and Spanish language are part of the official high school curriculum.
Colleges and universities
Education in Fortaleza is provided by a vast number of public and private institutions. Fortaleza is home to some of the most important universities and research centres in the Northeast of Brazil. Universidade Federal do Ceará(UFC) and Universidade Estadual do Ceará are the public universities in the city. The greatest private institution is Universidade de Fortaleza.
Culture
Festa Junina (Saint John Festival)
Festa Junina was introduced to Northeastern Brazil by the Portuguese for whom St John´s day (also celebrated as Midsummer Day in several European countries), on the 24th of June, is one of the oldest and most popular celebrations of the year. Differently, of course, from what happens on the European Midsummer Day, the festivities in Brazil do not take place during the summer solstice but during the tropical winter solstice. The festivities traditionally begin after the 12th of June, on the eve of St Anthony´s day, and last until the 29th, which is Saint Peter´s day. During these fifteen days, there are bonfires, fireworks, and folk dancing in the streets (step names are in French, which shows the mutual influences between court life and peasant culture in the 17th, 18th, and 19th-century Europe). Once exclusively a rural festivity, today, in Brazil, it is largely a city festival during which people joyfully and theatrically mimic peasant stereotypes and cliches in a spirit of joke and good time. Typical refreshments and dishes are served. It should be noted that, like during Carnival, these festivities involve costumes-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, heavy drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Like what happens on Midsummer and St John's Day in Europe, bonfires are a central part of these festivities in Brazil.
Carnival
The four-day period before Lent leading up to Ash Wednesday is carnival time in Brazil. Rich and poor alike forget their cares as they party in the streets.
Infrastructure
International airport
The passenger terminal at Pinto Martins International Airport
is totally air conditioned and has four levels. The basement level has parking for 1,000 cars along with automatic teller machines and a stop for regular city buses serving the airport.
The ground level has 31 check-in counters, airline offices, car rental agencies, special tourist information, a juvenile court bureau to facilitate travel of minors, a Civil Aviation Department (DAC) office, information counter, passenger arrival area and access to two taxi stops.
The second level contains shops, the food court and domestic and international boarding lounges. The top floor has a beer garden and panoramic deck overlooking the maneuvering apron and with a view of the Fortaleza skyline.
The apron has 152,857 square meters and can accommodate 14 aircraft at once in pre-established positions (“boxesâ€).
The scheduled airlines operating out of Fortaleza are Cabo Verde Airlines (code-sharing with TAP), TAM, Varig, Vasp and TAP. The airport also frequently receives domestic and international charter flights.
The passenger terminal, opened in 1998, was designed to have a useful life of 50 years. The former terminal, called the General Aviation Terminal, is now used for general aviation and the fire brigade. The control tower is located alongside.
Construction of a cargo terminal is the next big step planned by Infraero. The new terminal will have roughly 8 thousand square meters, boosting the cargo storage and handling capacity fourfold.
Plans then call for this terminal to be integrated with highway and railroad links, making it a truly intermodal system.
Port
Port of Fortaleza.
Tourism
Three thousand hours of sunlight per year and the constant ocean breeze make Fortaleza an appealing tourist attraction. The nightlife is full of festivities, with bars, restaurants, and shows. The city is known for having the "wildest Monday nights in the world". Some of the best bars and clubs can be found near Dragão do Mar. The Praia de Iracema (Iracema's beach), one of the first urban nuclei of the city, holds many bars and restaurants as well. It includes the pier known as the Ponte dos Ingleses (Bridge of the Englishmen) —located near the old docks—which is used to watch the sunset and spot dolphins.
Fortaleza's urbanised beaches have warm waters. The scenery is complemented by the jangadas (small rafts used by many of Ceará's fishermen), which catch seafood for Ceará cuisine. The Praia do Futuro (Beach of the Future) is a popular meeting place for bathers, with many beachside restaurants, built in the local style using carnauba straw and called "Barracas de Praia" (Beach Huts.) On Thursday nights, the beach becomes the focus of the city's nightlife, with live music, forró, and crab a popular choice to eat.
A few kilometres away from the city are other well-known beaches: Prainha, Iguape and Porto das Dunas. The last two have large water parks.
Fotaleza is served by the Pinto Martins International Airport.
Cultural features
Fortaleza has a very rich cultural life. Since the end of the 19th century, the city has been home to various cultural institutions. The Instituto do Ceará (Ceará Institute) was established in 1887, and conducts research in history, geography and anthropology. The Academia Cearense de Letras (Cearense Academy of Letters) was the first institution of the sort in the country, established on August 15, 1894. In 1892, Fortaleza was the site of a cultural movement of literary expression called "Spiritual Bakery". There are many other cultural centres, such as the Banco do Nordeste Cultural Centre and, most important, Dragão do Mar Center of Art and Culture.
The folklore of Fortaleza is rich and diverse, having roots in a mixture of beliefs of white colonisers and Indian/native groups. More minor, but also considered important, are Syrian-Lebanese and African traditions.
Some of the cultural manifestations are:
Landmarks
Fortaleza is the home of numerous landmarks and is a popular tourist destination. Landmarks include:
Beach Park is a water park near Porto das Dunas, twenty minutes by bus outside of Fortaleza. Bico das Andreas is a mountain with waterfalls, a restaurant, and pools of cool water.
The city is always growing and has some fascinating architecture as well.
Sports
Fortaleza provides visitors and residents with various sport activities. There are several
association football (soccer) clubs based in Fortaleza such as Fortaleza EC, Ferroviário AC and Ceará SC. Strong winds make the Praia do Futuro an excellent place for nautical sports, and Fortaleza hosts world competitions of surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing.
External links
Travel Information:
