Cheap flights to Recife from £265

Recife overview 

Far from the fame of Rio and the mystique of the Amazon, sparkles a gem of Brazil’s crown that few outsiders have heard of. Known as the Venice of Brazil, Recife is a fine meeting of the old and the new where Dutch colonial architecture is neatly framed by the slender glisten of skyscrapers. Colourful streets of bleached paves thread through the old town, leading to an expansive sea front of white powder sand and warm ocean water. Recife boasts three public beaches, Boa Viagem, Pina and Brasília Teimosa, each readily accessible from the city centre and generously stocked with cafes, restaurants and nightclubs. And if that wasn’t enough, Boa Viagem is illuminated at night, making it a popular haunt for younger visitors. The city is also packed with theatres, galleries and museums, as well as its fair share of acclaimed restaurants and hotels.

For those looking further afield, no visit to Recife would be complete without making the journey to the comely town of Olinda, just north of the city limits. Having changed little since it was established in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Olinda boasts some of the best preserved examples of colonial architecture in all of Brazil.

Getting around Recife

Recife is easy to navigate via public transport, with the second largest metro network in Brazil serving 28 different stations across the city. Three lines operate daily from early morning to late evening, with both the airport and the beachfront located on the blue line. The city is also served by a wide-reaching bus line, the Sistema Estrutural Integrado (SEI). SEI offers 119 services, each integrated with the subway system at 13 points throughout the greater Recife metropolitan area.

Getting from the Airport to the City

Recife is served by Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport. Flights operate to Rio, Lisbon, Miami and Frankfurt throughout the year, with Lima served on a seasonal basis. Car hire is available at the airport, as are a number of private hire taxi firms. Bus services also run to and from Recife throughout operating hours.

What is good to know if travelling to Recife?

• Sharks are frequent visitors to the shores off Recife, and attacks are known to occur. Be sure to heed warnings posted by lifeguards.