João Pessoa in Brazil

João Pessoa is the state capital yet retains a small town atmosphere. It has some attractive colonial architecture and is set on the Rio Paraíba amid tropical forest. The atmosphere is restful and laid-back, yet there are plenty of bars and restaurants along the beachfront, particularly popular at weekends. The main beach,

, is pleasant but rather built up.

It is a two-hour bus ride through sugar plantations on a good road from Recife (126 km) to João Pessoa.

 receives flights from São Paulo, Brasília, Recife and Rio de Janeiro. Alternatively, the airlines

flies from São Paulo or Rio to Recife, then provides free bus transport to João Pessoa. The

information booth. All city buses stop at the

and most go via the Lagoa (Parque Solon de Lucena). The

, and airport, provide useful information, pamphlets and maps. Some staff speak good English, and some French.

The Portuguese did not gain a foothold on this part of the coast until the end of the 16th century. Their fort became the city of Filipéia, which grew to become the third largest in Brazil. This was later re-named Parahyba and then João Pessoa, in honour of the once state governor who refused to form alliances with other powerful

politicians during

the 1930s run for the vice-presidency. This led to his assassination, an event that swept his running mate, the fascist, Getúlio Vargas to power. Pessoa's '

' ('I refuse') is written o

n the state's flag.

The well-preserved Centro Histórico has several churches and monasteries that are worth seeing. The

Other tourist points include the

, an old gunpowder store which has become the city museum, and

João Pessoa prides itself in being a green city and is called 'Cidade Verde'. Its parks include the 17-ha

, also known as Bica, located north of the centre in the neighbourhood of Roger; it has walking trails, an 18th-century fountain, an aviary and a small zoo.

or

is a lake surrounded by impressive palms in the centre of town, the city's main avenues and bus lines go around it.

or

is a 471-ha nature reserve of native

, one of the largest urban forest reserves in Brazil. It is located south of the centre and administered by

The beachfront stretches for some 30 km from Ponta do Seixas (south) to Cabedelo (north); the ocean is turquoise green and there is a backdrop of lush coastal vege- tation. By the more populated urban areas the water is polluted, but away from town the beaches are reasonably clean; some spots are calm and suitable for swimming while others are best for surfing. About 7 km from the city centre, following Avenida Presidente Epitáceo Pessoa, is the beach of

, which has many hotels, restaurants and the state tourism centre and is, for all intents and purposes, the centre of the city. The pier by

affords nice views (bus No 510 'Tambaú' from outside the

or the city centre, alight at

). South of Tambaú are

and

and to the north are the beaches of

,

,

,

and

, before reaching the port of Cabedelo .

About 14 km south of the centre, down the coast, is the

lighthouse at Ponta do Seixas, the most easterly point of continental Brazil and South America (34° 46' 36” W) and thus the first place in the Americas where the sun rises; there is a panoramic view from the clifftop.

is much better for swimming than Tambaú. Take bus No 507 'Cabo Branco' from outside the

to the end of the line and hike up to the lighthouse from there. At low tide you can walk from Tambaú to Ponta do Seixas in about two hours.

The port of

, on a peninsula between the Rio Paraíba and the Atlantic Ocean, is 18 km north by road or rail. Here, Km 0 marks the beginning of the

. At the tip of the peninsula are the impressive but run-down walls of the 17th-century fortress of

, in the middle of the commercial port. The

is at Praça Getúlio Vergas in the centre.

The estuary of the Rio Paraíba has several islands; there is a regular boat service between Cabedelo and the fishing villages of

and

on the north bank; Costinha had a whaling station until the early 1980s.

The beaches between João Pessoa and Cabedelo have many bars and restaurants and are very popular with the locals on summer weekends (

, Rua Beira Mar 171, Praia Ponta do Mato, Cabedelo, has good fish and seafood). Take a bus marked Cabedelo- Poço for the beach as most Cabedelo buses go inland along the Transamazônica.

At Km 3 of the Transamazônica, about 12 km from João Pessoa, is the access to

, a pleasant beach on the Rio Paraíba. There are several bars along the riverfront where people congregate to watch the lovely sunset to the sounds of Ravel's

. Here you can hire a boat along the river to visit the mangroves or ride in an ultralight aircraft.

From Tambaú tour boats leave for

, a group of coral reefs about 700 m from the coast which at low tide turn into pools of crystalline water, suitable for snorkelling. Further north, boats leave from Praia de Camboinha to

, a large sandbank surrounded by corals. This becomes exposed at low tide, around the full and new moon, and is a popular bathing spot. Floating bars are set up at both locations, travel agencies arrange trips.