Olinda in Brazil

About 7 km north of Recife is the old capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, founded in 1537. The compact network of cobbled streets is steeped in history and very inviting for a wander. Olinda is a charming spot to spend a few relaxing days, and a much more appealing base than Recife. A programme of restoration, partly financed by the Dutch government, was initiated in order to comply with the recently conferred title of 'national monument', but much is still in desperate need of repair.

Getting there and around

From Recife, take any bus marked 'Rio Doce', which has a circular route around the city and beaches; or from Avenida Nossa Senhora do Carmo; or 'Jardim Atlântico' from the central post office at Siqueira Campos. From the airport, take the 'Aeroporto' bus to Avenida Domingos Ferreira in Boa Viagem and change to one of the buses mentioned above. From the Recife

rodoviária

, take the metrô to Central station (Joana Bezerra is unsafe) and then change. In all cases, alight in Olinda at Praça do Carmo. Taxi drivers between Olinda and Recife often try to put their meters on rate 2, but should change it to rate 1 when queried. From Olinda to the centre of Recife, take a bus marked 'Piedade/Rio Doce' or 'Barra de Jangada/Casa Caiada'

Tourist information

The

Secretaria de Turismo

, provides a complete list of all historic sites and a useful map,

Sítio Histórico

. Guides with identification cards wait in Praça do Carmo. They are former street children and half the fee for a full tour of the city goes to a home for street children. If you take a guide you will be safe from mugging, which does unfortunately occur.

Sights

The city boasts an ornate church on almost every corner, but its 16th-century monastery

and convent are particularly worth seeking out.

Basilica e Mosterio de São Bento

, was founded 1582 by the Benedictine

monks, burnt by the Dutch in 1631 and restored in 1761. It is the site of Brazil's first law school and where slavery in Brazil was first abolished. The magnificent gold altar was on loan to New York's Guggenheim Museum at the time of writing. Despite its weathered exterior, the

Convento de São Francisco

(1585), has splendid woodcarving and paintings, superb gilded stucco. The

Capela de São Roque

, within the church of

Nossa Senhora das Neves

, is adorned with

azulejos

It's worth making the short, but very steep, climb up the

Alto da Sé

to the cathedral for views out over Olinda, the palm tree-fringed beaches and the distant skyscrapers of Recife. The plain and simple

Igreja da Sé

, (1537), has been a cathedral since 1677 and was the first church to be built in the city. The

Igreja da Misericórdia

, (1540), a short stroll downhill from the cathedral, has some beautiful

azulejo

tiling and gold work but seemingly random opening hours. The

Igreja do Carmo

(1581), on a small hill overlooking Praça do Carmo, is similarly impressive, but has been closed for years despite assurances that it would be refurbished. Olinda has many handsome civic buildings too, including streets of 17th-century houses with latticed balconies, heavy doors and brightly painted stucco walls. Some, like the mansion housing the

Mourisco

restaurant (Praça João Alfredo 7), are in the Portuguese Manueline style, their façades replete with Moorish architectural motifs.

There's a thriving arts and crafts community in Olinda and this is a good place to stock up on regional souvenirs. Look out for terracotta figurines and woodcarvings. The figurines are often by named artisans (look for their autograph imprinted in the clay on the base) and are becoming collectors' items. You'll find shops selling arts and crafts near the cathedral and in the handicraft shops at the

Mercado da Ribeira

, and the

Mercado Eufrásio Barbosa

The beaches close to Olinda are polluted, but those further north, beyond Casa Caiada, at

Janga

, and

Pau Amarelo

, are beautiful, palm-fringed and usually deserted (although the latter can be dirty at low tide). There are many simple cafés where you can eat

sururu

(clam stew in coconut sauce),

agulha frita

(fried needle-fish),

miúdo de galinha

(chicken giblets in gravy),

casquinha de carangueijo

(seasoned crabmeat) and

farinha de dendê

(served in crab shells). Visit the Dutch fort on Pau Amarelo beach where there is a small craft fair on Saturday nights. To get to the beaches, take either a 'Janga' or 'Pau Amarela' bus; to return to Recife, take a bus marked 'Varodouro'.

This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF

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