Maceió is the capital of Alagoas, in Northeast Brazil. Maceió has a great coastal ambiance and stands out for its beauty, embedded in palm trees, mangroves and the bright green sea. It also has a remarkable culture, reflected in its arts and crafts, cuisine and customs.
Understand
Like many places in North-east Brazil, the city used to thrive on the sugar industry. Nowadays, it has a very good touristic infrastructure with excellent hotels, and has become an important destination for national and international tourists.
Climate
Maceió's climate is tropical - hot and humid during most of the year. The best time to go depends on your weather preferences. Summer extends from December through March, when temperatures are around 30⁰C. In May through September more clouds make it more pleasant during the mid-day and afternoon. It's around 27⁰C but it rains a lot. The water temperature is every day 26-27⁰C.
Get in
- 1 Zumbi dos Palmares International (MCZ IATA), ☏ 55 82 214-4000. Receives flights from every large Brazilian city as well as some international flights.
There are plenty of taxis at the airport's arrivals area. Some travelers on a tight budget prefer to take the bus to the downtown area, then a cheaper taxi ride to their final destination. A taxi from the airport to Ponta Verde runs around R$35.
From Salvador and Recife there are intercity buses. From Recife also check the lower priced shared rides on Blablacar.
From Maragogi and São Miguel dos Milagres scheduled vans bring you to the rodoviaria of Maceió.
Get around
By taxi
You can use an Uber or the 99Taxi riee-hailing app.
Other taxis are everywhere and you'll have no problem finding them. The initial fee is R$3.35, then it depends how far you go.
By bus
The bus system is operated by the company "Transporte Tropical," operating in the "Aeroporto - Ponta Verde" line, which connects the airport to Ponta Verde Beach. The current price is R$ 3.35 for a single trip. There are no transfers though so each bus you take will require you to pay again. Around half of the local buses require the bus card "Cartão Bem Legal". In the near future all local buses will require the card. You can get it only in the R. Buarque de Macedo 549 in the city center (M-F 07:00-17:00) and it's free. In March 2021 it was possible to get the card without a CPF.
In the regional minibuses you can pay only in cash.
By car
You can rent a car starting at about R$90/day. This is a great way to explore the nearby beaches on a day trip.
See
Museums
- Museum of the Historical and Geografical Institute of Alagoas. Fine arts and historical objects.
- Museum of Image and Music. Photographic, cinematographic, and sound exhibitions and archives
- Museum of Sport.
- Pierre Chalita Museum. Fine arts.
- Théo Brandão Museum. Folk and primitive arts.
- UFAL Museum of Natural History.
Natural beauty
Approximately 140 km south from Maceió there is a very small town called Piaçabuçu, where you can get on a boat and sail through the São Francisco River and see where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. There are vans that can take you there or you can rent a car. The boat ride costs R$30 and is absolutely amazing.
- São Gonçalo Belvedere (Mirante São Gonçalo), Praça Rosalvo Ribeiro (next to the São Gonçalo church and the lighthouse). From there, on a clear day, the old city, the harbor and the whole coastline, from Pajuçara up to Pontal da Barra, can be seen.
Beaches
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Maceió is surrounded by beaches. There is no problem finding a nice beach to relax. You can choose between those with a lot of people or the empty ones.
To the beaches in the north of Maceio up to Ipioca you can take the bus line 223. It picks you up for example in Ponta Verde or Pajuçara. On the way you can pick a beach you like and simply get off at the next stop. The fare is R$3.35. For some buses of this bus line you need the Cartão Bem Legal. So it's better when you have the card. Without the bus card you can take a regional minibus from the country road AL-101 to the beaches. For the way back to Maceió you can also take any other local bus or regional mini bus. They stop in Maceió along the country road AL-101. From there you can change to another local bus line or take an Uber to where you stay.
Urban beaches
- Cruz das Almas
- Jatiúca
- Pajuçara
- Ponta Verde
- Pontal da Barra
- Sobral
North Coast
- Barra de Santo Antônio
- Carro Quebrado Beach
- Croa Island
- Tabuba Beach
South Coast
- Barra de São Miguel
- Francês It has nice sand and is touristy. It's more empty more south and more north to where Google Maps displays the Praia do Frânces. From Maceió you can go with frequent minibuses stopping in front of the central CBTU Brazilian Urban Train station. On the top of the windshield there is blue banner saying "Marechal Deodoro >> Maceió". The minibus arrives and goes back to Maceió on the same lane of a street near the beach. The fare is R$ 5 (March 2021). The last connection back to Maceió is around 21:00.
- Gunga
Do
- Surfing and bodyboarding are popular in Maceió. The waves are safe and there are no sharks to worry about. There are also no dangerous reefs to worry about. The best place to go surfing near Maceió is at Praia do Frances (Frenchman's Beach). Waves aren't the best in Alagoas; sometimes there are good waves, but that isn't very consistent. There are also many low priced resorts you can stay at for the weekend or for months at a time.
- Watch the sunset from Avenida da Paz.
- Snorkeling in Ponta Verde beach (with low tide). Bring your own snorkel, there are usually none for rent.
- The main tourist attraction in Maceió is the Piscinas Naturais in Pajuçara beach, a naturally shallow area in the ocean about 1 km away from the shore. You can get there by jangada (a traditional wooden sailboat). This is a good place to snorkel and there are always restaurant boats selling food and drinks.
Concerts are very common.
Buy
- Lace (renda) - At Pontal da Barra, near the Mundaú lagoon
- Crafts and popular art, ☏ 55 82 223-8200. At Armazém Sebrae - Avenida da Paz, 878 (Jaraguá). M-F 10:00 to 22:00, Sa 09:00 to 13:00.
- Feira de Artesanato in Pajuçara for local arts and crafts.
Eat
There are many, many restaurants to choose from. The restaurants on the beaches alone will be more than enough for your stay. There are many different types of food to choose from. Fish and other seafood, a wide selection of fruits, and authentic Brazilian cuisine are very common. Make sure to try a Tapioca, a pancake made of manioc starch that can be filled with anything from ham and cheese to chocolate. They are sold all along the beach at lunchtime.
Budget
- 1 Galetos e Almoço São Pedro (Ponta Verde). Tasty buffet restaurant. Prato feito for R$14. Buffet for R$16.
- Super Pizza. The most famous (and most oily) pizza in Maceio. Two places: in Iguatemi Shopping or close to the beach.
- In Ponta Verde there are food trucks with nice prices on the Praça Journalista Denis Agra (Tu-Su) and on the Rua Pedro Alcântara Maranhão (daily). They open at 17:00.
- In the evening in front of the Dona Moça Restaurante in Ponta Verde there is a tasty burger stall. They also open at 17:00 and the prices for a burger start at R$8.
- Other places where you can eat fast food food: Pizza Fone, Baita Pão and Passaporte Gaucho.
Mid-range
- Massarella, R. José Pontes de Magalhães, 271 (near Jatiúca beach), ☏ 55 82 3325-6000. Italian food, pasta, pizzas.
Splurge
- Maria Antonieta, Av. Doutor Antônio Gomes de Barros, 150, ☏ 55 82 3202-8828. Italian upscale restaurant with good wine selection.
- Imperador dos Camarões (Shrimp's Emperor), Travessa Antônio Gouveia, 21, ☏ 55 82 3327-5252. Local seafood options.
- Wanchako, Rua São Francisco de Assis, 93 - Jatiúca, ☏ 55 82 3377-6024, 55 82 3311-9750, ✉[email protected]. Peruvian food. Highlights are the ceviches made with local fishes.
Drink
There are plenty of bars all along the beach. The Jatiuca neighbourhood has a good bar scene. It has two famous places, Skyy nightclub and MaiKai. Another famous nightclub is Middo located in the Pajuçara neighbourhood.
Sleep
Budget
Just look on booking.com or Hostelworld and sort by price.
Mid-range
- 1 Hotel Pousada Gogó da Ema, Rua Francisco Laranjeiras, 56-122 (Ponta Verde), ☏ 55 82 3327-0329, 55 82 3231-2117, ✉[email protected]. 1 block to the beach, in Ponta Verde neighbourhood. Air conditioning, refrigerator, Wi-Fi, breakfast included (all you can eat). Double room: R$180, Triple room: R$ 220, (High Season).
Splurge
There are many different hotels to choose from in terms of price. There are many large hotels to find tour guides and most of the hotel staff have a good grasp of English and other languages like Italian. Here are just a few:
- Jatiúca Hotel, Lagoa da Anta 220 - Mangabeiras, 55 82 2122-2000
- Hotel Meliá Maceió , Av. Álvaro Otacílio 4065, Jatiúca, 55 82 325-5656
- Maceió Mar Hotel, Av. Álvaro Otacílio 2991, Ponta Verde, 55 82 217-8000
- Ritz Lagoa da Anta, Av. Brig. Eduardo Gomes 546, Cruz das Almas 55 82 217-4000
Apartments
Temporary apartments are usually the best if your plan to stay more than a week. They are the cheapest and you don't need a lease or pay any utility bills. Many will allow you to stay less than a month. Each temporary apartment is different though. Not all include furniture, a stove, or a refrigerator. Prices can be as low as R$255 per month.
Stay safe
Maceió is one of the most violent cities in Brazil, together with Recife (PE) and Vitória (ES).
The following text might be the case again after the pandemic: There are many poor people wandering around on the street and if you stop for a second, either to look at a map or admire the landscape, they will approach you asking for money. In this case you should say no and start walking away from them, they are mostly harmless. There are fewer people begging for money in Jatiúca and Ponta Verde, but there are so many in Pajuçara that eating a tapioca by the beach can become an annoying activity.
Cope
The Policia Federal for extending your visa or visa-free stay is at the Av. Walter Ananias, 705 - Jaraguá, Maceió - AL, 57022-065. The department for foreigners is open M-F 14-18:00.
Connect
Go next
Hostels are available in all of these places, they are sorted northwards:
- Ipioca with its stunning beach
- São Miguel dos Milagres. The 'Caribbean of Brazil'. The hostel is in a village nearby called Porto da Rua. The scheduled vans from Maceió and Ipioca pass that village.
- Maragogi a place with the most beautiful beaches with white sand, palm trees and famous natural swimming pool inside the Atlantic. It's 125 km north of Maceió. Tours to the pools from Maceió last all day.
- Porto de Galinhas and the nearby Maracaípe
In the south of Maceió you gonna find:
| Routes through Maceió |
| João Pessoa ← Recife ← | N  S | → Aracaju → Vitória |