Fortaleza is a very popular destination for both foreign tourists and Brazilians themselves.
The best areas to stay in Fortaleza
Fortaleza is a city that welcomes its visitors and if you want to enjoy its attractions, you have to set up a base of operations to help improve your options to enjoy the place.
For that and to stay in Fortaleza in the best way, you should not lose sight of the neighborhoods of Meireles, the urban center, the neighborhoods of Mucuripe, Praia Iracema and Praia do Futuro and the enclaves of the coast of Praia de Icaraí, Praia de Canoa Quebrada, Jericoacoara, Lagoinha, in Paraipaba, and the area of Beberibe.
Perfect places to sleep in or around Fortaleza and to feel it close.Let’s see what’s outstanding in each of these urban areas and coastal towns and why they are recommendable, starting with Meireles.
1.Meireles
Meireles is a downtown neighborhood located by the sea, opposite the commercial port and north of the city of Fortaleza and one of the most popular and sought-after places to stay in Fortaleza.
Meireles is full of restaurants where you can enjoy local Brazilian dishes, international, French or Italian cuisine.Three outstanding restaurants somewhat far from the centre are Bistrô Garrafeira, POT – Healthy & Organic Food and Empório Delitalia.
Ice cream parlours abound, and the bars will serve everything that makes a difference, from cocktails to local fruit-flavoured wines and beers to a Brazilian-style shake with granola and banana slices.
A recommended activity in the area is to hire a boat to visit the surroundings of fishing villages enjoying local fruits and juices on board.
You can also drop by the handicraft fair at the street market in Feirinha Beira Mar, which is very popular with tourists, where you can buy embroidery and handmade jewelry.You can buy embroidery and handmade jewelry.
For those who enjoy the shows, a recommendation, be aware of the programs of the Center of Art and Culture Dragão do Mar and the Theater Ceará, which is both a scenic space and privileged places to learn about the culture and history of the state of Ceará.
A key place to sleep in Fortaleza is the Beira Mar Avenue.In the area there is a complete series of luxury hotels, very affordable hostels and vacation rental apartments overlooking the beach. The safest streets in Meireles are Avenida Beira Mar, Avenida Almirante Barroso and Historian Raimundo Girão.The night bus lines should not be used, the most recommended way to move around in Fortaleza is to use taxis, which are more expensive but safer, we must take all this into account.
MEIRELES ACCOMMODATION
2.But if you are looking for a genuine gift, you must go to the Central Market, its stalls are full of lace work, leather goods and ceramics.
MoreThe Emcetur, the complex that was a prison in the middle of the 19th century, is now a centre of popular craftsmanship.
In the centre, take some time to visit the Fortress of Nossa Senhora da Assunção, the fortress that gave birth to the city and its name in 1649.Opposite, you can enjoy the gardens of the Passeio Público, and stop for a bite to eat between visits in the historic centre.To walk around the center of Fortaleza, the starting point must be the Praça do Ferreira, the main square of the district, an environment that also offers shops, restaurants and a movie theater.
In the square, there are always street artists. Culture enthusiasts have the opportunity to visit the Fortaleza Tourism Center and the functions of the Jose de Alencar Theater in a beautiful building built in 1912.
Fortaleza has four subway lines that connect with the peripheral areas of the city thanks to its more than fifty suburban stations.
The bus option to move between neighbourhoods is a good option, due to its frequency and the existence of seven transfer stations, but it is not advisable to use the buses at night, especially in the peripheral neighbourhoods.
The Pinto Martins International Airport of Fortaleza is located in the middle of the urban area of the city and south of the historical centre, 11 kilometres away.From the Central Station you have to take the line 404 to go to the airport facilities.
The city center offers many options to enjoy a good accommodation in Fortaleza.Variety and very affordable prices at the real-euro exchange.
ACCOMMODATION IN THE CENTER
3.Mucuripe
Mucuripe is a district of the coast of Fortaleza, located right on the port inlet and north of the city about four kilometers from the urban center.</Once a fishermen’s neighbourhood, Mucuripe has become a tourist business and is now a beach leisure area with restaurants and plenty of restaurants.
An activity we recommend is to take a look at the shops of the local fish market, the hustle and bustle, the Brazilian style and the tropical marine fauna to be discovered, such as the brown chadado or the shrimps.Departures are in the morning and in the afternoon and the sunsets in the area are really beautiful.
It is necessary to visit the Fair of Mucuripe, in its premises you can order cold beer and shrimps with garlic and oil, especially if it is hot.
In the area it is possible to stay in Fortaleza in apartments, hotels and apartholes of different categories.
4.Praia Iracema
Playa de Iracema is a small neighborhood located to the north, next to the sea and on the edge of the Fortaleza Bay. The name comes from a female character in a novel by the writer José de Alencar.
This is where the Potiguar Indians found the navigator Matias Beck when his fleet arrived in 1649.The Indian names of the streets are reminiscent of that Indian time. The name of the site is the result of a popular contest decided in 1930.
In front of the beach, there is a sculpture of the heroine Iracema holding an arch in a defiant position.The area is the main headquarters of important institutions and foundations such as the Seminary of Prainha, the Caixa Cultural Fortress, the Joaquim Nabuco Foundation, the Public Library of the State of Ceará, the Porto de Iracema Arts Library and the commercial area of Avenida Monseñor Tabosa, the Secretariat of Finance of Ceará, the Ceará Aquarium.
But there is also space for discotheques, bars, hotels on the beach and leisure centers. The offer of hotels and apartments to stay in Fortaleza in this area is equally varied and affordable for all budgets.
ACCOMMODATION IN PRAIA IRACEMA
5.Praia do Futuro
Praia do Futuro is a coastal neighbourhood in the north of the city of Fortaleza to the southeast of the port area. 8 kilometres long and with a long beach that is one of the most popular in Fortaleza, it is considered one of the most frequented beaches in Fortaleza and has one of the largest infrastructures in the city.
During the high season it usually receives many tourists, who find in the area a great opportunity to enjoy a nice day at the beach. With a wide strip of clear, soft and loose sand, has a coast with a blue sea and good waves. A perfect environment for sports like surfing and windsurfing.
The name of the place comes from a real estate development of 1966 that sold plots and properties in the area under that name ‘Playa de Futuro’.There are about 150 beach bars made of carnauba fibre, a variety of local palm trees, and the beach bars organise parties at weekends, which means from Thursday to Sunday.
Barraca Biruta, known for its electronic music, is held on Fridays, while Barraca Marulhos and Sorriso do Sol have a more relaxed atmosphere.Foreign tourists prefer Praia de Côco and Boa Vidal, while Brazilians prefer Vira Verão. Vira Verão is perfect for surfing or kife surfing, but you have to be very careful with the currents.
A peculiar option to travel in this area of Fortaleza is to do it by motorcycle taxi. To sleep in Fortaleza in the area of Praia do Futuro, the most recommended is to do it in any of the more than one hundred medium level beach hotels that offer attractive prices even in high season.
ACCOMMODATION IN PRAIA DO FUTURO
In addition to this post on the best areas to stay in Fortaleza you may be interested in these others: Where to stay in Rio de Janeiro, where to stay in Sao Paulo, where to stay in Salvador de Bahia
6.Praia de Icaraí
Icaraí is a coastal town located northwest of Fortaleza and about 20 kilometers from downtown.
The beach is perfect for scuba diving where you have to take into account the strength of the waves and the situation of the rocks that can make the dives complicated.the beach is one of the most sought after summer areas by the people of Forte.
At night, the beach bars also offer live music.To move around the area, the best thing to do is to rent a car, take a local taxi or take a bus.
The center of the town is the Plaza de la Estación, the location of the old train stop that still works as a metro station.
To go from the center of Fortaleza to the beach of Icaraí you can take the bus that goes through all the coastal towns.Near the center of the city of Caucaia is the local Botanical Garden which is ideal for relaxing on the green on any hot day in the state of Ceará.
In any case, if you consider it as an alternative to stay in Fortaleza you have to take into account that in the area there are few hotels to stay in Fortaleza and yes many vacation homes and apartments.
ACCOMMODATION IN PRAIA DE ICARAÍ
7.Praia de Canoa Quebrada
Canoa Quebrada is a town in the state of Ceará located 164 kilometers southeast of the city of Fortaleza.Canoa is the main town, a coastal village where the fishermen of the area are based.
Canoa is located on a small reddish cliff overlooking the beach and the Atlantic.The site still has its reputation as a hippie mecca and alternative tourism that made it famous.
The climate is semi-arid with an average temperature of 28 degrees Celsius and rainfall concentrated in the months from March to May.
Most of the accommodation, bars and restaurants are concentrated on Canoa Avenue, officially known as Rua Dragão do Mar, unofficially, the ‘Broadway Avenue’.
Dragão do Mar refers to the refusal of one of the abolitionist heroes of the State of Ceará – Francisco José do Nascimento – to transport slaves to be sold in the south of Brazil.
For the institutions of Brazilian tourism, Canoa Quebrada is the main tourist center of the State of Ceará after Fortaleza itself.
On the beach, you can practice all kinds of outdoor sports activities: horse riding, buggy tours, surfing, windsurfing, sailing or kitesurfing.
To go to the place from Fortaleza, you have to take the road CE-040, if you want to come by bus from the capital, remember that there are six daily bus services in each direction a day (via São Benedito) with a duration of 3 hours and a half.
The beach and the whole town is accessible for people with reduced mobility and it is said that walking barefoot should be part of any visitor’s experience.The symbol is everywhere especially on ceramic objects that are perfect for gifts.
On the beach, there are a number of beach bars, such as the Costa Brava, which offers meats; the Argentino, which has grilled meats or the Café La Habana, which has perhaps the best service in the area.
LODGING IN CANOA QUEBRADA
8.Jericoacoara
Jericoacoara is another fishing village with the same alternative style, in this case located even further from Fortaleza, about 300 km away from the city and west of the capital.The place is a large area of continuous grey dunes.
The streets of the town are not only paved with sand, and traffic jams and noise and hustle are common, especially during the summer holidays and at weekends.This contrasts with the dynamics of environmental preservation that the local authorities have tried to apply, which have gone from not including street lights to illuminate at night to designating the place as an Environmental Protection Area.
In Jericoacoara, it is necessary to dedicate some time of exploration to enjoy some of the attractions of the place.Attractions such as the Pedra Furada, an arch-shaped rock that has become the symbol of Jericoacoara.
In the area, you can practice water and sea sports, such as surfing, windsurfing, horseback riding or off-roading and kitesurfing, there are instructors to practice sports on the waves that can be hired on the beach, thinking especially of the uninitiated.
In Jericoacoara, there are four main streets and all of them lead to the beach, where you can find restaurants, bars, cafes and some ice-cream parlours.
To stay in Fortaleza in the Jericoacoara area, comment that there are dozens and dozens of hotels and pousadas offering all price ranges.The cheapest ones -about 50 reais per day, about 12 Euros- to stay in Fortaleza in the Jericoacoara area are the youth hostels that include laundry services.
To move around in the area, the most recommended is the use of rental car.If it is not possible, there are minibuses, private vans, VIP transport services that leave from Fortaleza and the airport leading directly to Jericoacoara or with stops in the coastal towns.
ACCOMMODATION IN JERICOACOARA
9.Lagoinha (Paraipaba)
Lagoinha is a town and a very popular beach in the State of Ceará about 100 kilometers northwest of the city of Fortaleza.
The main beach is about 15 km long, is shaped like a half moon and is dominated by two heights that allow you to enjoy memorable views of the entire area and surrounding landscape, especially the small freshwater lagoons with their coconut palms that dot the area and are the origin of the site’s name.
For those who choose it as an alternative to staying in Fortaleza, in the Lagoinha area there is a regular offer of hotels and pousadas at very reasonable prices.To move in the area, it is best to use also a rental car and to get to the site, the roads that are references are the BR-222 and EC-085.
LODGING IN LAGOINHA
10.Beberibe
Beberibe is a town in the state of Ceará located southeast of Fortaleza on the same coast, about eighty kilometers from the center of the city.Its name means ‘the place where the sugar cane grows’, and the first economic development came to the area of sugar production from the work of several sugar mills installed in the place.
A recommendable place to visit is the Natural Monument of the Cliffs of Beberibe, a protected natural area that occupies a length of about 6 kilometers and is formed by ancient sediments very eroded in which there are singular cavities in the form of caves, but also small canyons and ravines.
In the town, you can also visit a second protected area, the Prainha do Canto Verde Extractive Reserve founded in 2009 to protect a traditional fishing community that has been fighting against the exploitation of its territory since the 1970s.
