🏖️ Fortaleza: the beach city of Brazil

Last updated Jan 26, 2025

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Fortaleza is one of the largest cities in Brazil. It is located in the northeast of the country and is the capital of the state of Ceara. The city is famous for its countless beaches, bustling nightlife and Brazil's first water park. Fortaleza is included in many tourist guides and is recommended for visiting as a beach holiday center. I will share my impressions of the trip to this city.

For us, Fortaleza became a connecting point between Sao Paulo and the resort village, where we were heading for a beach holiday. The state of Ceara is the best choice to enjoy the ocean, try water activities, recharge and taste fresh seafood, especially during the Brazilian winter.

Calendar winter in Brazil begins on June 21. At this time, the ocean in the south of the country becomes icy and, unfortunately, you can only enjoy it with your eyes. At the same time, in the north of the country the thermometer does not drop below 30 degrees all year round. That is why holidays in Fortaleza begin to be advertised everywhere during the holiday season.

About the beaches

So, let's start with, perhaps, the main attraction of Fortaleza – the beaches. They are truly amazing here. They stretch along the entire city, their length is approximately 30 kilometers!

The most important beaches of the city are Iracema, Meireles and Mucuripe. They are located near the city center. There are also many hotels and inns located here, but the conditions for swimming are not entirely suitable. Actually, just like during my trip to Fortaleza, the water was very pleasant, but the ocean was not calm. Huge waves seemed to drag me somewhere far away.

Towards evening, after a hot working day, the entire coast quickly fills with people. Everyone dances, sings, plays, drinks, has fun and just chats. If you are a lover of emotional and action-packed nightlife, then Fortaleza should definitely be your choice. There are also bicycle paths along the embankment. And what could be better than taking a ride along the ocean during a light breeze!

The best beach in Fortaleza is considered the “beach of the future” (port. Praia do Futuro), but does it live up to its name? In my opinion, not really. This place is located ten minutes drive from the central street of Beira Mar. And, despite dozens of bars, an excellent relaxation area and perfect sand, from the beginning of 2023 a ban on swimming was introduced there.

How can a beach be considered the best if you can’t take a dip in the warm Brazilian water there? Therefore, be careful not to find yourself in an unpleasant situation, because many tourist guides still recommend this beach as the best place for swimming. Before visiting the city, make sure once again where you can swim and where not.

About interesting things

In Fortaleza you can see monuments to the port of Galician architecture: the center of art and culture of Dragao do Mar, the José de Alencar Theater, the Museum of the State of Ceará, the Martyrs' Square and the Fortaleza Cathedral. To be honest, after visiting the historical center of the city, I was left with two impressions.

On the one hand, you want to walk around with your mouth open to take in all the beauties of the buildings, get enough of the colors, and take photographs as a souvenir, but on the other hand, you shouldn’t walk around with your mouth open.

After all, Fortaleza is in fourth place on the list of the most dangerous cities in Brazil, which tourist guides, unfortunately, are silent about. Therefore, beautiful buildings and ruin coexist here, the spirit of history and people without a place to live, good-natured Brazilians and the stench.

Despite all the disadvantages of the city, I really liked the Cathedral of St. Joseph – the main cathedral of Fortaleza. The temple took about forty years to build and was completed only in 1978. It looks really impressive!

I also recommend visiting the city market – in Fortaleza it is very authentic. It is a gigantic space with dozens of shops in the city center. This is the best place to buy souvenirs from local artisans at very attractive prices.

Here you can find everything your heart desires: sandals, hats, wooden figurines, magnets, jewelry and fruits. But don’t forget that most Brazilians don’t speak English, so you’ll either have to learn a couple of phrases in Portuguese or use your fingers to explain yourself. At the same time, you can pay by card in absolutely any store.

About food

What I can definitely recommend in Fortaleza is to visit one of the best restaurants, Coco Bambu. In general, this is a chain of restaurants. They can be found in many cities in Brazil. But no matter where I visited him, for some reason it was in Fortaleza that he sank into my soul.

Fresh lobster, giant shrimp with cheese, fish, pasta with either seafood, or seafood with pasta… mmm, your mouth is watering. And most importantly, all this luxury can be obtained at a reasonable price. A visit to the restaurant will definitely remain in your memory.

General impressions

As for me, Fortaleza is a very controversial city because it is famous for its beaches. Guo will still have to carefully look for ones where you can swim. Authentic city center with magnificent buildings, but take photos very carefully, otherwise you may be left without a phone. Rich nightlife, but night time is not the best for walking in Brazil. At best, you can be left without a wallet.

If the soft sand and gentle ocean cover all the disadvantages, then welcome to Fortaleza!