Fortaleza

Armazem

The biggest party in town on Wednesdays, when it attracts mostly foreign men and a fair share of working girls. Also opens on Saturdays with a more mixed crowd. Live forro on a big stage and a separate eurotechno-lounge.

Closed · opens 11 pm·Entry R$ 20

Arre Égua

Thoroughly decorated as a Ceará countryside joint, although the prices are nothing of the kind. Live classic forro. Good spot on Tuesdays. Mainly age 30 and over. Next door restaurant.

Tuesdays and Fridays from about 20:00 till late·Entry R$ 30

Bar do Pedrinho

Located in the "red" district of Benfica, this is a watering hole for members of political organizations, but also university teachers, University Theater students and locals in general. They also serve food like barbecue, green beans and gizzard. Good music and clean bathroom.

Mon-Sat 16:00-

Bar do Seu Assis

Barbecue, beer and outdoor seating. The service is often slow, but on the other hand people come here to relax, not to stress. It's one of the most popular bars in the Benfica district.

Mon-Sat 17:00-

BarChá da Égua

A bar in the Montese district also serving food. Typical Brazilian cuisine with a large selection of beers.

Beach Park

South America's biggest water park with the world's biggest toboggan. The park also features a hotel and a concert stage.

Bella Italia

Italian restaurant with Italian cooks, regarded as a piece of Italy in Fortaleza. Online reviews reveal they make great pizzas. They make dishes to go as well.

Café Santa Clara

Excellent coffee, some extremely sweet varieties, good bites, and extreme air-conditioning in a pleasant, old-worldly setting. Slow service, though.

Tue-Sun 15:00-22:00

Cantinho Acadêmico

Fairly quick service and a wide variety of snacks and meals. On the downside it's slightly more expensive than other bars in the area. On the weekend there are live music and occasionally even full-scale concerts.

Mon-Sat 16:00-

Cantinho do Frango

A place for informal dining, featuring retro decor and specializing in chicken dishes. Large servings, attentive service, air-conditioned and they also make dishes to go.

Carneiro do Ordones

Local dishes from seafood to lamb at an affordable price. The service is reportedly fast as well.

Casa das Artes

Located in the Jose Bonifacio district, in this bar and lounge you have the opportunity to get behind the microphone yourself together with local artists.

Thu-Sat 19:00-

Chope do Bexiga

Famous for its Chope de Vinho — is it wine or beer after all?

Churrascaria Gheller

This is arguably the best value Brazilian barbecue restaurant in the tourist area. If you are not too hungry, you can also pay R$ 22 per kilo. Tuesdays and Saturdays there's a stand-up comedian at 21:00, adding R$ 10 per person to your bill.

13:00-late·All you can eat R$ 20

Coco Bambu - Beira Mar

also known as Camarões

Shrimp and other seafood and fish in all variations — including large dishes to share. They also have hundreds of wines to choose from.

Open for lunch and dinner every day.

Dragão do Mar

The square at Rua Dragão do Mar is culturally a very lively place. Several artisans are selling their work there, musicians are performing and there are several bars and restaurants with international cuisine as well as night clubs of different styles. Then there's also the cultural center, described below.

Dragão do Mar Cultural Center

Opened in 1999, the center has 30,000 m2 of attractions including an art museum, a library, a cinema, a planetarium, an amphitheater, art workshops and the Culture Memorial of Ceara. The surrounding offers some of the highlights of Fortaleza's nightlife.

Estoril

This mansion, built in 1925 as Vila Morena, and later used as a casino, a restaurant (when its current name was applied) and a rather political bar, is of peculiar architecture. It was virtually rebuilt in the 1990s, and is undergoing another refurbishment to be used for public cultural arrangements.

Forró do Pirata

A crowd of happy tourists (many domestic) dances to forró and axé music. Overpriced at R$ 35. Most large hotels have discounted tickets for their guest (and occasionally others), ask in the reception.

on Mondays (in high season also on Fridays) in Praia de Iracema

Fortaleza railway station

Estação João Felipe

An all too common sight in South America; Fortaleza has a beautiful railway station... but traffic ended in 1975.

Internacional

With Belgian and Dutch owners Filip and Marco, has grown into a kind of ex-pats hangout, good food. Free WiFi. Occasional live music.

Daily until midnight

Iracema Statue

Estátua de Iracema

Also known as the Guardian of Iracema, this statue was constructed to honor the author José de Alencar. The statue depicts the protagonist in his novel Iracema. Another one stands in Messejena Lake in the south of the city.

La France

Perhaps not authentic French, but a varied menu, including escargots, and a selection of wines.

Mercado Central

Central Market

Artesanal center with over 500 vendors. Clothing, food products, books and other art are products you can find at the "Central Market".

Mon-Fri 07:00-18:00, Sat 08:00-16:00, Sun 08:00-13:00

Mercado São Sebastião

For a true abundance of fruits and vegetables, in addition to meat, fish and whatever else you could think of for your kitchen, visit Mercado São Sebastião, at the east end of Av. Bezerra de Menezes, 4 blocks south and 5 west of Praça José de Alencar in the centre. The earlier you arrive, the greater the variety.

Mercado dos Pinhões

This former meat market was imported piece by piece from Europe and set up in 1897. Refurbished and now used as a handicrafts fair with a variety of cultural events five days a week from Afro-Brazilian culture and art to contemporary dance and the local forró music style.

Metropolitan Cathedral of Fortaleza

Igreja da Sé

Its sooty façade gives the cathedral a somewhat brutal look. But it still has nice mosaics, and the 75-m-high towers and its size (its capacity is 5000 persons) are impressive. The main western façade has large windows and the sun lights up the church during the evening mass. French architect George Mounier allegedly was inspired by the Cologne cathedral. Note the 40 year span between the initial works and the inaugural mass, above the main entrance. Masses daily except Mondays.

Mini Siará

Museu de Miniaturas

More cute than really interesting, this tiny museum has about 25 scale models of Fortaleza's colonial buildings, and also a couple of scale landscapes.

Tue-Sat 14:00-17:00·R$ 5

Museu da Escrita

The Museum of Writing was reopened in 2012. As the name suggests, you can see typewriters from different eras, pens, feathers, cartridges and books including a collections of Bibles.

Museu de Arte e Cultura Popular

Located in an old prison, now the Centro de Turismo, along with a handicraft market and a tourist information. Displays many fine examples of folk art as well as boats and other cultural relics.