Visiting Fortaleza

Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Brazil. It is the fifth largest city in Brazil, with a population of 2.3 million people (metropolitan region over 3.4 million) approximately. It has an area of 313 square kilometers (121 sq mi) and the highest demographic density in the country (8,001 per km²). Residents of the city are known as Fortalezenses. Fortaleza is one of the three leading cities in the Northeast region together with Recife and Salvador. The city will be one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which Brazil is the host nation.

Fortaleza has a tropical, dry and wet climate, with high temperatures and high relative humidity throughout the year. However, these conditions are usually relieved by pleasant winds blowing from the ocean. Average temperatures are not much different throughout the year, they are around 30.5º (86.9 F). This city has an ideal wind speed to practice activities such as surfing and kite flying.

Nightlife in Fortaleza is pretty related to the local music called Forró or refined dining. Over the last four years several high quality restaurants have opened up as the city raises its standards and, in particular, with the world cup 2014. Fortaleza also has a well trodden beachfront at the Beira Mar Avenue, where joggers start before 6am and after the sun goes down at 6pm. On this beachfront there is a variety of events to view including volleyball, roller hockey, the Japanese Garden, the arts market and people generally out enjoying a walk with their families.

Fortaleza has some urban beaches that attract both citizens and tourists for its complexes. In Praia do Futuro (Future Beach) you can find several good quality beach complexes of which the most popular are Crocobeach and Atlantidiz. They generally close when the sun goes down and the area becomes rather dark and desert at night.
Here you have a list of some sightseeing places in Fortaleza and in the nearby cities – many of them enable tourists to know a lot more about the local culture.

Famous beaches: Porto das Dunas, Praia das Fontes, Cumbuco, Morro Branco,
Iracema, Prainha, Meireles, Mucuripe and Praia do Futuro.

For more information, here you have the link for the Secretary of Culture in Fortaleza: http://www.fortaleza.ce.gov.br/cultura