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Pernambuco: Recife, Olinda & Porto de Galinhas – Route Guide

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Olinda Pernambuco — Pernambuco: Recife, Olinda & Porto de Galinhas
Photo: Wilfredor · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Twin cities of colour and the Northeast's aquarium coast: Recife's rivers and bridges beside Olinda's baroque hill, giant carnival puppets peer from workshop windows all year, then jangada rafts poling visitors onto Porto de Galinhas' reef pools at low tide, fish circling ankle-deep. Frevo's umbrella dance was born here and never stopped.

Pernambuco: Recife, Olinda & Porto de Galinhas is a 70 km one-way journey (self-drive). It works best as 2–4 days; the plan below is the 3-day version for December, built from 173 verified places, with real road-routed transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

2–4
days
70km
distance
3
Stops
173
curated stops

Plan your own version → 2-day plan · 3-day plan · 4-day plan · best time to go

The route

Recife→ 8 kmOlinda→ 62 kmPorto de Galinhas

What you'll see

Military Museum Brum Fortress
View military equipment from colonial times to WWII in this historic fort.
Recife
Olinda Cathedral
Visit Brazil's first church, built in 1540.
Olinda
Catamarã Cavalo Marinho
Snorkel and swim on Caribbean-style Ilha de Santo Aleixo.
Porto de Galinhas
Nossa Senhora do Carmo
Behold the baroque altar adorned with gold engravings and precious stones.
Recife
Sacred Art Museum of Pernambuco
Contemplate religious art pieces dating back to the 16th century.
Olinda
Museum of the Archeological, Historic and Geographic Institute of Pernambuco
Explore extensive collections spanning prehistoric to colonial Pernambuco.
Recife
Contemporary Art Museum of Pernambuco
View works by celebrated Brazilian artists in a historic building.
Olinda
Recife City Museum
Learn the city's history inside the 17th-century Five Pointed Fort.
Recife

Choose your length

2-day plan6 stops · 1.9 h transit3 stops/day · 0.9 h transit/daySee the full plan →3-day plan11 stops · 2.5 h transit3.7 stops/day · 0.8 h transit/daySee the full plan →4-day plan18 stops · 3.5 h transit4.5 stops/day · 0.9 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: September, October, November, December, January, February, March

Dry-season tide pools at Porto de Galinhas glow aquarium-clear — time visits to low tide — and Olinda's viewpoints stay rain-free for golden hour.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

Plan your own version →