3 Days in Recife & Olinda Itinerary: Marco Zero, Olinda, Brennand & Reef Pools

Three full days in Recife and Olinda let you experience every facet of Pernambuco's capital region: dedicating one day to the historic island port and river bridges, a second day to colonial Olinda and the forested art estates of the Brennand cousins, and a third day to the warm coral-reef pools of the southern coast.

Day 1: Recife Antigo, Kahal Zur Israel, Capela Dourada & River Catamaran

• 09:00, Marco Zero & Parque das Esculturas: Begin on the Cícero Dias compass-rose mosaic of Praça Rio Branco (Marco Zero) and take the three-minute rowboat across the harbour channel to walk beside Francisco Brennand's 32-metre Torre de Cristal on the natural reef wall.
• 10:30, Rua do Bom Jesus, Kahal Zur Israel & Paço do Frevo: Stroll down colourful Rua do Bom Jesus to visit the 1636 Sinagoga Kahal Zur Israel and the Embaixada dos Bonecos Gigantes, then tour the four floors of Paço do Frevo and the waterfront Cais do Sertão.
• 13:30, Santo Antônio Island, Capela Dourada & Casa da Cultura: Walk across the Ponte Maurício de Nassau to Santo Antônio Island. Admire the floor-to-ceiling gilded cedar woodwork of the Capela Dourada (1696 to 1724), see Pátio de São Pedro, and browse Pernambuco clay folk art inside the 1855 former prison cells of the Casa da Cultura.
• 16:00, Capibaribe River Catamaran Tour: Board the Capibaribe River catamaran to glide beneath the historic bridges of the "Brazilian Venice" at golden hour.

Day 2: UNESCO-Listed Olinda & the Two Brennand Museums in Várzea

• 08:30, Morning in Historic Olinda (UNESCO): Ride 15 minutes north to Olinda. Start at the 1582 Mosteiro de São Bento to see its 14-metre gold-leaf altar, climb past the galleries of Rua do Amparo and the 1585 Convento de São Francisco, and finish on the hilltop terrace of Alto da Sé with a freshly griddled coconut-and-cheese tapioca looking back toward the Recife skyline.
• 13:30, Afternoon at Oficina Francisco Brennand & Instituto Ricardo Brennand: Take an Uber across to the forested Várzea district. Spend an hour exploring the 2,000 ceramic sculptures and kilns of Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand, then drive five minutes to the Tudor-Gothic castle and palm avenues of Instituto Ricardo Brennand to view the Frans Post paintings and medieval armoury before dinner on Boa Viagem Beach.

Day 3 Morning & Afternoon: Low-Tide Reef Pools at Porto de Galinhas

Travel 60 kilometres south to Porto de Galinhas (timed with low tide) to sail by traditional wooden jangada out to the natural coral pools, followed by a sunset raft ride through the seahorse mangroves of Pontal de Maracaípe.

Day 3 Alternative: Praia dos Carneiros or Northern Forte Orange

Alternatively, continue 30 minutes further south to the coconut-palm sandbars and eighteenth-century beachfront chapel of Praia dos Carneiros, or head 50 kilometres north to 1535 Igarassu and the Dutch star fortress of Forte Orange on Ilha de Itamaracá.