Recife

Where to stay

Most hostels cluster in Boa Viagem, the southern beach district, with the majority sitting a block or two back from Avenida Boa Viagem. Recife Antigo, the old city island anchored by Marco Zero square, has livelier nightlife and a handful of budget options but fewer beds overall.

Getting around

• Swim only inside the natural reef pools close to shore at Boa Viagem. The water beyond the reefs has a well-documented shark presence, and locals are clear about where the line is.
• Mercado de São José, the cast-iron market in the city center, is the right place for a cheap weekday lunch. Tapioca vendors and caldos run well under the price of a sit-down meal and the market empties out by early afternoon.
• If you are visiting during Carnival, Olinda runs its own simultaneous celebration about 20 minutes north by bus. The street blocks there are smaller and easier to move through than the main Recife events, and accommodation is often easier to find with less lead time.

When to go

Hostels are cheapest in May and again in September through October. Carnival in February or March (the date shifts yearly) books out weeks in advance, and the São João festival in late June pulls another surge of visitors from across the northeast.