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Routes · South America

Lisbon to Pernambuco: Olinda and Porto de Galinhas

Lisbon → Olinda → Porto de Galinhas

Olinda
"Street Craftsman in Olinda.jpg" by Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Antonio Vaz island - Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil (cropped) (Recife)
Photo: Portal da Copa/ME, CC BY 3.0 br, via Wikimedia Commons

A colonial hill town of carnival & reef pools at low tide Best season (general guide): Sep–Feb

Brazil's north-east has some of the country's oldest colonial towns and warm, reef-sheltered beaches. This route spends three nights in Olinda and three in Porto de Galinhas. From Lisbon you'll fly to Recife, often without a connection. Olinda is a historic city in Pernambuco, in the metropolitan region of Recife, the state capital. It has been inhabited since 1535 and is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Olinda: day one, the old town; day two, churches and the Alto da Sé; day three, day in Recife. Then spend days four to six in Porto de Galinhas: day four, road south to the beach; day five, raft to the reef pools; day six, Muro Alto.

Olinda's historic centre, with churches, convents and brightly painted houses on hills above the sea, is listed by UNESCO. Frevo, the fast music and dance of Pernambuco's carnival, is listed by UNESCO as intangible heritage. Recife, next door, is built on islands and rivers and is sometimes called the Brazilian Venice. The Instituto Ricardo Brennand in Recife houses art and arms in a building styled like a castle.

Porto de Galinhas is a beach in the municipality of Ipojuca, about 60 kilometres south of Recife. It is known for its bright water and for natural pools that form in the reefs at low tide, reached by raft. The drier months from September to February are the best time; heavy rain falls from about April to July.

Bolo de rolo, a thin rolled cake filled with guava paste, is a speciality of Pernambuco. Olinda has about 350,000 people. It was the former capital of the captaincy of Pernambuco.

Safety: Canada advises a high degree of caution in Brazil because of crime (advisory updated 5 Oct 2026), and the US rates Brazil Level 2 (31 Aug 2026).

Suggested outline

  1. Lisbon

    Start

  2. Olinda

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    A hilltop colonial town above Recife.

  3. Porto de Galinhas

    By road · 3 nights suggested

    A beach of reef pools south of Recife.

    Porto de Galinhas
    "Porto de galinhas 019.JPG" by Andrevruas, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Olinda — Arrive; the old town· Lisbon → Recife (by air), then Recife → Olinda (overland)
  2. Day 2 · Olinda — Churches and the Alto da Sé
  3. Day 3 · Olinda — Day in Recife
  4. Day 4 · Porto de Galinhas — Road south to the beach· Olinda → Porto de Galinhas (by road)
  5. Day 5 · Porto de Galinhas — Raft to the reef pools
  6. Day 6 · Porto de Galinhas — Muro Alto
  7. Day 7 · Porto de Galinhas — Travel home from Porto de Galinhas· Porto de Galinhas → Recife (by road), then Recife → Lisbon (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Olinda

Nearest airport: Recife Search fares · Recife ↗

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