Brazil Recife, Olinda and Fernando de Noronha

It’s hot with plenty of sunshine all rear round, but most rain falls between Mar-Jul, so the Brazilian summer is relatively dry.  Dry season is the best time to visit Maceio, during the months of August and September.

Note that the time difference with the UK is UTC -2 hours in Fernando de Noronha and -3 hours on the mainland (Recife, Maceio).  Daylight saving Oct- end Feb (approx) was discontinued in 2019.

For more detailed information visit our When To Go section.

Brazilian Portuguese, a more languid and musical version of Portugal’s mother tongue.

The easiest way to get local currency (reais) is to use a debit card in one of the many ATMs. You can also change US dollars in monet exchange offices – pounds sterling or euros are often not accepted as there is no rate available. 

The towns and beaches of Brazil’s northeast: Natal, Pipa, Salvador da Bahia: Brazil’s most exotic city (1.5 hours by air from Natal, 1 hour 20mins from Recife); Lençóis in the Chapada Diamantina, via Salvador and a 6 hour drive.

You can fly to Recife via a change of plane in Portugal on the Portuguese airline TAP.  Fernando de Noronha is 1 hour 40 minutes by air  from Recife. Flights between Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo take around 3 hours; to or from from Salvador it is 1hr 20mins.