Walking tour of colonial Olinda

Explore on foot the compact colonial town Olinda, with an eventful history dating back centuries and some exquisite architecture.

UNESCO-listed Olinda, in Brazil’s northeastern state Pernambuco was first colonised by the French and then fought over by the Dutch and Portuguese. It has a remarkable, well preserved colonial core, crammed with baroque churches and red-tiled residences lining the steep cobbled streets. That’s colourful enough, but the authorities have encouraged its status as a centre for the arts and dazzling street-art graffiti adorns many of the graceful buildings, and there is a clutch of museums.

On this walking city tour you’ll visit the San Bento monastery, Rua do Amparo (a street lined with artisan workshops), the Largo da Misericordia and the cathedral, Igreja da Sé, which is situated on the highest square in town and from which there are sweeping vistas of Recife and the coast.