FORTALEZA
General
Info
TELEPHONE
AREA CODE
085/
CLIMATE
The climate in Fortaleza is generally hot and dry, but
this is offset by fresh breezes coming in off the ocean.
CLOTHING
As for most resort cities in Brazil, casual lightweight
clothes are the order of the day.
ELECTRICITY
220 V
AIRPORT
The airport, which receives international and national
flights, is 7 Km out of town.
BUSINESS HOURS
Normal business hours apply in Fortaleza. Banks open
between 10am and 4pm.
TAXIS
The city has both normal and radio taxi services. Check
with hotel reception for the best option from your area.
MEDICAL
Check with your hotel for information on the nearest
clinic.
How
to get there
The
international airport, Pinto Martins, is situated 7km
south of the city. The Hotel district can be reached
in as little as 15 minutes.
We recommend transfer with Driver / Guide, since you
will be able to find out many useful details about Fortaleza
and the surrandings during this short ride.
Specially trained guides will receive clients with a
name board and, on the way to the hotel, they will give
all the necessary information about arrangements for
the client´s stay in Fortaleza.
For those who opt not to make use of this important
service, other transport is available:
From the airport there is an air-conditioned bus that
leaves about every 30 minutes. It goes along the coast
line, through the hotel district and to the centre.
It costs about 3 dollars.
There are also taxi companies at the airport. Probably
the easiest way is to pay a set-fare in advance at one
of the stalls at the airport (about US$12 to Iracema
beach).
The
City
The city of Fortaleza was founded in 1810 and is today
the fifth largest town in Brazil in terms of number
of population. It is an important tourist centre. Its
beaches are very popular among both Brazilian and foreign
tourists. The attractions of the city include the Museum
of Popular Art and Culture, which is situated in the
same building as the headquarters of EMCETUR (Empresa
Cearense de Turismo), formerly the local prison, where
there are also more than a hundred small shops that
sell arts and crafts of the region; the Central Market,
with more than 600 stalls with great variety of articles,
from arts and crafts, embroidery and hammocks to medicinal
herbs and items for domestic use; the Jose de Alencar
Theatre, with its art nouveau ironwork, built in 1910
and restored in 1991; the Historical and Anthropological
Museum of Ceara; the Museum of Art of the Federal University
of Ceara; and the Centre for the Preservation of the
Railway.
History
The
history of Ceara begins with the creation of the "Captaincy
of Siara", granted to Antonio Cardoso de Barros in 1535.
In 1603, an expedition commanded by Pero Coelho de Souza,
a native of the Azores, founded a colony known as Nova
Luzitania. One member of the expedition was a young
man 17 years old, Martim Soares Moreno, who is considered
the real founder of Ceara. He studied the language and
customs of the local indigenous people and established
friendly relations with them. In return they lent him
valuable support in defeating the French and the Dutch
who were also trying to colonise the region. In 1619,
after a long struggle against these invaders, which
included being shipwrecked and taken prisoner, Soares
Moreno obtained a royal charter granting him the title
of Lord of the Captaincy of Ceara, a position he occupied
for many years. His romance with the Indian lady Iracema
was immortalised by the Brazilian writer Jose de Alencar
in his book entitled "Iracema".
Ceara was made part of the State of Maranhao and Grao-Para
in 1621. It was invaded two more times, in 1637 and
1649, by the Dutch, who occupied the region which is
now the State of Pernambuco, and remained subordinate
to that State until getting its autonomy in 1799. The
development of cattle ranching in Pernambuco and Bahia
led ranchers to occupy the interior of Ceara. Small
towns started to grow near the large farms or at places
where troops coming from the south were accustomed to
rest.
In 1824, Ceara joined the Confederation of the Equator,
along with the States of Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte
and Paraiba. The State started to develop in the second
half of the nineteenth century, with the coming of steamships,
railways, gas lighting and the telephone. It was the
first Brazilian province to free slaves in 1884 and
also one of the first to adhere to the Republic.
Restaurants
Great
food, especially seafood and dried meat with very regional
taste. Keep following options for the evening and enjoy
eating with fingers on the beach during the sunny day.
SEAFOOD
Joao Branco - R. Olga Barroso,
404 (Mucuripe), tel. 263-1401 ; cc: D, Mc, 11 h/24h.
Closed mon.
Hidden in a tiny little street, Joao Branco prepares
menus with top quality products. The shrimps crowns
are famous for starters and could be followed by pargo
with seafood grilled with herbs.
Cemoara - R. Cel. Juca,
273 (Varjota), tel 267-2233; cc: Ae, D, Mc, 12h/ 15h,
19h/24h sun. 12h/17h.
Very fresh ingredients, recipes are wide ranged like
grilled lobster, shrimps flambeed in vodka and served
in coconut and fillet with white sauce.
REGIONAL
Colher de Pau - R. Frederico
Borges, 204 (Varjota), tel. 267-3773; cc: all, 11h/1h.
Closed mon.
Always in demand, it is pleasant to sit on the open
air veranda, on the other side of the street.
Le Caesar (Hotel Caesar
Park) - Av. Beira-Mar, 3980, floor R (Praia de Mucuripe),
tel. 263-1133; cc: all, 19h/1h. Closed mon.
Among the suggestions are fresh fish
and grilled lobsters with herb sauce, tournedos with
bernaise sauce and linguini with seafood.
Night Life
The
Capital of Ceara has a great night life. With its many
night-clubs and "danceterias", it is definitely the
place for young people to have fun. You can try dancing
'forro', a typical sensual dance, or if you don´t feel
up to giving it a go, hours of entertainmnet can be
spent just watching the agile dancers. For each day
of the week, one club is chosen by the locals to be
the meeting point for that evening. It starts on the
Monday at Pirata Bar on Iracema Beach. On Tuesdays you
can enjoy the beach bar, Subindo ao Ceu. On Wednesdays
the Clube do Vaqueiro is a popular venue and on Thursdays
go to the all the beach bars at Praia do Futuro; here
the stalls stay open late into the night, serving fresh
seafood and providing music and an atmosphere to please
the crowds. At the weekends the city turns into a party,
where night clubs, bars and restaurants lay on a great
variety of live music and comedy shows. For the older
people, the beautiful district of Iracema, with its
French colonial houses, has a wide range of attractive
bars and restaurants looking over the water,with the
skyline of the city of Fortaleza as a backdrop. Also,
a famous handicraft market, which takes place daily
from 18:00 hrs onwards, is located on the main avenue;
walk along the city beach and buy beautiful handicrafts
of the region, such as lace and sandbottles.