Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hotel Globo
Pátio de São Frei Pedro Gonçalves 7 • Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-4pm • Free •
T
83 3221 4635
The most visited site in the
centro histórico
is the compact
Hotel Globo
, an Art Deco
gem built in 1928 by hotelier Henriques Siqueira. Its heyday - when it hosted some
of the biggest celebrities in the country - only lasted until the late 1930s, and today it
serves as a cultural centre and small museum of decorative arts. Note that the hotel was
severely damaged during a storm in September 2013 and at the time of writing was
closed for construction work.
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
Rua Visconde de Pelotas (Praça Dom Adauto) • Mon-Fri 9.30-11am • Free •
T
83 3221 9400
The eighteenth-century
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
is well worth a look, both
for its ornate Baroque exterior and the gold-leaf-covered altar inside. The old Carmelite
convent next door was converted into the Palácio Episcopal in 1906.
City beaches
The beach areas of Tambaú (7km east of the centre) and Cabo Branco just to its
south are linked to the centre by frequent buses from the Anel Viário and the
local bus station. The
Cabo Branco
seafront is especially stylish, with a mosaic
pavement and thousands of well-tended palm trees to complement the sweep of the
bay.
Tambaú
is a lot livelier, dominated by its eponymous hotel, which forms one
end of a small square, Praça Vicente Trevas. To the north of Tambaú lies
Praia de
Manaíra
, a far less enticing, narrow wedge of beach bordered by Avenida João
Maurício and a promenade.
4
Mercado de Artesanato Paraíbano
Av Senador Rui Carneiro 241, at Av Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes • Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-5pm •
T
83 3247 3135
Lying midway between the two beach districts, the
Mercado de Artesanato Paraíbano
showcases Paraíba's distinctive
artesanato
: painted plates and bowls, and striking
figurines made out of sacking and wood.
Estação Cabo Branco
Av João Cirillo da Silva • Tues-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-1pm • Free • Planetarium Tues-Fri 9.30am, 11.30am, 2.30pm, 4.30pm,
6.30pm & 8pm, Sat & Sun 10.30am, 11.30am, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 6pm & 8pm •
T
83 3214 8303,
W
joaopessoa.pb.gov.br
/estacaocb • Bus #507
Some 6km south of Tambaú, the
Estação Cabo Branco
is a typically futuristic
glass and concrete cultural centre designed by Oscar Niemeyer and opened in
2008. The changing exhibitions here, mostly on local contemporary art and film,
are a bit hit-and-miss, and it's the three main buildings that draws most attention
(the newest section, the
Estação das Artes
, opened in 2012 and was designed by
Amaro Muniz). The
Museu de Ciência
and Planetariam in the main building, the
Torre Mirante, has permanent exhibits on robotics, astronomy and the general
concepts of physics and chemistry - all very educational but with little labelled
in English.
Ponta de Seixas
Overlooking the ocean next to the Estação Cabo Branco, a plaque and the
Farol do
Cabo Branco
(lighthouse) at
Ponta de Seixas
mark Brazil's easternmost point. From
here, it's only 2200km to Senegal in Africa, less than half the distance to Rio Grande
do Sul in the south of Brazil or the state of Roraima in the north. At the odd-looking
lighthouse you'll find a park and a couple of tacky souvenir shops, but the main draw
here is the
view
, which is glorious - Cabo Branco beach stretches out before you in an
enormous arc, 6km long.
