Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
TERESINA
By plane
Teresina airport (
T
86 3133 6270) lies 3.5km
north of the centre via Av Centenário. The terminal contains
Banco do Brasil and Bradesco ATMs, a post o
ce and all the
major car rental companies. Taxis (Cooperativa Cootaero
T
86 3225 2530) charge around R$10-14 into town.
By bus
The rodoviária (
T
86 3218 1514) is 6km southeast
of the city centre. Frequent buses run into the centre
(R$2.10), while taxis will cost around R$20 (on the meter).
Destinations
Belém (7 daily; 14-15hr); Brasília (3 daily;
25hr); Fortaleza (6 daily; 10hr); Parnaíba (10 daily; 5hr
30min-7hr); Piripiri (20 daily; 3hr 20min); São Luís
(10 daily; 6hr 30min-8hr).
Tourist information
There's a tourist information post
at the rodoviária (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-6pm, Sat
8am-noon;
T
86 3216 5510,
W
turismoteresina.com).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Favorito Grill
Rua Prof. Mário Batista 69
T
86 3233 3333,
W
favoritorestaurante.com.br.
Piauienses
excel at meat (try
paçoca
, prepared with shredded jerky and manioc meal), the
best of which can be found at this lively local hangout, which
also serves the city's best
feijoada Teresina
every Sat with live
samba. Budget for R$50-75/head.
Tues-Sat noon-3pm &
6pm-midnight, Sun noon-4pm.
Hotel Teresinha
Av Getúlio Vargas 2885
T
86 3211
0919,
W
hotelteresinha.com.br.
Top budget option in the
centre, with no-frills but adequate rooms with free wi-fi,
breakfast and satellite TV included, though the
white t
iling
everywhere gives it a bit of an institutional feel
.
R$90
Luxor Piauí
Praça Mal. Deodoro 310
T
86 3131 3000,
W
luxorhoteis.com.br.
Plush business hotel in the city
centre overlooking the river, with a restauran
t, mod
ern
rooms (with cable TV and free wi-fi) and a pool.
R$210
Restaurante São João
Av Nossa Senhora de Fátima
2575.
Top local restaurant, best for its high-quality,
mouth-watering
carne de sol
served by weight (300g, 500g
or 1kg).
Daily 5-10pm.
4
Parnaíba and around
PARNAÍBA
, with its attractive natural anchorage on the Rio Igaraçu, was founded
in 1761, almost a century before Teresina. For the Portuguese, it was the obvious
harbour from which to ship out the dried meat and
carnaúba
(a wax derived from
carnaúba
palm) of the interior and, in the nineteenth century, it was a thriving little
settlement; you can still see the chimneys of the cotton factories put up by British
entrepreneurs a century ago. When the river silted up, the port moved to Luiz
Correia at the mouth of the river, and the town slipped into decline. Today, Parnaíba
has a lazy feel, but is still the second-largest city in the state, with over 170,000
inhabitants. Located anywhere else, it would be a thriving resort town; the
beaches
nearby are excellent. There's some beach accommodation here, but it's often fully
booked at busy times of year. One of the best beaches is close to
Luiz Correia
, a
fishing village 8km north of Parnaíba, with a small modern port attached. From here
you can either walk or get the bus to the huge and popular
Praia de Atalaia
. At
weekends practically the entire population of Parnaíba decamps here and the
crowded bars reverberate to
forró
trios. A less crowded beach,
Coqueiro
, is 12km
from here, but there are only a couple of buses there a day.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
PARNAÍBA
By bus
The rodoviária (
T
86 3323 7300) is on Av Pinheiro
Machado (5km from the centre), with connections to
Fortaleza (5 daily; 8-10hr), Teresina (7 daily; 5-7hr) and
São Luís (3 daily; 8-9hr). Frequent buses run from here into
the centre (R$1.20), while taxis will cost around R$15-20
(on the meter).
ACCOMMODATION
Casa de Santo Antônio Hotel de Charme
Praça
Santo Antônio 988
T
86 3322 1900,
W
mvchoteisde
charme.com.br.
This newish boutique is the best place to
stay in town (with prices to match), with luxurious a/c
rooms featuring a cool contemporary
take on
eighteenth-
century styles, cable TV and free wi-fi.
R$250
Pousada Chalé Suiço
Av Pe. Vieira 448, Bairro de
Fátima
T
86 3321 3026,
W
chalesuico.com.br.
Decent
budget options are thin on the ground in Parnaíba, but this
is the best choice, with very small but clean and cosy rooms
(a/c but cold showers), pool, breakf
ast in
cluded, free wi-fi
in public areas and helpful owners.
R$80
