When you are in Recife, you might as well take advantage of the surrounding cities to make your trip much more packed with travel experiences. There are several nearby destinations that you can easily get to while in the city of Recife.

 

Olinda

 

The city is a historical town that still has a lot of old buildings that greatly shows the city’s culture. It has even been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some examples of the historic building are the Mosteiro de São Bento which was built in 1582 and the Convento de São Francisco built in 1585. These are two old churches in Olinda that depict Brazil’s baroque style.

 

The city of Olinda is just 7km away from Recife. It can be reached by bus. You can find a lot of buses that will take you to Olinda. Taking a taxi is another option in going there.

 

Nova Jerusalém

 

The place is 184km away from Recife. It is part of the city of Brejo da Madre de Deus. From Recife, you can get to the district of Nova Jerusalém through the interstate BR-232 highway. The main attraction of the district is the Paixão de Cristo de Nova Jerusalém or the Passion of the Christ enactment. The other sights to see are the Monumental Sculpture Park, which has huge granite sculptures made by local artists and the Vila de Fazenda Nova, a small village that has thermal waters.

 

Igarassu

 

A city of Pernambuco, it is part of Recife’s metropolitan region. It is just 26km away from Recife. This city is home to the oldest church of Brazil, the Igreja dos Santos Cosme e Damião or Saints Cosmas and Damian Church which was built in 1535. The city also holds the biggest collection of baroque paintings in the entire Latin America. This is in the Convento Franciscano de Santo Antônio or Franciscan monastery of Santo Antônio.

 

Caruaru

 

The city is known not only for its São João or St. John’s celebrations every June but also for its open-air market, which is the biggest in the country. It is 137km away from Recife. If you travel by bus it will take you only one and a half minutes to get there.

 

Another attraction that you can see in Caruara is the Alto do Moura, home to Mestre Vitalino’s works as well as other masterpieces from other artists. It has been named by UNESCO as the biggest center in the Americas for figurative arts. The Memorial de Caruaru is another place to see. It holds the city museum and also displays a folk art exhibit.