Fortaleza

Fortaleza grew from a Dutch fort of 1649 and is now one of the largest cities in the north-east, with its life along the seafront at Meireles and Iracema. The Mercado Central is the shopping stop, several floors of hammocks, lace, leather and cashew nuts. The Centro Dragao do Mar is a cultural complex of galleries, cinema and a planetarium in a restored warehouse district. The Centro de Turismo occupies the old public jail of 1850, its cells converted into craft stalls, which is either interesting or uncomfortable depending on how you take it. The beachfront promenade fills every evening with a night market and food stalls. For most visitors the city is the base for the coast either side rather than the destination.

What you actually see

• A jail turned craft market - the 1850 cells converted into stalls.
• The Mercado Central - floors of hammocks, lace and leatherwork.
• Centro Dragao do Mar - galleries and cinema in restored warehouses.
• An evening promenade - the seafront night market at Meireles.

When to go

July to December, the dry half. Two days.

Honest expectations

City beaches are not clean enough for comfortable swimming - the good water is out of town. Street crime is a genuine issue in the centre and on the seafront at night. Traffic is heavy. Most visitors use Fortaleza as a transit point.

Nearby

Cumbuco is west; Canoa Quebrada and Beach Park are east.