You might be wondering about the best time of year to plan a trip to Boa Viagem beach. The summer months in Brazil last from December through March, and during this time hotels can be quite full. The fact that this beach is lit up at night tends to attract a younger crowd, especially during the summer. Despite the popularity of the summer months, the water here remains a comfortable 77 degrees all year long. No matter what time of year you arrive, you can always go for a refreshing swim in the Recife beaches.

The wealthy beach area of Boa Viagem is the most popular location for tourists to stay in, with a wide selection of good hotels, beach life, restaurants and nightlife. Downtown does not offer any great hotels and at night is not a safe place to stay.

In the Old Recife part of the city, you can find very good restaurants that are open late in the evening; the downtown area has many great restaurants as well but, as they cater mainly to the business crowd, they close early.

Recife is a good place to look for Pernambuco's traditional handicrafts, such as clay figurines, wood sculptures, leather goods and articles made from woven straw. Check out the shops and stalls in Casa da Cultura de Recife, Patio de Sao Pedro, and markets such as Mercado de Sao Josa or the Feira de Arte e Artesanato, which is a market held in Boa Viagem during the late afternoon and evening on Saturday and Sunday.

The Boa Viagem beach, in Recife, is probably the best known urban beach in Brazil, theme of songs and movies; Boa Viagem combines warm water and fine sand with the infra-structure of a modern metropolis prepared to welcome tourists.

Recife is located at roughly the middle of the Pernambuco coast; so, the beaches of Pernambuco may be divided in the northern coast (from Recife to the border with Paraíba) and southern coast (from Recife to the border with Alagoas).