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5 main tourist attractions you need to see in Recife PE.
Recife offers a range of tourist attractions for all tastes. As well as the region’s beautiful beaches, Recife also enchants with its historical and cultural attractions.

Recife is one of the oldest cities in Brazil, founded by the Portuguese in 1537.
Here, the Portuguese, Indians and Africans became one people.
Recife is surrounded by the mouths of the Capibaribe and Beberibe rivers, and with several canals and bridges, it has come to be known as the “Brazilian Venice”.
5 Main Tourist Attractions in Recife PE
5 principais pontos turísticos de Recife
- Marco Zero Square
- Francisco Brennand Ceramic Workshop
- Santa Isabel Theatre
- Casa da Cultura
- Ricardo Brennand Institute
1. Marco Zero Square
The original name of the square was Praça Barão do Rio Branco, but it became known as Marco Zero Square because it is the kilometre zero of Pernambuco’s roads.
It is formed by a red-coloured landmark donated by the Automobile Club.
On the side of the square is a bronze statue of the Baron of Rio Branco, 2.80 metres high, by the sculptor Felix Charpentier.
In the centre you can see the wind rose by the painter Cícero Dias. During the Momo period, the square serves as the headquarters of Recife’s multicultural carnival.
Marco Zero square was the foundation of Recife.
In addition to the monument that marks the beginning of the history of the capital of Pernambuco, located in Praça Rio Branco, the seafront spot is surrounded by other attractions.
From Marco Zero, looking out to sea, you can see the Parque das Esculturas (Sculpture Park): a collection of ceramic pieces produced by the artist Francisco Brennand, where the Coluna de Cristal (Crystal Column) stands out.
Inaugurated in 2000, the installation was made in honour of the 500th anniversary of the Discovery of Brazil.
There is a harbour on the site from where you can take a boat into the park to see the works up close.
Also at Marco Zero, two sites have been inaugurated in the place of old warehouses: the Pernambuco Handicraft Centre, which features pieces by master craftsmen and other renowned artists from all over the state, and the Carnival Centre, a space to support revellers during the festive season, which for the rest of the year serves as a collection of carnival memorabilia, with restaurants and tourist services.
2. Francisco Brennand Ceramic Workshop
Francisco Brennand has works all over Recife – the most famous is the obelisk at Marco Zero.
The artist’s work can be seen up close in his ceramics studio, which is open to visitors.
Set in a 15,000 square metre area of an old colonial mill, the space displays hundreds of sculptures with fantastic themes exhibited in sheds and in an immense garden with boulevards and lakes.
In 2004, the complex gained another reason to visit: the Accademia Space, with drawings and paintings by Francisco himself.
3. Santa Isabel Theatre
The Santa Isabel Theatre was inaugurated in 1850 and is now one of 14 monumental theatres in the country recognised as a National Historic and Artistic Heritage Site, a title it won in 1949.
The idea of building a public theatre in Recife came from Francisco do Rego Barros, the Baron of Boa Vista, who was president of the province from 1837 to 1844.
The project was designed and directed by the French engineer Louis Léger Vauthier. It was built using non-slave labour, an innovation at the time, and with funds from lotteries, the company of shareholders and the provincial treasury.
On the eve of its inauguration, the Pernambuco Theatre, as it had been called until then, was renamed the Santa Isabel Theatre, a name given by the President of the Province, Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, in honour of Princess Isabel.
On 19 September 1869, the Santa Isabel was almost completely destroyed by a fire. Reconstruction work began in May 1871, with the construction and modernisation plans being revised by Vauthier.
The Santa Isabel Theatre was reopened on 10 December 1876. It underwent renovations in 1916 under the Manoel Borba administration, in 1936 under Mayor Pereira Borges and in 1950 during the so-called great centenary renovation, when Barbosa Lima Sobrinho was governor of Pernambuco, Moraes Rego mayor of Recife and Valdemar de Oliveira director of the theatre.
The Santa Isabel Theatre has hosted Emperor Dom Pedro II, Castro Alves, Tobias Barreto, Carlos Gomes, the internationally famous Russian ballerina Ana Pavllowa and Procópio Ferreira, among others. It witnessed the Praieira Rebellion, the Abolitionist Campaign and the Campaign for the Republic, when two names were definitively linked to its history: Joaquim Nabuco and José Mariano. Nabuco uttered the famous phrase that would be engraved on a plaque in the theatre: The historical truth is this: here we won the cause of abolition. But before the end of the decade, the theatre was once again the site of political battles that were shaking the country. Now, for the republic, with speeches by Martins Júnior and Silva Jardim.
4. House of Culture
Located on the banks of the River Capibaribe, the Luiz Gonzaga House of Culture is one of Recife’s largest craft sales centres and one of the state’s postcards.
The imposing building where it stands was built to house the old Recife House of Detention, which remained for more than a century the most important penitentiary in Pernambuco.
Today, the old cells are occupied by shops, cultural associations and snack bars. The House also has a theatre and amphitheatre that host training activities and theatre, music and dance shows promoted or supported by the State Government through Fundarpe.
Inaugurated on 25 April 1855, the former Recife House of Detention is one of the largest buildings of the 19th century, located next to two significant works of that century: the Recife Railway Station and the 6 de Março Bridge (better known as the Old Bridge).
The original project was designed by engineer and urban planner José Mamede Alves Ferreira, who was responsible for other important buildings in the city, such as the Pedro II Hospital and the Pernambucano Gymnasium.
Mamede’s construction follows the “panopticon” model, obeying the traditional security standards of the penitentiaries of the time.
After operating for 118 years as a prison, in 1973 the then governor Eraldo Gueiros Leite ordered the closure of the Recife House of Detention. In the same year, a plan was drawn up to restore the building and on 14 April 1976 it became the Pernambuco House of Culture.
This change from penitentiary to cultural centre had been conceived and planned about ten years earlier by the artist Francisco Brennand, at the time he was head of the State Government’s Civil House.
Invited by Brennand, Italian-Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi and architect Jorge Martins Júnior were responsible for drawing up the project to renovate and adapt the building.
The Casa da Cultura houses two panels by Pernambuco painter Cícero Dias, depicting the Pernambuco Revolutions of 1817 and 1824.
As well as the Clênio Wanderley Theatre, the Nelson Ferreira Stage and more than 110 art and craft shops, the House is home to the headquarters of movements, associations and unions such as the Unified Black Movement, Political Amnesty Workers, the Artisans’ Union of the Metropolitan Region of Recife and Pernambuco.
5. Ricardo Brennand Institute
The Instituto Ricardo Brennand is one of the most interesting tourist attractions in Recife, as it has the capacity to please people of all ages.
It is the ideal place for those who appreciate art, antique objects and architecture. With a beautiful open-air landscape, trees, a café and buildings in the shape of a medieval castle, it’s hard not to be amazed by the structure of the place.
Ricardo Brennand’s property has permanent and temporary exhibitions, where you can see works from Brazil and other parts of the world.
In one of the buildings is an exhibition showing a little of Dutch Brazil, with many paintings by Frans Prost and pieces in worked marble. Another cool part is the representation of the Fouquet trial, with very real puppets.
One of the coolest places in the Institute is a complete collection of weapons, armour, carpets and paintings. The most interesting thing is that the objects in the collection blend in perfectly with the medieval environment, making the whole complex very attractive.
Recife Tourist Guide.