Fortaleza is a major fishing port and fast growing tourist destination in the northeast of Brazil.
In the centre there are a few interesting Historic buildings, including the Fortress of Nossa Senhora da Assunção, which was the origin of the city (the name Fortaleza is the Portuguese for Fortress). The Mercado Central and the Cathedral are the major sights in the area.

 

The best beaches are east of town. The Praia de Iracema and the Praia do Futuro are good options; the former is preferred by intellectuals, bohemians and night partiers, whereas the later is preferred by swimmers and surfers. Along the Avenida Beira Mar there are a few more beaches, such as Meireles and Mucuripe; here, the walkway is wide, with plenty of space for joggers and walkers, who usually refresh themselves at one of the several kioskes and restaurants established along the way. The beaches are also the focal point of nightlife and entertainment.

Fortaleza is one of the best places for buying crafts. Lacework, embroidery, leather goods and ceramics are good buys. For good prices you should skip the tourist boutiques and try either the Mercado Central or the Feirinha Beira Mar; these two places have a large number (over 100) of stalls selling all kinds of handicraft and regional product, and competition drives prices down.

 

[edit] International Airport

The Pinto Martins International Airport is the main airport of the city. The passenger terminal is air conditioned and has four levels. The basement level has parking for 1,000 cars as well as automatic teller machines and a stop for regular city buses. The ground level has 31 check-in counters, airline offices, car rental agencies, special tourist information, a juvenile court bureau to facilitate travel of minors, a National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) office, information counter, passenger arrival area and access to two taxi stops. The second level contains shops, a food court and domestic and international boarding lounges. The top floor has a beer garden and panoramic deck overlooking the maneuvering apron with a view of the Fortaleza skyline. The apron is 152,857 square metres (1,645,340 sq ft) and can accommodate 14 aircraft at once in pre-established positions (“boxes”).

The scheduled airlines operating out of Fortaleza are Cabo Verde Airlines (code-sharing with TAP), TAM, Varig, Vasp and TAP. The airport also frequently receives domestic and international charter flights. The passenger terminal, opened in 1998, was designed to have a useful life of 50 years. The former terminal, called the General Aviation Terminal, is now used for general aviation and the fire brigade. The control tower is located alongside. Construction of a cargo terminal is the next big step planned by Infraero. The new terminal will have roughly eight thousand square meters, boosting the cargo storage and handling capacity fourfold. Plans then call for the new terminal to be integrated with highway and railroad links.

Tourism and recreation

The warm climate, warm ocean waters and the sandy beaches attract tourists. In recent years, many of the old hotels have been replaced by European-owned international resorts. Nightlife is full of festivities with bars, restaurants and shows as the primary attraction. The city is known for having the "wildest Monday nights in the world"^[7]. Some of the best bars and clubs are found near Dragão do Mar Center of Art and Culture. The Praia de Iracema (Iracema's beach), the first urban nuclei of the city, is home to many bars and restaurants. It includes the Ponte dos Ingleses (Bridge of the Englishmen) which is an ideal location for watching the sunset and spotting dolphins.

Fortaleza's urban beaches have warm waters. The scenery is complemented by the jangadas (small rafts used by many of Ceará's fishermen) for catching seafood for the Ceará cuisine. The Praia do Futuro (Beach of the Future) is a popular location with many beachside restaurants, built in the local style using carnauba straw and called "Barracas de Praia" (Beach Huts).

[edit] Urban beaches in Fortaleza

Fortaleza has about 25 kilometres (16 mi) of urban beaches. From North to South, the urban beaches of Fortaleza are Iracema, Meireles, Mucuripe and Praia do Futuro. Each beach has its own peculiarities.

Iracema is the bohemian beach. Partiers (locals and tourists alike) start to gather in the afternoon and stay until the morning. For example, the Cultural Center Dragão do Mar and the night club Pirata are in Iracema, amidst a profusion of restaurants and bars.

Meireles is where locals and tourists go to stroll, bring their children to the several play grounds, drink a coconut, sit down and watch people passing by. The "feirinha de artesanato" (handicraft marke) is in Meireles. Meireles is also the area with the highest number of hotels in Fortaleza.

Mucuripe is the place of jangadas. Still used by fishermen to go into high seas, jangadas can be seen along the way during the afternoon and evenings, and returning from the sea in the morning; part of the catch of the day is sold in an old style fish market. Also, the boat trips leave from this area.

Praia do Futuro is about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long, and is the preferred one for bathing and surfing. Praia do Futuro was made famous by its barracas (rustic restaurants built on the beach sand), which offer excellent food and local musical shows

Fortaleza's history began on 2 February 1500, when Spaniard Vicente Pinzón landed in Mucuripe's cove and named the new land Santa Maria de la Consolación. Because of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the discovery was never officially sanctioned. Colonisation began when the Portuguese Pero Coelho de Souza constructed the Fortim de São Tiago in the estuary of Ceará River in 1603. Later, the Dutch occupied the Brazilian Northeast and founded the Fort Schoonenborch. When they were expelled from Ceará, the Portuguese renamed it to Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora da Assunção. In 1726, the town of the fort was raised to the condition of village. In 1799, the Province of Ceará was separated from the Province of Pernambuco and Fortaleza was chosen as its capital.

During the 19th century, Fortaleza consolidated as an urban center in Ceará, supported by the sprouting of cotton growing. With the increase of the direct navigational communications with Europe the Customs of Fortaleza was created in 1812. In 1824, the city became agitated with the revolutionaries of Confederation of the Equator. Between the years of 1846 and 1877, the city goes through a period of enrichment and improvement of the economic activities and urban infrastructures including the exportation of the cotton and the development of diverse workmanships, such as the creation of the 2 secondary school of the Ceará and Mucuripe Lighthouse in 1845, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Fortaleza in 1861, Prainha Seminary in 1864, Public Library in 1867 and the Public transportation network in 1870, which began with the construction of Railroad of Baturité. In the decades of 1870 and 1880, a period referred to as abolitionism and republican movements culminated in the release of the slaves in the Ceará, on 25 March 1884. The literary movement Spiritual Bakery appeared in 1892 and pioneered the spreading of modern ideas in literature in Brazil. Other entities of the time included the Ceará Institute and Ceara's Academy of Letters established in 1887 and 1894 respectively.

In the twentieth century, Fortaleza underwent through big urban changes, with improvements and the rural exodus, and grows mostly happening towards the end of the decade of 1910 and becoming the seventh city in population of Brazil. In 1954, the first university of the city was, the UFC. Between the decades of 1950 and 1960, the city went through an economic expansion above 100% and began the more distant occupation of neighborhoods of the center. To the end of the years 70 begins its emergence as the future industrial center of the Northeast with the implementation of the Industrial District of Fortaleza. During the political opening after the Military Regime, the people elected the first woman mayor Will Dine, Maria Luiza and became the first city hall commanded by a leftist party. At the end of the century, the administration of the city hall and the city underwent diverse structural changes with the opening of several avenues, hospitals, cultural spaces and emerging as one of the main tourist destinations of the Northeast and of Brazil.

 I HOPE THAT YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY IN FORTALEZA BRAZIL...