With average temperatures ranging from 23°C to 34°C throughout the year, summer never takes a break in Fortaleza. Its beaches are among the most famous in the country. Iracema is an urban beach that’s known for its continuous hustle and bustle during the day, with locals enjoying a stroll, sunbathing or playing beach volleyball. Its breakwater and the Ponte dos Ingleses Bridge are perfect for enjoying one of its most famous sights: the sunset. And it is precisely when the sun goes down that the magic arrives in Iracema, famous for its vibrant nightlife. On the promenade, food stands stay open until the small hours and bars flood the streets with live music. Here you can enjoy forró, a local music and dance style that embodies the festive spirit of cities such as Fortaleza. It is danced in pairs, with bodies closely intertwined, and touches of pop, lambada, rock and even electronic music have been added to its original European and African influences. Forró – which in recent decades has spread throughout Brazil – has become synonymous with partying, and close to Iracema Beach are venues dedicated to its rhythm, including Moto Libre, Pirata Bar, and Casa Teresa & Jorge, where you can dine to live music. 

Less than ten minutes away is the Dragão do Mar, the largest arts and cultural complex in the state of Ceará. Its 14,500 square metres house institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art of Ceará, the Rubens de Azevedo Planetarium and the Dragão Cinema. Approximately 90 per cent of its programming is free or has a symbolic price, since the objective of this institution – which has been operating for 25 years – is to democratise culture. Now a leading arts centre in Brazil, it updates its programme weekly with new exhibitions by international artists, film seasons and dance and theatre performances.

Another of the city’s great cultural spaces is the Theatro José de Alencar, an impressive 1910 Art Nouveau theatre with a 120-seat auditorium that is a treasure trove of Brazilian national heritage. In addition to guided tours, which can be booked from Tuesday to Friday and on the 17th of each month throughout the day, the theatre hosts performances, concerts, workshops for all ages and a carefully curated programme. Feirinha da Beira Mar, a daily craft fair, is located on the way to Praia do Futuro. Founded in 1980 in the former Othon Palace Hotel, it ended up moving to the streets of the promenade, becoming so famous that it was declared a Cultural Heritage of the Municipality of Fortaleza. An essential driver of the city’s economy, the space was fully refurbished in 2022 and now spans more than 8,000sqm, with 707 shops selling jewellery, accessories, souvenirs, leather goods and even furniture by certified local artisans daily from 4pm to 10pm.

The next stop, Praia do Futuro, is one of Fortaleza’s most famous beaches, renowned precisely for its barracas – beach huts where you can enjoy fresh seafood with a side of lively tunes. The most famous seafood dish is undoubtedly the caranguejo, a melange of preparations made from the most common crustacean in the area, the crab. Every Thursday the beach bars celebrate the famous caranguejada, where they prepare this dish, extending their opening hours until the early hours of the morning so that locals and tourists can gather to enjoy it by the sea. The tradition was started back in the 1990s by the Chico do Caranguejo restaurant, and today you can still enjoy its dishes by the beach, along with its swimming pool and live music. Praia do Futuro itself is considered one of the liveliest beaches in the region. Extending over 8km, it boasts clear waters and plenty of space to relax on sun-loungers under umbrellas. Being an urban beach, it offers a great number of transport options, and has become a very popular destination for surfers, kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders.

For those travelling in search of the best beaches, just a one-hour drive from Fortaleza is Morro Branco, a spot that looks like something from another planet. With its dunes and cliffs of red, gold and ochre tones, which intertwine with each other to form labyrinths, the landscape has been described as Martian. Its waters are calm and shallow and many visitors combine a day on the sand with riding or dune buggy rides. To the south, nearby Praia das Fontes beach is also home to impressive rock formations. It is known for its freshwater springs, which bubble up from between the rocks and cascade in small waterfalls on to the sand.

The icing on the cake is Jericoacoara, a quiet fishing village about 300km from Fortaleza. Its untamed landscape places its beaches among the most beautiful in the world. Its trade winds also make them ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Jericoacoara’s beaches are famous for their freshwater lagoons, mangroves and white sand dunes. One, Praia da Pedra Furada, offers an amazing light show at sunset, especially in July, when the sun sets into a crevice inside the rock – a large formation sculpted by the waves – that gives the beach its name.