Fortaleza is the 5th largest city of Brazil and probably the most populated one in the Northeast region of the country. It is a very important city when it comes to industry and commerce. If you have red other posts of us than you already know that we are not really found of large cities, unless they are named Rio or Salvador đ
Fortaleza is the kind of large city that we donât like too much, it is very big, crowded, full of traffic and many high buildings. Besides the metropolitan cathedral there isnât much historical architecture or further spectacular sights to visit. As always in Brazil, even the largest city located at the coast, has a couple of impressive beaches. The best beaches in Fortaleza are Praia do Futuro and Praia do Meireles.
Most backpackers and tourists choose not to stay very long in Fortaleza, probably due to the same reasons we decided to only stay 2 days. Fortaleza is conveniently located though and is often used as base to plan trips to Jericoacoara (one of the most stunning beach/dune regions in the world) or Canoa Quebrada (hippy beach town). If Jericoacoara is also high on your list of must visit places, make sure you happen to be in that part of Brazil in the right season. March to June is rain season. While we had great weather most of the time in Brazil, we got unlucky reaching Fortaleza in April. Due to the constant rainfalls we had to miss out on Jericoacoara, which was and still is a shame. Thatâs why we are advising you to visit Fortaleza during another season, so that you can see amazing places like Jericoacoara under the best weather conditions. In terms of accommodation youâll find a lot in Fortaleza, we paid 10⏠a night for a dorm bed in the âRefugio hostelâ which is a very nice hostel and a great place to get together with fellow travelers.