Maceió

The currency is the real (R$). Pix, Brazil's instant payment system, requires a participating account; bring some cash for raft captains, beach stands and small fees, such as the one at the Mirante do Gunga. In March 2026, the ride from the airport to the waterfront cost about R$ 80 by taxi and about R$ 50 by app. In February 2026, the raft to the Pajuçara pools cost R$ 60 to R$ 90 per person, depending on demand, duration and day of the week, and a private raft R$ 350 to R$ 600; snorkel, photos and drinks may be charged separately. In June 2026, the catamaran to the Galés of Maragogi cost R$ 90 to R$ 180 per person, depending on the season and the agency, and the conservation fee may be included or separate. On the Gunga speedboat, agree beforehand on the price per person and what is included. At the Gunga stands, umbrella and chair use is charged.

Zumbi dos Palmares Airport (MCZ), in Rio Largo

The airport is in Rio Largo, about 22 km from Maceió's Centro and about 24 km from the waterfront, and has been run by Aena since 2019. In March 2026, a guide estimated a taxi to the waterfront at about R$ 80 and a ride-hailing car at about R$ 50. If you plan to do the north and south coasts, you can rent a car right at the airport.

In the city: on foot along the waterfront, by app for the rest

Pajuçara, Ponta Verde and Jatiúca are linked by a beachfront avenue with a bike path, and you can do this stretch on foot. For the Centro, Jaraguá and Pontal da Barra, taxi and ride-hailing are the simplest way; the city buses are run by four companies. The VLT links the Centro to Rio Largo via Bebedouro, an area affected by the subsidence, and does not serve tourist itineraries.

North and south coasts: car, transfer or tour

The beaches outside the city are reached along AL-101: to the south, Praia do Francês, Barra de São Miguel and Gunga; to the north, Ipioca, the Rota Ecológica dos Milagres and Maragogi. There are day tours leaving from Maceió and transfers arranged with the inns; with a rental car, you choose the time by the tide. To go from Porto de Pedras to Maragogi, you have to cross the Manguaba River by ferry.

In Maceió, keep your phone put away on empty streets, use a taxi or ride-hailing at night away from the waterfront and watch your belongings on the sand. The Pajuçara, Ponta Verde and Jatiúca waterfront has the most foot traffic and hotels. At sea, the risks are different: on the right side of Praia do Francês the waves are strong, the natural pools trip can be canceled in wind and rough seas, and not every beach is fit for swimming every day, so check the IMA bathing water reports. In the areas hit by ground subsidence, respect the closures: they are geological risk areas, with maps updated periodically by the city government. On the Gunga cliffs, the Fire Department recommends safety equipment and specialized guides for adventure activities.

Don't step on the coral or feed the fish

In the natural pools, the reefs are alive: float instead of standing on them and do not feed the fish. The restaurant boats that served food at the pools were banned after reports of trash thrown into the sea, and throwing trash in the water is an environmental offense.

Agree on everything before boarding

On the raft and the speedboat, settle the price per person, the duration and what is included before setting out. Prefer a licensed raft captain and check that there are life jackets for everyone.

Ask before sitting at a beach stand

At Gunga and other beaches, umbrella and chair are usually charged by the day. Ask the price before settling in.

The emptied neighborhoods are not an attraction

Pinheiro, Mutange, Bebedouro, Bom Parto and part of Farol were home to tens of thousands of people who had to leave. Respect the closures and do not enter isolated areas.

Booking the raft without checking the tide

The Pajuçara pools only exist at low tide. With the tide above 0.5 m the trip loses its point, even if someone offers it. Look at the day's tide table and go at the time it indicates.

Buying the Galés trip for any day

The Galés need a tide between 0.0 and 0.6, and Maragogi is more than two hours away by car. Pick the day by the tide table and book ahead, especially in high season.

Thinking Gunga is a Maceió beach

Gunga is in Roteiro, about 35 km away. It is a whole day, by car or on a tour, and pairs well with Praia do Francês and Barra de São Miguel, which are on the same road.

Going in the sea without checking the bathing water report

Not every urban beach is fit for swimming every day, and the sea at Jatiúca often shows up as unfit. The Alagoas Environment Institute (IMA) publishes bathing water reports for the beaches and lagoons.

Counting on Mundaú Lagoon as in any old guidebook

Since the end of 2023, navigation has been banned, indefinitely, on the stretch of the lagoon near the Mutange mine. Before booking the nine-islands tour, confirm with the operator that it is running and where it goes.

Maré baixa

The time when the sea is lowest; this is when the natural pools appear

Tábua de marés

The table with the times and heights of each day's tides, in meters

Jangada

A traditional sailing fishing boat, used to take visitors to the Pajuçara pools

Piscinas naturais

The shallow, clear pools of water that form over the reefs at low tide

Filé

The handmade Alagoas lace, made by the lacemakers of Pontal da Barra

Sururu

The lagoon mussel, served in broth

Folguedo

A popular festival with dance, music and characters, such as the Guerreiro and the reisado

Between the sea and the lagoon

Maceió covers about 509 km² on the coast of Alagoas. To the east is the Atlantic, with urban beaches sheltered by a line of reefs; to the west and south, Mundaú Lagoon, a 23 km² lagoon about 2 m deep on average, which connects to the sea through a network of channels and forms, with Manguaba Lagoon, the Mundaú-Manguaba estuarine complex. Sediment from the Mundaú and Paraíba do Meio rivers formed an archipelago of nine islands there. The city's name comes from Tupi and is interpreted as “what covers the marshland,” a reference to these lagoons beside the sea. The upper part of the city spreads across the tabuleiros, such as Tabuleiro do Martins, where residential neighborhoods and the federal university are located.

Humid tropical climate

The climate is tropical, hot and humid, with an average temperature around 25 °C, average highs near 29 °C and lows near 22 °C. About 1,800 mm of rain falls per year, concentrated from April to August, with May and June the rainiest months.

The Costa dos Corais

North of Maceió begins the Costa dos Corais Environmental Protection Area, created by decree on October 23, 1997 and managed by ICMBio: more than 413,000 hectares and about 135 km of coastline between Alagoas and Pernambuco, with coral reefs and the West Indian manatee among the protected species. The boundaries were expanded by decree in June 2025. This is the stretch where the Galés of Maragogi and the beaches of São Miguel dos Milagres and Porto de Pedras are found.

Folguedos and the Guerreiro

Alagoas has a calendar of folguedos, popular festivals with dance, music and characters: caboclinho, cavalhada, chegança, coco alagoano, pastoril, reisado, quilombo and the Guerreiro. Created between 1927 and 1929 from the fusion of reisados, chegança, pastoris and the auto das caboclinhas, the Guerreiro is a Christmas folguedo of multicolored costumes, hats shaped like churches and palaces and many characters, from the king and queen to the Indian Peri and the clowns. It is intangible heritage of the state, and the Museu Théo Brandão keeps records and creations of Alagoas folguedos.

Filé, music and literature

Filé lace is the craft most identified with Maceió, alongside ceramics, and has its traditional hub in Pontal da Barra. In music, Maceió is the hometown of Djavan, born in 1949, who began playing there before moving to Rio de Janeiro; Hermeto Pascoal is also from Alagoas. In literature, the city is linked to Graciliano Ramos and Jorge de Lima, and in the 1930s it brought together authors of the regionalist novel. In 2002, it was the first Brazilian city chosen American Capital of Culture.

Soccer and theater

CSA and CRB play the crowd-drawing derby at Estádio Rei Pelé, the Trapichão, with a capacity of about 19,000 people. CSA's headquarters, in Mutange, was closed in 2020 because of the ground subsidence. The Teatro Deodoro, from 1910, and the Teatro Gustavo Leite, the city's largest, with about 1,250 seats, host most of the stage programming.

Milagreiro (2001), Djavan

An album recorded in the home studio of the singer born in Maceió, described as a return to Alagoas and to Northeastern themes. Heard before the trip, it places the city through the voice of its best-known musician.