João Pessoa is the third Brazilian oldest city, being the capital of the state of Paraiba located in the Northeast of the country. It has a population about 770,000, while its metropolitan area comprises 8 satellite cities with 1,223,000 inhabitants. With a hot humid climate, João Pessoa has an average annual temperature around 26o C, reaching 29o C between September and October.
João Pessoa is known as the “Sun Door” or as “the city where the sun rises first”, having the easternmost point of Brazil. It has also a very beautiful sunset which can be admired at the sound of Ravel´s Bolero, in the “Praia do Jacaré”. It is also one of the greenest cities of the world, due to the presence of two reserves of Atlantic Forest inside the city.
João Pessoa has an important local culture. The architectonic-historic collection is very rich with baroque buildings from the XVI century, which worth a visit.
Another touristic point is the “Cabo Branco” Science, Culture and Art Station, located at the easternmost point of the Americas (Ponta do Seixas), which is both an educational and cultural institution as well as a national landmark. The complex, inaugurated in 2008, was created by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and is one of his latest projects.
But the main touristic attractions of João Pessoa are its 18 beautiful beaches of green warm water – with a water average temperature of 28oC. Seven of these beaches are located in urban areas, with easy acces, very inviting for a nice swim.