The curve of Avenida Beira Mar, in Aracaju

Aracaju is the capital of the state of Sergipe, Brazil. It's the capital of northeast with best quality of life (according to Federal Government). It's located on the coast, and cut by rivers such as Sergipe and Poxim. According to the population count conducted by the IBGE in 2007, the city has 520,303 inhabitants. [1] In addition to the populations of cities that form the Great Aracaju, Nossa Senhora do Socorro, Barra dos Coqueiros, Laranjeiras and São Cristóvão, number passes for 760,000 inhabitants. The toponymy "Aracaju" derives from the expression indigenous "ará acaiú", which in Tupi-guarani means "cashew of parrots". The element "ará" means "Parrots" and "acaiú", "fruit of the cashew."

Get in

Bus and airplane connects with the whole country by São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities.

See

The "Arcos da Orla" at Atalaia are a prominent symbol of the city.

Igreja de Santo Antônio

• Aracaju Aquarium (Oceanário de Aracaju), Atalaia. 5 fresh water tanks and 11 salt water tanks with fish from the coast of Sergipe. Shark feeding at 4:30PM. 
• Aracaju Zoological Park. 
• Atalaia Shoreline (Orla de Atalaia) (9 kilometers from the city center). Aracaju's most famous beach area, 6 kilometers long, has the best concentration of hotels and restaurants. 
• Igreja de Santo Antônio. 
• Olímpio Campos Palace (Palácio Olímpio Campos). 

Museums

• Anthropology Museum (Museu de Antropologia). 
• Handcrafts Museum, Museu do Artesanato. 
• Museum of the Sergipana People (Museu da Gente Sergipana). 
• Museum of the Sergipano Man (Museu do Homem Sergipano). 
• Museum of the Sergipe Historical and Geographical Institute (Museu do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico de Sergipe). 
• Rosa Faria Art and History Museum (Museu de Arte e História Rosa Faria). 
• Sergipe Memorial Museum, Museu Memorial de Sergipe. 
• War Art Museum of the Sergipe Military Police (Museu de Arte Bélica da Polícia Militar de Sergipe). 

Do

The Atalaia beach was never highly rated for its natural beauty, but for an urban Brazilian beach it does the trick. Plastic chairs in the sand for having beer and coconut are near Avenida Rotary. A major refurbishing of the beachfront avenue, including its pavement, has made it a delightful walk at nighttime. Apart from bars and restaurants by the dozens, there are a couple of clusters of bronze statues, a go-kart track, a large playground and an aquarium. http://www.tamar.org.br/centros_visitantes.php?cod=10

Eat

Crabs are the typical dish, often eaten with a good and cold beer. You also have good fishes, fried or cooked as moqueca.

Sleep

Most tourists will choose the beach at Atalaia, some 5 km from the center. The most convenient spot for transport is the intersection between Avenida Rotary (leading to the airport and downtown, with an urban bus terminal 500 metres from the beach) and the beachfront Avenida Santos Dumont. Plenty of options in the R$ 100-range within a couple of blocks here. For more upscale sleeping, head north along the beach.

Go next

• To the south, at the border with the state of Bahia, is Mangue Seco, an easy day trip.
• Inland is the artificial lake of the river Xingo.

Routes through Aracaju

Recife ← Maceió ←

N  S

→ Cachoeira → Vitória