Aracaju guide

If there's one place that surprised me, it's definitely been. Aracaju!?? Me and another team of bloggers were invited by Secretary of Tourism of Aracaju to get to know the city and bring you news and tips, I confess that I didn't really know what to expect from the capital of the smallest state in the country, after all, I still had no plans to visit it even though I was already very curious to know the Xingó Canyon (which really enchanted me).

Aracaju has an excellent infrastructure for tourists, the beachfront is super charming, the cuisine is delicious and was one of the sunsets most amazing I've ever seen in Brazil (the color of the sky is surreal), that is, the city really won me over and I'm already thinking about my next visit (which could well be during Forró Caju, one of the biggest June festivals in the northeast).

HOW TO GET ?

Sergipe makes a border with Bahia to the south and west and with alagoas to the north, separated by the São Francisco River. Aracaju is on the coast of the state and getting to the city is easy, either by car, bus or plane.

It is possiblel arrive by car coming from cities like Savior, which is 325 km (by road BA-099) or Maceió, which is 278 km (via the BR-101 road)?? In fact, the BR-101 connects Aracaju with the southern, southeastern and northeastern states of the country, while those coming from the north use the BR-235 to reach the city.

Bus is also a good choice to get to Aracaju, the city has two bus terminals, old bus station (Louis Garcia) and the new (Governor José Rollemberg Leite) that receive state and interstate buses. The old one is in the middle of the city, but it has a very bad infrastructure, the new one is a little further away but is an excellent choice for those arriving from other states.

arriving by plane, there are several airlines that operate at the airport such as Tam, Azul, Gol (that's what i went to) and Avianca. The airport is small but well organized, at least on ordinary days like the ones I went and came back, and it is 12 km from the city center.

leaving the airport options for moving to the city are taxi (still in the arrivals area it is possible to order a taxi), car rental (I think it's a great option to get around the city), bus, that makes the route Aeroporto X Centro, and you can check the timetables on the SMTT Aracaju website or hire a transfer, which was the service I used and is a good idea for those who have a group of people. O transfer who sought me was from Top Tur Aracaju, with great drivers and vans.

WHERE TO STAY?

Undoubtedly, the best place to stay is on the edge of Atalaia, there is where all the buzz of Aracaju is concentrated, the best hotels are on the waterfront and several other inns and simpler hotels are on the parallel streets and very close too.

On the edge of Atalaia is the Pcrab chicken with several restaurants, bars and clubs that make the night very busy there. During the day, the waterfront is also great for enjoying the various sports courts, skateboarding, not to mention that the boardwalk is also perfect for a run at the end of the day.

The cool thing about staying on this edge is because it's all very close, very busy and safe for walking, either day or night.

Accommodation in Aracaju has good prices and despite other neighborhoods or municipalities such as Coroa do Meio, 13 de Julho and Historic Center offer options with cheaper prices, I continue to say that it is worth spending a little more and being better located.

O Booking there are several options for all budgets and well-known hotel chains such as Radisson, Quality and Mercure are there as well as simpler and better-priced options such as Alto da Praia that I stayed at (soon I will review)

HOW TO MOVE ?

The best options are rent a car or book tours with travel agents, which I realized is a very common practice in the city! Every morning, I saw that some vans stopped outside the hotel to pick up people to take them on tours like the Croa do Goré, Xingó Canyon, Foz do São Francisco, Mangue Seco, Rota do Cangaço and several others.

You know that I always like to rent a car and do my tours in my own way and on my time, right?! And Aracaju is a place that needs transport, the coolest tours are a little far away and even the best beaches need a car, even so, it's all close and it's really worth it!!

Aracaju, however, showed me that hiring tours with guides and specialized agencies can be an excellent option, as our group was large and we didn't have a car, I did all the tours with Top Tur Aracaju or with the Reinaldo Sergipe Guide and super approved!! I loved knowing more about the history of the places I was going to visit, as well as all the necessary support during the tours, and the best part was being able to return resting on the roads hahahaha. Xingó, for example, is 3 hours from Aracaju, it's a tour that takes all day, delicious but tiring, not having to drive on the way back was essential!!

WHEN TO GO ?

When we talk about northeast, summer and winter it is only differentiated by heat or very heat, lol. O Sergipe climate it is hot and humid all year round and the rainy season is between April and July.

I went in mid-May, the forecast for my week was rain… what I found were beautiful days, very sunny, very hot (oh, place to be hot!!!) and at most a few rain showers during the day but nothing too much and that's the weather in Aracaju even in winter!!

the months of summer holidays, without a doubt, are the most crowded, as well as the period of cashew lining, which is one of the biggest June festivals in the northeast and takes place every year in june, this year runs from the 18th to the 29th and there will be 11 days of event with lots of forró and national artists heating up the city (Including Wesley Safadão is already confirmed)

WHAT IS UNMISSSIBLE?

• Croa do Goré and Ilha dos Namorados – a catamaran takes you to two incredible places half an hour from Aracaju. Croa do Goré is a sandbar in the middle of the river and it is a delight to spend the day bathing there, just ahead is the island of Valentine, a small island between the Vaza Barris river and the Atlantic Ocean. This is one of the most sought after tours by tourists and really worth it.
• Xingó Canyon – It is difficult to explain how beautiful this place is… the canyon is the fifth largest navigable in the world and can be accessed from both Aracaju and Alagoas.
• Sunset Shore – As I said, one of the sunsets most beautiful in Brazil I saw in Aracaju and it is no wonder that they have a waterfront dedicated to this moment of the day, with music, sup, typical fair and a truly breathtaking view.
• Orla do Atalaia and Passarela do Caranguejo – a delight and a must to stroll along the most well-structured coast in the country
• beach dunes, which is on Mosqueiro beach and Paraty tent, on Refúgio beach, are the best and most popular spots on the beaches. Both have great structure, good food and fair prices!