Recife Tour: Casa da Cultura & Catamaran

If you don't have much time in town and want to do something different, this tour may fit you. The Casa da Cultura (House of Culture) is an old prison that was adapted to become a mall of artscraft and all sorts of local products. The place was known as Casa de Detenção (Detention House, inaugurated in 1855), until it was closed in 1973 and reopened in 1976 as Casa da Cultura. Each cell now is a shop, gathering over 200 artisans, artists and retailers, in 150 shops. I can help you to find good deals there. I always do for myself. A very unique thing you can do in Recife is the catamaran ride on the Capibaribe River. This floating tour passes under many bridges of downtown Recife, showing its many monuments from a different angle: Marco Zero Square, Francisco Brennand's Sculpture Park, the Republica Square and its famous buildings, the Aurora Street, among other landmarks of the Brazilian Venice. A nice thing to do at the pier's restaurant/pub is to have some drinks feeling the breeze after the ride.