The 12 Recife Tours That Earn Their Price

1.Private Transfer from Recife Airport to Porto de Galinhas

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 98 reviews Our pick

Travel privately from Recife Airport to Porto de Galinhas in an air-conditioned vehicle for up to four people. The roughly 50-minute ride passes Boa Viagem Beach. Recife Translado offers pickup, WhatsApp communication, tracked vehicles, and baby seats by advance request. Confirm your booking carefully, as some reservations have reportedly failed to reach the operator.

“Saul é stato un ottima guida. Il giro è molto interessante e copre i punti salienti della città. Consigliato”

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2.Private Transfer from Recife Airport to Maragogi

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 63 reviews · 2 hours (approx.)

Book a private, air-conditioned transfer for your group of up to four between Recife and the Maragogi area. The listed ride takes about two hours and costs $70.57 per group. Confirm the exact pickup point, destination, and reservation email before travel, since the supplied details contain a location mismatch.

“Paguei pelo serviço de transfer mas não foram me buscar no local combinado. Tive prejuízo financeiro e ainda aguardo o estorno do meu dinheiro”

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3.Recife & Olinda City Tour: Unveiling the Charm of Two Cities

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 51 reviews · 8 hours · from $32

Spend eight hours touring Recife and Olinda with a Spanish or Portuguese-speaking guide. See Boa Viagem Beach, Santo Antônio, Boa Vista, Casa da Cultura, Republic Square, Alto da Sé Cathedral, São Bento Monastery, and UNESCO-listed streets. Optional visits and transport from Boa Viagem are included, while food, museum fees, and some activities cost extra.

“Fue muy interesante conocer la historia de Recife y Olinda . Excelente guía, siempre atento a que comprenda el idioma y atendiendo permanentemente a todos los pasajeros .”

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4.Private Transport from Recife to Maragogi

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews Top rated

Travel privately from Recife airport or your hotel to Maragogi in about two hours. Your driver and pickup details are arranged after booking, with space for up to four people. Drivers such as Nito, Israel, Iranilton, and Paulo Juarez have handled transfers for this operator, though your assigned driver may differ.

“Very competent. I was afraid to hire the transport for 4 adults with bags. From the beginning Claudia was in contact, we went from Spin. One day before the contact passed from the driver which facilitated. On the better return, we returned froRead moreAuto-translated”

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5.Boa Viagem or Piedade: Olinda and Recife Antigo Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 31 reviews · 7 hours · from $28Best value

Spend seven hours touring Olinda and Recife Antigo from Boa Viagem or Piedade with a Portuguese or Spanish-speaking guide. See São Bento Monastery, Alto da Sé, Bom Jesus Street, the first synagogue in the Americas, Marco Zero, Brennand sculptures, and Recife’s old churches. Guide Lionel has earned praise for helpful service.

“Good value for money, to see the highlights of those two cities with no worries. Our guide Lionel was very helpful.”

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6.Carneiros Beach

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 27 reviews · 8 hours · from $32

Travel from Recife to Praia dos Carneiros for an eight-hour beach day with hotel pickup, swimming time, optional lunch, and a visit to São Benedito Chapel. The catamaran ride and mud bath add the most memorable moments, but the boat ticket costs extra. Guide Edson has received especially good marks for his friendly help.

“Guide Edson was great. Catamaran trip was the highlight”

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7.City Tour Recife & Olinda

★★★★★★★★★★3.1 · 10 reviews · 7 hours · from $29

Spend seven hours touring Olinda and Recife, from São Bento Basilica and Rua do Amparo to Alto da Sé and Recife Antigo. Hotel pickup and drop-off are offered, with guides in Spanish and Portuguese, plus English listed in the tour details. Expect walking, hills, cobblestones, optional paid attractions, and possible extra transport costs in Olinda.

“Our guide, Baruk, was so knowledgeable, kind and funny. Always helpful and energetic, even at his “better age” ;) Beware that there are add-on costs on this tour-trip, if you want to see certain things, otherwise you end up waiting around walking around taking in the scenery, by yourself, nearby these attractions (most are cheap $3-5 and are fun enough, even if just for the pictures.) PS - Baruk’s charming company and endless jokes and anecdotes were worthy enough entertainment for the tour fee, already. I hope you get him as a guide.”

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8.Olinda City Tour and Instituto Ricardo Brennand

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 9 reviews · 6 hours · from $94

Travel from Recife to Olinda with a private guide and driver, visit churches, viewpoints, the former Mercado da Ribeira, and São Bento Church, then tour the Ricardo Brennand Institute. The six-hour outing includes transport, entrance fees, and live guiding in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. Guides such as Xavier and Caio have earned special praise for their personal service.

“Dia perfeito! Olinda faz jus ao nome. Com guia e motorista, o passeio se torna muito mais proveitoso! Gostaria de ter tido a oportunidade de comer no restaurante Oficina do Sabor, que dizem ser inesquecível, contudo, estava de difícil acesso por conta de ensaio de blocos de Carnaval (fev 2025). Almoçamos no Castelus, bom restaurante (porém caro) den Instituto Ricardo Brennand, que é realmente imperdível!”

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9.Colonial North Coast beaches – Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.2 · 6 reviews · 9.5 hours · from $40

Spend 9.5 hours exploring Brazil’s Colonial North Coast from Recife or Porto de Galinhas. You’ll visit the Praia Beach Club, take an optional catamaran to Coroa do Avião and Itamaracá, pass Forte Orange, and explore Nova Cruz by quad bike if you choose. Portuguese and Spanish guides lead the day. Transport is included, but meals, tickets, and optional tours cost extra.

“A excursão é interessante, mas achei que não ficou claro que nada estava incluído. A única coisa incluída é o transporte até o Praia Beach Club, onde já tínhamos que reservar o almoço. Nesse local a praia é bem ruim, com um fundo barrento bem desagradável. O passeio de catamaran (para ver a ilha de Itamaracá, Forte Orange e Ilha Coroa do Avião) é extra e tem que pagar. O passeio de carro também é extra e tem que pagar. Fica uns 30 min só para ver o Forte e 1h na Coroa do Avião, muito pouco tempo, pois são os locais que realmente são interessantes.”

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10.Carneiros Beach Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 5 reviews · 8 hours · from $49

Travel 90 km south of Recife to Carneiros Beach for swimming, white sand, coconut palms, stand-up paddleboarding, and a catamaran trip to nearby natural pools. Lunch at Bora Bora, beach clay, and hotel pickup are part of the day, while food, drinks, and the catamaran cost extra. Guides speak Portuguese or Spanish.

“On a trip that was cost prohibitive in English the wonderful Brasilien people on the coach were just superb. Very helpful, warm and generous. The guide, Marc Antonio was very Professional, funny and a Great advert for the company. I would recommend this trip.”

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11.City Tour Recife with Catamaran included

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 4 reviews · 5 hours

Ride a catamaran through Recife’s historic center, crossing the Capibaribe River around three islands and under five bridges. Your private tour includes hotel pickup, a driver-guide, and a live guide on the 1-hour-20-minute boat ride. Stops include Parque das Esculturas, Marco Zero Square, and Casa da Cultura.

“Nosso motorista Esdras foi muito paciencioso e prestativo. Carro ótimo. Uma maneira segura de conhecer o centro do Recife que parece meio perigoso, como a maioria das grandes cidades. No passeio, teve guia apenas na parte do catamarã. Gostei muito de ir no centro de cultura, antiga prisão, que hj abriga muitas lojas...as de renda são especialmente lindas!”

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12.Tour to Porto de Galinhas

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 4 reviews · 8 hours · from $32

Travel by van from Recife to Porto de Galinhas for four hours of free time beside warm waters and coconut palms. Swim in natural pools, see colorful fish, shop for souvenirs, and buy local food and drinks. Portuguese and Spanish are offered, but confirm your language needs before booking.

“Amei a experiência. Ótimo custo benefício. O traslado chegou certinho e nos deixou bem no hotel no retorno. Ótimo custo benefício.”

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