Belém

The gateway city at the mouth of the Amazon, famous for the Ver-o-Peso market, river fish, açaí and Amazonian flavours, with boat trips to the rainforest of Combu Island or to Marajó Island.

Belém, capital of the Brazilian state of Pará, lies on Guajará Bay on the southern side of the Amazon estuary. Founded by the Portuguese in 1616, it grew rapidly during the rubber boom of the late 19th century, leaving behind the Theatro da Paz, cast-iron market halls and a wealth of European-style architecture; in 2025 it also hosted the UN Climate Change Conference. The city is renowned for Amazonian cuisine — açaí, duck in tucupi sauce, Amazon river fish and ice creams made from all kinds of tropical fruit — and is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. The climate is hot and humid, with afternoon showers almost every day; June–November is less rainy. The Círio de Nazaré procession on the second Sunday of October draws enormous crowds, so book accommodation early. Sightseeing falls into three areas: the old town, with the Ver-o-Peso market, Forte do Presépio and the cathedral; the Nazaré district, with the Theatro da Paz, the basilica and the Emílio Goeldi Museum; and the river, with Combu Island, Mosqueiro Island and, farther afield, Marajó Island. Getting there: Belém International Airport has flights from major Brazilian cities, and a taxi to the centre takes about 20–30 minutes. Plan to stay 3–4 days, plus 2 more for Marajó. Watch out for pickpockets in the city centre at night and around the market.

Top sights

• Ver-o-Peso Market – One of Latin America's largest open-air markets. The iron fish market, the açaí wharf and the herb stalls together create the flavor of the…
• Estação das Docas – A riverside complex converted from an old port warehouse, with restaurants, craft beers, ice cream and the departure point for sunset boat…
• Theatro da Paz – A neoclassical opera house built during the rubber boom, with a gilded auditorium and a painted ceiling that make it one of the most lavish…
• Basílica de Nossa Senhora de Nazaré – The center of Brazil's largest religious festival, the Feast of Our Lady of Nazareth (Círio de Nazaré), with a Romanesque-style exterior an…
• Mangal das Garças – A riverside wetland eco-park with herons, scarlet ibises and a butterfly house. A lookout tower offers views over the Guamá River and the c…
• Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi – The oldest scientific institution in the Amazon region, with a zoo and rainforest botanical garden in the city centre where you can see man…
• Combu Island – A rainforest island conservation area across the Guamá River; a 15-minute boat ride brings you to riverside forest waterways, a chocolate w…
• Forte do Presépio (Forte do Castelo) – The fortress built when Belém was founded in 1616; its old cannons on the walls face Guajará Bay, with a view over the Ver-o-Peso market.
• Catedral Metropolitana de Belém – An 18th-century cathedral in the old town, with a Baroque-Neoclassical façade and a fine marble high altar and murals inside.
• Igreja de Santo Alexandre & Museu de Arte Sacra – A Jesuit church and college dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, now a museum of sacred art, with fine Baroque woodcarvings made by Ind…
• Casa das Onze Janelas – A contemporary art gallery converted from an 18th-century sugar plantation owner's house, with a riverside terrace restaurant overlooking t…
• Praça da República – A large tree-shaded square in front of the Theatro da Paz, lined with mango trees, with a Sunday handicrafts market and a lively bandstand.
• Bosque Rodrigues Alves – A patch of original Amazon rainforest preserved within the city, with shaded trails, artificial grottoes and small wildlife, like a miniatu…
• Parque Estadual do Utinga – A large rainforest and water-source reserve on the city's eastern edge, with lakeside trails, cycling paths and viewing decks suited to mor…
• Portal da Amazônia – A newly built riverside promenade along the Guamá River, perfect for strolling, cycling and watching the sunset, with food stalls on weeken…
• Palácio Antônio Lemos (Museu de Arte de Belém) – A 19th-century neoclassical city hall whose upper floor houses the Belém Art Museum, with furniture and paintings from the rubber boom era.
• Mosqueiro Island – A river-island resort about 70 km north of the city, with a stretch of freshwater 'beaches', a favorite weekend escape for Belém residents.
• Cotijuba Island – A quiet river island where private vehicles are banned. Take a ferry, ride tractor-drawn trailers and bikes to the river beaches, and see t…
• Marajó Island (Soure) – The world's largest river-sea island, with the town of Soure, where water buffalo roam the streets, mangrove-fringed beaches and Marajoara…

Where to eat

• Point do Açaí (Casarão) – A Pará restaurant in a century-old mansion across from Estação das Docas, famous for fried giant catfish served with un…
• Casa do Saulo (Onze Janelas) – Celebrity chef Saulo Jennings runs this restaurant in the historic Onze Janelas complex, reinterpreting Pará cuisine wi…
• Restaurante Avenida – One of Belém's oldest restaurants, founded in 1945 and facing the Basilica of Nossa Senhora de Nazaré, known for pato n…
• Sorveteria Cairu (Docas Branch) – A local Belém ice cream institution offering dozens of Amazonian fruit flavours, once named among TasteAtlas's most rep…

Itineraries

• Belém, Combu Island & Marajó Island – Discover Belém's old town and river fish market, combined with Combu Island's cacao and Marajó Island's water buffalo r…
• Amazon River: Manaus to Belém – Journey east along the Amazon River, visiting Novo Airão, taking a riverboat to Alter do Chão, and ending at the estuar…
• Belém, Marajó & Lençóis Maranhenses Dunes – From Belém and Marajó Island at the Amazon mouth, fly to São Luís and explore the white sand dunes and lagoons.