Recife

Recife needs 2 days: touring Recife Antigo, the historic district between rivers and bridges that earned it the nickname «Brazilian Venice», with Rua do Bom Jesus and its old synagogue -the oldest in the Americas-, on one, and Boa Viagem beach, with its nearly 7 km boardwalk, on the other. September-January brings the driest weather. It's mid-priced by Brazilian standards. It's Pernambuco's capital and one of the birthplaces of frevo and maracatu, rhythms that dominate one of the world's largest street carnivals, and its geographic position makes it the closest point in Brazil to Europe and Africa.