# Aracaju

Aracaju is the capital of the state of Sergipe, Brazil. It's the capital of northeast with best quality of life (according to Federal Government). It's located on the coast, and cut by rivers such as Sergipe and Poxim. The city had around 673,000 inhabitants in 2021. The area that encompasses the four municipalities of Greater Aracaju (Aracaju, Nossa Senhora do Socorro, Barra dos Coqueiros and São Cristóvão) had 984,000 inhabitants. The name "Aracaju" derives from the indigenous expression "ará acaiú", which means "cashew of parrots" in Tupi-Guarani, from "ará" for "parrots" and "acaiú", for "cashew fruit."

## Get in

Bus and airplane connects with the whole country by São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities.

## Get around

Use the app Moovit for local buses. The bus connections in Google Maps are outdated (March 2021). The fare is R$4 (March 2021) and can be paid in the bus resp. at a rodoviaria. Changing a bus at one of the rodoviarias/terminals is for free.
Use Uber for taxis.

## See

* Aracaju Aquarium (Oceanário de Aracaju), Atalaia. 5 fresh water tanks and 11 salt water tanks with fish from the coast of Sergipe. Shark feeding at 4:30PM.
* Aracaju Zoological Park.
* Atalaia Shoreline (Orla de Atalaia) (9 kilometers from the city center). Aracaju's most famous beach area, 6 kilometers long, has the best concentration of hotels and restaurants.
* Igreja de Santo Antônio.
* Olímpio Campos Palace (Palácio Olímpio Campos).

### Museums

* Anthropology Museum (Museu de Antropologia).
* Handcrafts Museum, Museu do Artesanato.
* Museum of the Sergipana People (Museu da Gente Sergipana).
* Museum of the Sergipano Man (Museu do Homem Sergipano).
* Museum of the Sergipe Historical and Geographical Institute (Museu do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico de Sergipe).
* Rosa Faria Art and History Museum (Museu de Arte e História Rosa Faria).
* Sergipe Memorial Museum, Museu Memorial de Sergipe.
* War Art Museum of the Sergipe Military Police (Museu de Arte Bélica da Polícia Militar de Sergipe).

## Do

The Atalaia beach was never highly rated for its natural beauty, but for an urban Brazilian beach it does the trick. Plastic chairs in the sand for having beer and coconut are near Avenida Rotary. A major refurbishing of the beachfront avenue, including its pavement, has made it a delightful walk at nighttime. Apart from bars and restaurants by the dozens, there are a couple of clusters of bronze statues, a go-kart track, a large playground and an aquarium. http://www.tamar.org.br/centros_visitantes.php?cod=10

## Buy

There are no Bradesco banks where Google Maps shows them in Atalaia. The nearest one is in Av.Min.Geraldo B.Sobral,1700 near Shopping Jardins.
You can buy contact lenses for a good price in the Oftclin shop in the Jardins shopping center. One package with six standard monthly Air Optix Aqua contact lenses for R$ 150 (March 2021). Avoid the numerous opticians in the city center. They charge almost double the price.

## Eat

Crabs are the typical dish, often eaten with a good and cold beer. You also have good fishes, fried or cooked as moqueca.

### Budget
#### Atalaia

* -10.99127-37.0507431 Bar do Caldinho Santa Rita, Av. Santos Dumont, 340. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.991395-37.0509892 Britto's Restaurante, R. Napoleão Dórea, 388 - Casa 03. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.991579-37.0509363 Restaurante Beach, Av. Santos Dumont, 372. (updated Feb 2022)

#### Centro

The first three restaurants are right next to each other:
* -10.909912-37.0515584 O Papai, R. Santo Amaro, 307. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.909759-37.0515555 Ki Delícia Restaurante, R. Santo Amaro, 321. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.909668-37.051566 Tony's Restaurante, R. Santo Amaro, 333. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.908256-37.0481977 Sesc - Comércio, Av. Otoniel Dória, 464. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.911609-37.0512218 Ruan, R. Laranjeiras, 349. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.911628-37.0517719 Restaurante Real Sabor, R. Laranjeiras, 401. (updated Aug 2022)

### Mid-range

* -10.99175-37.05279810 Casa Aho, R. Francisco Rabêlo Leite Neto, 320, Atalaia. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.992966-37.05196911 Terra Tupi, Av. Santos Dumont, 610, Atalaia. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.993297-37.0522112 Porto Madero, Av. Santos Dumont, 650 - Atalaia. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.973517-37.03787113 República dos Camarões, Av. Santos Dumont, 1750 - Coroa do Meio. (updated Aug 2022)

### Splurge

* -10.996219-37.05503414 Carro de Bois, R. Niceu Dantas, 1040 - Atalaia. (updated Aug 2022)
* -10.974144-37.03757715 Sal e Brasa Steakhouse, Av. Santos Dumont, s/n - Coroa do Meio. (updated Aug 2022)

## Sleep

Most tourists will choose the beach at Atalaia, some 5 km from the center. The most convenient spot for transport is the intersection between Avenida Rotary (leading to the airport and downtown, with an urban bus terminal 500 metres from the beach) and the beachfront Avenida Santos Dumont. Plenty of options within a couple of blocks here. For more upscale sleeping, head north along the beach.

## Stay safe

Although the Northeast is the most violent region in Brazil, Aracaju is among the capitals with the lowest crime rates in this region, remaining a relatively peaceful city. However, some parts of the city demand a higher degree of caution, such as the North Zone of Aracaju and the neighboring areas of the municipality of Nossa Senhora do Socorro, due to the higher incidence of crime in this area. Extra vigilance is also recommended on the Atalaia Shoreline (especially at night), where tourists are preferred targets for muggers. Moreover, downtown also requires some caution from tourists, since it is not uncommon for even residents of Aracaju to be victims of robberies there.

## Cope
### Consulates

* Romania, Rua Santissima Trindade, 27 49 007-063, Zona de Expansao – Areia Branca, ☏ +55 79 3303 9009, consromse@tcbintl.com.br. Honorary Consulate (Does not provide consular services. Instead, Romanian citizens in need of assistance should contact the embassy in Brasilia, or the general consulate in Rio de Janeiro.)

## Go next

* To the south, at the border with the state of Bahia, is Mangue Seco, an easy day trip.
* Inland is the artificial lake of the river Xingo.
* Maceió
* Salvador