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Vitória, with around 315,000 people[2], is considered by the UN to be the fourth best place to live in Brazil.

History

Founded in 1551, is the third oldest capital of Brazil, after Salvador and Recife. For a long time it was only a ‘city-port’, suffering various French, British and Dutch attacks, after sugar and ‘pau-brasil’.

Its name is attributed to a victory over the native Indians, when, seeking refuge, the Portuguese fled to the island, and then achieved victory, renaming the village, at the time known only as “Vila Nova”, to “Vila Nova da Vitória”. It has many nicknames, like Ilha do Mel (Honey Island), Cidade Sol (Sun City) and others.

Geography

It is located in the southeastern region of Brazil, the most developed in the country. The location is strategic, close to the big urban centers, and it is, in average, one hour away by plane from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.

Circled by the Bay of Vitória, the main island has mangroves, beaches, granite formations and many smaller islands.

The municipality of Vitória is made of an archipelago with 34 islands and a continental area. Its total area is 104 km2, including the main island, the continental area, the coastal islands and the oceanic islands of Trindade and Martin Vaz. It used to have more than 50 islands, but now many of them have been incorporated, by landfills, to the main island.

The highest point is the Maciço da Fonte Grande, a granite formation 309 meters tall, and then there is the Pedra dos (Dois) Olhos, 296 meters tall.

The climate is tropical humid, with a maximum average temperature of 30,4ºC and a minimum of 24ºC, with most of the rainfall in the months between October and January.

  • Parque Pedra da Cebola (Onion Rock Park) - Located in the Jardim da Penha neighborhood near the university, the centerpiece of this park is an unusual rock formation. A popular place for local couples to hang out.
  • Praça dos Namorados - A very long beachside park that runs from the yacht club at Praia do Canto all the way down to Curva da Jurema near Shopping Vitória.
  • Catedral Metropolitana, Vitória's cathedral, dates from 1551. Located downtown.
  • Capela de Santa Luzia, near the cathedral, is Vitória's oldest religious building. Open weekdays 8AM to 6 PM. Tel.(27)3222-3219
  • Convento da Penha - Just across the Terceira Ponte (Third Bridge), in Vila Velha is this hilltop Franciscan convent dating from the 16th century.

By plane

Vitória Airport (IATA: VIT) (ICAO: LEVT) [3] is located near the north end of Camburi beach. It's about 10 minutes by taxi to most hotels and served by many bus lines. The airport connects with most anywhere in Brazil, mostly via Rio de Janeiro(By far the best gateway), Sao Paulo or Belo Horizonte, by carriers Gol[4], TAM[5] and Trip[6] The bus 212 Rodoviaria / Aeroporto takes you from the airport via the Camburi beach, the port and the city center to the bus station in about 50 minutes.

By bus

Vitória's long-distance bus station is downtown, also with many bus lines serving it. There are many buses arriving and leaving during the day from cities like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Brasília and others. It's around 20 minutes away from most of the hotels by taxi and 30 to 35 minutes by bus. The bus 212 Rodoviaria / Aeroporto takes you from the bus station via the city center, the port and the Camburi beach to the airport in about 50 minutes.

Bus trips are usually long, since 'close' in Brazil is something like 500km. The bus trip from Rio de Janeiro takes about 8 hours, and from São Paulo some 14 hours, but most of the bus times are at night, making the trip not as tiring and time-wasting.

By train

The train station is located in the city of Cariacica (Greater Vitória) and connects the city to Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais.

By car

The two main roads are the BR-101, which runs south-north just inland of the coast, linking Vitória to Rio de Janeiro, to the south, and Salvador, to the north, and BR-262, that runs east-west, leaving Vitória and going to Belo Horizonte. Another road, local highway 60, runs along the coast southward to Guarapari.

  • A panela de barro, a traditionally-made clay pot used for cooking moqueca capixaba.
  • Shopping Vitória is a fairly standard shopping mall located near the Terceira Ponte.

Just south of Camburi is the Praia do Canto neighborhood, where you will find a couple of streets lined with restaurants of all types.

  • Triángulo das Bermudas (Bermuda Triangle). This area between Joaquim Lírio and João da Cruz streets in Praia do Canto has a lot of bars and restaurants that are very popular, particularly on the weekends.
  • Rua da Lama, just west of Camburi near the federal university, has a string of bars including Cochicho da Penha, Tel.(27) 3225-0417
  • On most nights, they have live music events on the beach at Curva da Jurema. Music varies and there are plenty of drink kiosks keep the crowd happy.