Olinda: Main Attractions

The city interestingly blends its sacred and profane sides. It is famous for its street carnival, but also for its collection of Baroque churches, including:

• Basilica of São Bento, the richest of Olinda’s churches, with an altar covered in 28 kilos of gold;
• Convent of São Francisco, the first convent of the Franciscan Order in Brazil; its inner courtyard features 16 Portuguese tile panels depicting the life and death of Saint Francis;
• Churches of Mercy, Our Lady of Amparo, Carmo, Rosary of the Black Men of Olinda, São Salvador do Mundo, and others.

Aerial view of the Baroque architecture of Igreja do Carmo Church in Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil

But when you stroll through the cobblestone streets and hills, admiring the multicolored facades of the 18th- and 19th-century houses, what you feel are the drums of maracatu, the trembling of frevo, and the certainty of experiencing a city accustomed to popular festivals.

Another recommended visit is the Mamulengo Puppet Theater, one of the most important representatives of Northeastern folk culture. It’s a collection of over a thousand wooden puppets that, manipulated by actors, sing, dance, fight, and joke, embodying typical Northeastern characters in scenes from everyday life. The Mamulengo Museum, established in 1994, was the first in Brazil dedicated to this art.

And to confirm its importance, Olinda was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.