🛫 Single Terminal — Domestic + International

Airlines: LATAM Brasil (the dominant carrier and oneworld partner), Azul Linhas Aéreas, GOL, Avianca, American, Delta (seasonal), United (seasonal), TAP Air Portugal (Lisbon daily), KLM (Amsterdam daily), Iberia (Madrid 4x weekly), Air Europa (Madrid daily), plus regional connections to Salvador, Fortaleza, Rio.

Layout: Three storeys: Level 1 arrivals + ground transport, Level 2 departures and check-in, Level 3 commercial mezzanine. Walk time check-in to furthest gate: 6–10 minutes. International departures concentrate in gates 11–14 (south wing); domestic 1–10. Same security checkpoint for both; segregation only at gate level.

🏌️ Carnival Capacity — Book Far Ahead

Recife & nearby Olinda host the second-biggest Brazilian Carnival after Rio — the Galo da Madrugada parade in central Recife is recognised as the world’s largest single Carnival bloco (1.5 million participants). Mid-February to early March 2026 (varies by Easter date). REC processes 50–70% more passengers in Carnival week; flights and hotels sell out 5–6 months ahead. International flights mid-February to early March 2026 are at peak capacity.

2026 Carnival dates: Friday 13 to Tuesday 17 February 2026, with parades and bloco activity on the surrounding weekends. Allow 4–5 hours for international departures during this week (vs the standard 2.5).

EU + UK + NZ — 90 Days Visa-Free

EU, UK and New Zealand passport holders get up to 90 days visa-free on arrival, just a passport stamp. Up to 180 days per calendar year (90+90 maximum). Stays can be extended once for another 90 days at the Polícia Federal in Recife (Estrada do Encanamento 30). The officer at immigration enters the days granted on the stamp; politely ask for 90 if your itinerary needs them.

US, Canada, Australia — e-Visa Since April 2025

Brazil reinstated the e-Visa requirement for US, Canadian and Australian passports on 10 April 2025 after several years of mutual visa-waiver. US$80.90 fee, valid 5 years multi-entry, apply on the official VFS Global Brazil portal at least 5 working days before travel. Approval is fast (typically 5–7 days); rejections are rare for tourism. Print the e-Visa confirmation; the airline checks it at boarding. EU/UK/NZ are not affected.

No EES, No ETIAS, No Tourist Refund

Brazil is not in any visa-waiver scheme requiring online pre-registration beyond the e-Visa. The EU’s EES and ETIAS apply only to the Schengen area — Brazil is not affected. There is no tourist VAT/ICMS refund at REC. The 17–20% ICMS on goods (varies by Brazilian state) is included in the price and stays in Brazil. Cachaça, Brazilian rum, and Northeast handicrafts are duty-free standouts; we cover them in Section 5.

⭐ Official Cooperativa Taxi — Flat Zone Rate

REC has licensed cooperativa taxi desks immediately past Customs. Pay at the desk, get a slip, dispatcher pairs you with a car. Yellow cars only, all licensed by SETTPOR. The price is fixed by destination zone. Card or PIX (Brazilian instant payment) accepted at most.

📱 Uber, 99, inDriver & Cabify — Cheaper, Fully Legal

Uber, 99 (Brazil’s domestic ride-hailing leader, owned by DiDi), inDriver and Cabify all operate at REC. Pickups happen at a Level 1 designated app zone, signposted “Aplicativos” (Portuguese for ‘apps’). All four are fully legal in Brazil. Apps are typically 30–50% cheaper than the official desk. 99 has the best Brazilian rural coverage; Uber and inDriver work everywhere.

🚌 Public Bus 042 / 033 — R$4 But Slow

Bus lines 042 and 033 serve REC from outside Arrivals, connecting to Boa Viagem and Centro for R$4 per ride. Skip them. No luggage racks, gets crowded at peak hours, and the safer alternative (Uber) is only ~R$15 cheaper for a much better experience. The 042 stops short of Boa Viagem proper; you may need to walk 800m+ with luggage. Useful only for budget backpackers; not recommended.

✈️ Connecting to Salvador, Fortaleza, Rio or Internationally

REC is the Northeast Brazilian hub for short-haul. LATAM, Azul and GOL operate daily Recife–Salvador (SSA), Recife–Fortaleza (FOR), and Recife–Rio (GIG/SDU) connections; ~80–120 minutes flight. For Northeast Brazil hop-on-hop-off (Salvador-Recife-Fortaleza-Natal-Joao Pessoa), Azul has the best regional coverage. International connections via Lisbon (TAP), Madrid (Iberia/Air Europa) or Amsterdam (KLM) are the main options to Europe; via Miami/Atlanta/JFK to North America.

✨ Plaza Premium Lounge REC (international airside, Priority Pass)

In Pernambuco, tapioca is a hot, freshly-pressed cassava-flour pancake folded around a sweet or savoury filling — coconut+sugar, cheese, carne-de-sol, banana+cinnamon. Tapioca da Lua at the REC food court does it for ~R$10–18. The tapioca de coco com queijo (coconut-and-cheese) is the regional default. Skip the Burger King and McDonald’s — you can have those anywhere; the tapioca is the Northeast you came for.

Brazil is the world’s biggest coffee producer; the Brazilian Northeast hosts mid-tier arabica plantations (Bahia, Espirito Santo). Café do Centro at the REC food court does proper espresso for R$8–14. The smaller Brasilux kiosk in international concourse offers Bahian single-origin (try the Chapada Diamantina) for R$12–20 per cup. Skip the airport Starbucks. Order a cafezinho — the Brazilian sweet-and-strong default — for the most local experience.

Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane spirit, base of the Caipirinha — is the export-gift default. Magnífica (single-estate Pernambuco), Ypíoca (Ceará, Brazil’s largest), Sagatiba (São Paulo) at duty-free for R$80–200/litre, ~30% cheaper than US import. Brazilian dark chocolate from Bahian fine-cacao origin (Caco Show, AMMA, Mendoá) at R$30–80 a bar. Mangaba Caju dried-fruit snacks — the obscure local fruits you can’t buy outside Brazil — R$15–30 a bag. Northeast handicrafts (Olinda paint-decorated wooden masks, Pernambuco lace, São João folkloric figurines) at the REC artisan stand — reasonable prices, comparable to Olinda Saturday market.

Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail — lime, sugar, ice, cachaça, muddled. The Plaza Premium Lounge bar makes a credible airport rendering (free with your access). Order it made with cachaça artesanal, not the supermarket cachaça; the difference is real. There’s also a Caipiroska (vodka instead of cachaça) and Caipi-Sakê variant in Brazil — stick with the original. You will not find this back home in any meaningful way.

Recife and Olinda host the second-biggest Carnival in Brazil after Rio; the Galo da Madrugada bloco in central Recife is recognised as the world’s largest single Carnival parade by participation. 2026 dates: Friday 13 to Tuesday 17 February. International flights and hotels sell out 5–6 months ahead. Hotel prices in Boa Viagem and Olinda 3–5x peak. The airport processes 50–70% more passengers in Carnival week; allow 4–5 hours for international departures vs the standard 2.5. Plan around it — either book aggressively early or avoid the second week of Feb.

Recife sits at 8°S latitude on the Atlantic coast; 28–33°C daytime year-round, 23–26°C overnight, humidity 75–90%. The wet season is May to August (counterintuitive for Northern Hemisphere visitors expecting summer = wet) — heavy intermittent showers, especially mornings. The driest, sunniest months are September to March. Carnival week (Feb) is hot and dry; Easter and Christmas are similar. Schedule airport runs at 06:00–09:00 or after 18:00 if your luggage is heavy; midday Avenida Boa Viagem is brutal.

Recife tap water is not safe to drink, including airport washroom taps. Bottled water airside runs R$5–9 for 500 ml; supermarket prices are R$2–4. Plaza Premium Lounge has free filtered water. Hot drinks (coffee, tea) are safe because boiling kills bacteria. Beach kiosks (barracas) in Boa Viagem use bottled water for ice and drinks; the same in Olinda. Outside tourist Recife, in Bonito or rural Pernambuco, bottled water is mandatory for visitor stomachs.

For Recife, Boa Viagem, Olinda and the Northeast tourist coast: Airalo, Holafly, GigSky and Saily all work fine — ~US$10–20 for 5–10 GB / 14 days. For travel beyond — Porto de Galinhas, Maragogi, Joao Pessoa, Bonito — buy a local SIM. Vivo has the best Northeast Brazilian rural coverage; TIM is second. The Vivo kiosk at REC arrivals takes a passport (or RNE for residents) and 10 minutes; ask for the “Plano Turista” bundle (~R$50–80 for 30 days unlimited domestic data). 5G coverage is strong in central Recife; weaker in the smaller Northeast towns.

Boa Viagem and the Olinda historic centre are among Brazil’s safer urban districts for tourists, with active tourist police and a visible presence. The Avenida Boa Viagem beachfront is well-policed during daylight; some beach kiosks operate well into the evening with security. Avoid: central Recife (especially around the Plaza do Carmo) at night, Cabanga, Joana Bezerra, Coque. The single biggest rule: do not hail street taxis; use Uber, 99, inDriver or Cabify only. Carnival week is a special case — stick with groups, never accept drinks from strangers, and check your bloco’s start point with your hotel.

Brazil’s payment system is among the world’s most modern thanks to PIX — the central-bank-run instant payment system. Most retailers, taxis, and food stalls accept PIX (a QR code or phone-number transfer); foreign cards work in tourist establishments. Withdraw R$300–500 at a Bradesco or Banco do Brasil ATM in arrivals — both have decent rates. The R$100 note is hard to break in markets; ask for R$50s and R$20s. Tipping: 10% is included on most restaurant bills as “serviço” — verify before adding more. Taxis don’t expect tips on metered/zone fares; round up if generous. Hotel porters: R$5–10 per bag.