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Brazil

Cabedelo

Cabedelo: The Edge of South America and João Pessoa's Port

Cabedelo is a small port town in the metropolitan area of João Pessoa, the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraíba, and most visitors use it as the way into the capital and its beaches. Thefts are common on Brazil's city beaches, so take only what you need ashore and keep your phone and valuables out of sight.

Good to know

What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Cabedelo

Ships dock at the port of Cabedelo, a working cargo harbor at the mouth of the Paraíba River, less than 20 km from the center of João Pessoa. Ask your ship how passengers get out of the port area.

  • The Fortaleza de Santa Catarina stands on a low sandy rise at the river mouth, close to Cabedelo's small center and its public market.
  • A suburban train line runs from Cabedelo through João Pessoa to Bayeux and Santa Rita.
  • João Pessoa's beachfront districts, Tambaú and Cabo Branco, lie about 7 km east of the capital's old center.
  • Take a photocopy of your passport ashore, along with a second photo ID if you have one.

Cabedelo on Your Own

The fort and Cabedelo's town center are close to the port, while João Pessoa's old center and beaches mean a taxi or ride-hailing car. Keep the plan simple, because the capital is a drive away.

  • The fort: The Fortaleza de Santa Catarina was completed in 1597 and has been open to visitors again since 1991; it now works as a cultural center.
  • João Pessoa's old center: The Centro Cultural São Francisco groups the Franciscan church and convent, chapels and a cloister around a broad churchyard with a large cross.
  • The beaches: Tambaú and Cabo Branco are the capital's city beaches, and Ponta do Seixas is just south of Cabo Branco.
  • Getting around: Uber and 99 cars both operate in João Pessoa.
  • Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, so allow plenty of time for the drive back to the port.

Getting Around Cabedelo and João Pessoa

Ride-hailing cars are a practical way to move between the port, João Pessoa's old center and the beaches. A diesel suburban train also links Cabedelo with the capital.

  • The train: One line of about 30 km with 13 stations connects Santa Rita, Bayeux, João Pessoa and Cabedelo.
  • On the train: Thefts and robberies have been reported on Brazil's rail networks, so keep jewelry, watches and phones out of sight.
  • Ride-hailing: Uber and 99 are both available in João Pessoa.
  • Distances: Cabedelo is less than 20 km from João Pessoa's center, and the capital's airport is about 45 km from the port.

Seafood and the Paraíba Kitchen

Paraíba's coastal cooking is built on fish and shellfish, with coconut milk, peppers and coriander as everyday seasonings. Crab, shrimp and lobster are all common.

  • Agulhinha frita: Small fried needlefish are a typical coastal dish.
  • Peixada and pirão: Peixada, fish cooked in coconut milk, and pirão are coastal standards.
  • Carne de sol: This beef, a staple of the dry interior, is said to have first been made around 1720 in the country between central Paraíba and neighboring Rio Grande do Norte.
  • Coconut and corn: Coconut milk also goes into corn dishes such as canjica, pamonha and cuscuz.

Tipping in Brazil

Restaurants in Brazil add a 10 percent service charge to the bill, and that is generally the only tip people pay. It is not mandatory.

  • Taxi drivers do not usually expect a tip, though rounding up the fare happens sometimes.
  • Porters and parking attendants may be given a few reais.
  • Brazil's currency is the real (BRL).
  • Card scams happen in busy tourist areas, so keep your card in sight and check the amount on the payment machine before you pay.

Baroque Churches, the Sunset Ritual, and Paraíba Identity

At sunset on the Praia do Jacaré, on the river side of the peninsula, saxophonist Jurandy do Sax has played Ravel's Boléro daily since 2000, and from a small boat on the river since 2001. In December 2025 Paraíba recognized the performance as part of the state's intangible cultural heritage.

  • The Boléro: The performance lasts about 17 minutes, roughly the length of the sunset, and he traditionally plays dressed in white. It is only worth planning for if your ship stays into the evening.
  • Centro Cultural São Francisco: In João Pessoa's old center, the Franciscan complex includes the gilded Capela Dourada and is one of Brazil's notable baroque ensembles, protected as national heritage.
  • Estação Cabo Branco: Oscar Niemeyer designed this science, culture and arts center, which opened in 2008 and lists its programs as free; check before you go.
  • The lighthouse: The Cabo Branco lighthouse, opened in 1972, is a triangular concrete tower designed to suggest a sisal plant, once a mainstay of Paraíba's economy.

Paraíba, the Fortress Peninsula, and the Trade Wind Coast

The Portuguese founded the capital in 1585 and fortified the river mouth at Cabedelo to hold it, and in the 1630s the Dutch took both. The modern port at Cabedelo grew from the 1890s, as river trade at the capital declined.

  • 1585: The city now called João Pessoa was founded on August 5 under the name Parahyba.
  • 1588 to 1589: The first Franciscan friars arrived to found a house in the new city.
  • 1591 to 1597: French privateers and Indigenous allies destroyed the first fort at Cabedelo in 1591, and its stone replacement was completed in 1597 as the fort of Santa Catarina.
  • 1634 to 1654: The Dutch took the fort and the capital in 1634, renamed the fort Margarida in 1637, and left in 1654.
  • 1779: The Franciscan church's facade was completed; the date is carved on its front.
  • 1889 to 1894: A 35 km railway reached Cabedelo from the capital in 1889, and dredging for a new port began in 1894.
  • 1938: The fort was listed as national heritage.
  • 1941: Naval officers confirmed Ponta do Seixas as the easternmost point of Brazil's mainland.
  • 1974 to 1978: The fort was fully restored to its 18th-century plan.
  • To learn more ashore: The Fortaleza de Santa Catarina, at the mouth of the Paraíba River in Cabedelo, is run as a cultural center inside the walls that faced French and Dutch attacks.

Cabedelo and João Pessoa with Children and Families

Most of the fun for children here is in the water at low tide, when reefs and sandbanks rise out of the sea. Check the tide times and the latest beach water-quality report before you go.

  • Younger children: Areia Vermelha, a sandbank about 2 km long off Camboinha beach in Cabedelo, appears at low tide with natural pools and corals around it. Boats and rafts go out from Praia do Poço; book in advance, because numbers are capped, and nobody should walk on the corals.
  • School age: The Picãozinho reef lies about 1,500 m off Tambaú beach; the boat trip takes about 15 minutes, masks can be rented on board, and passengers are told not to walk on the reef.
  • Teenagers: Stand at Ponta do Seixas, the easternmost point of the mainland Americas, then visit the Estação Cabo Branco nearby.
  • In the sea: Some beaches have dangerous currents, so watch the warning flags and ask lifeguards where it is safe to swim.

Crafts and Markets

The largest crafts market is in João Pessoa's Tambaú beach district: the Mercado de Artesanato Paraibano, with more than a hundred stores. A smaller crafts fair sets up near the Tambaú seafront.

  • Cabedelo's own public market is in the town center, near the port and the fort.

Reef Pools, Ocean Beaches, and the Easternmost Point

Cabedelo has about 10 km of beaches, from the built-up stretch at Intermares, Poço and Camboinha to the less developed beaches near the town center. João Pessoa's own beaches, Tambaú and Cabo Branco, are farther south.

  • Intermares: It is a surfing beach that hosts competitions.
  • Praia do Jacaré: Because it sits where the river meets the sea, it is sometimes unfit for swimming.
  • Water quality: Conditions change from day to day, so check the state environment agency's weekly beach-quality report on the day.
  • After dark: Do not go onto city beaches after dark.
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