Recife: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Recife is a city of 1.7 million people in Brazil (Pernambuco), 8 m (26 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Recife/Guararapes - Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 927 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Recife runs from about 11 h 42 min a day in late June to 12 h 38 min in late December (computed for -8.05° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Recife is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Recife/Guararapes - Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,865 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft.
Flights to Recife: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Recife · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 927 places to stay in Recife. Of the 503 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (256), and 11 are five-star. Across 164 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.2 out of 10. Guests have left 223,259 reviews in total.
Hotels in Recife: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 28 hostels in Recife, out of 927 places to stay of every kind — 3% of everywhere it lists in the city, around the middle of the range for the cities we hold figures for. Across 8 hostels with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.2 out of 10, level with the city’s hotels. Guests have left 5,854 reviews across them.
Hostels in Recife: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Maceió, 202 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Natal, 254 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- João Pessoa, 104 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Aracaju, 398 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Jaboatão dos Guararapes, 16 km — tours
- Campina Grande, 143 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Caruaru, 123 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Olinda, 6 km
- Paulista, 13 km
- Parnamirim, 241 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
Common questions
Which airport serves Recife?
Recife/Guararapes - Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre.
How big is Recife?
About 1.7 million people live in Recife (GeoNames).
What time zone is Recife in?
America/Recife, currently UTC-3.
What currency is used in Recife?
The Real (BRL). Traffic drives on the right.
Are there hostels in Recife?
28 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Recife.
How many hotels are there in Recife?
Our booking partner lists 927 places to stay in Recife, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Recife?
Maceió (202 km), Natal (254 km), João Pessoa (104 km), Aracaju (398 km), Jaboatão dos Guararapes (16 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.