Juazeiro do Norte travel guide

Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Juazeiro do Norte

Introduction

Juazeiro do Norte is a city in the state of Ceará in northeastern Brazil, set in the semiarid sertão roughly 491 km south of the state capital, Fortaleza. Its municipality covers about 248 km² of this dry inland backcountry.

Come expecting a sertão setting rather than a coastal one: this is the interior of Ceará, far from the beaches and humid seaboard, so plan your visit around the region's arid character and its distance from the capital.

Getting there

Juazeiro do Norte is reached by bus or by plane. The bus station sits about 3 km from the centre, and Guanabara runs most of the departures. From there you can travel to Fortaleza in around 6 hours, or to Crateús with TransCeará/Pernambucana, which has three daily services taking 7–8 hours. Guanabara also connects the city with João Pessoa in about 11 hours, via Sousa (roughly 3 hours), Patos and Campina Grande (about 9 hours). A taxi from the bus station into the centre is available.

By air, Gol operates daily flights to Fortaleza, Petrolina, Recife, Brasília and São Paulo.

Getting around

Walking works well in the centre of Juazeiro do Norte, where most of what you will want to see clusters around Praça Padre Cícero. That square is also your main boarding point for city buses: a great number of them pass by its western corner, where a terminal-like structure makes it easy to see which routes are coming and going. Outside the centre, distances grow and you will want a bus, taxi or ride-hailing car.

Where to stay

You'll find dozens and dozens of pousadas in the centre of Juazeiro do Norte, particularly around Praça Padre Cícero, so you can base yourself within easy reach of the square. The cheapest options cluster on a strip of Rua São José, one block off the square.

Food & drink

Eating out in Juazeiro do Norte is casual and inexpensive. For a quick bite, try Lanchonete Vitória on Avenida Padre Cícero, half a block from the square; it serves burgers and juices and is open from late afternoon into the evening.

For drinking, head to the simple open-air spots around Praça Padre Cícero. Barzinho do Zé, one block up from the square on Rua Padre Cícero, is a notch more sophisticated than its neighbours, serves lunch through late, and often has live music; it offers a set lunch and large beers.

What to see and do

Most of what you will want to see in Juazeiro do Norte centres on the religious figure of Padre Cícero. On Horto, a hill roughly seven kilometres northwest of the centre, you will find a statue of Padre Cícero along with other dedications. To get there, take the Horto bus from Praça Padre Cícero; it leaves every hour on the hour. The Memorial Padre Cícero is made up mostly of pictures explaining his life and work, and entry is free.

If you are in town at the end of October, you will catch the Romaria, a religious festival that draws vast crowds of pilgrims into the city.

Three days in Juazeiro do Norte

Day one: Start in the centre of Juazeiro do Norte at Praça Padre Cícero, the square that anchors the city and gives you your bearings. Walking around the praça and the surrounding streets is the easiest way to settle in. For a bite, try Lanchonete Vitória, and in the evening head to Barzinho for a drink.

Day two: Use the city as your base for the wider Cariri region. From Orlando Bezerra de Menezes Airport you can arrange transport, and taxis are available for trips further out. For Crato, the Cariri Metro connects the towns of the area. Keep Rua São José in mind as a street to explore on foot.

Day three: Spend your last day along Avenida Padre Cícero, where you can eat and pick up supplies before leaving. If you are continuing your journey, connections run toward Fortaleza, Recife, Brasília and São Paulo, with Gol among the airlines serving the region, and buses from companies such as Guanabara and TransCear link Juazeiro do Norte with destinations including Crato, Pernambucana, João Pessoa, Sousa, Patos and Campina Grande.

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