Stand at the end of Av. 7 de Setembro in the late afternoon and the Madeira River opens up in front of you, wide and brown and moving fast. This is the Beira Rio, a small promenade of bars looking out over the water, and it is the easiest place in Porto Velho to understand why the city exists at all: the river, the harbor, and the railway that once connected them.
Porto Velho suits travellers who are passing through the upper Amazon basin and want to see a working river city rather than a resort. There is virtually no tourist infrastructure here, so you will be arranging your own transport and setting your own pace. This guide covers the sights in and around the centre, what to eat while you are there, and how to spend a single day if that is all the time you have.
Top things to do in Porto Velho
1. Estação da Ferrovia
The railway station was built as compensation for Brazil taking over the state of Acre from Bolivia, and to transport rubber and other Amazon produce. It has long not been operational, and the station is rapidly suffering from decline. The once excellent museum is now closed for reforms, with nobody able to say when it will open again, and the trains have seen their last maintenance due to lack of funding.
Even so, the terrain is interesting enough to see and to imagine the hardship it took to build in the heat. For the novela Maria Fumaça part of the track was restored, and the train was supposed to be operational for tourism purposes, but that project has not finished to date.
2. Beira Rio
At the end of Av. 7 de Setembro there is a small promenade with a number of bars looking out over the Rio Madeira. It is a nice place to watch the sunset.
Come in the late afternoon, take a seat at one of the bars, and stay for the light. This is the simplest and most rewarding thing to do in the city.
3. Caixas D'água
These three water towers, built for the Bolivia railway, are Porto Velho's post card. They stand on a square that is in reform, and are sometimes illuminated at night for nice photos.
To get there, face the entrance of the railway station and go to your right, then keep walking; you cannot miss them. For the best photo, go to the last square on 7 de Setembro, walk up to the Clube da Ferrovia and turn left.
4. Feira Cai na Água
Porto Velho hosts a lively weekly market, Feira Cai na Água. Turn left at the Clube da Ferrovia on 7 de Setembro. It starts as early as 05:00 on Sundays.
This is your opportunity to buy and taste good local flavors such as açaí, tacacá, vatapá and molho tucupi apimentado, or to see a live chicken slaughter on the off side of the market. There is lots of local fruit and vegetables, fresh caldo de cana (sugarcane juice) and açaí. Try the açaí with guaraná, banana and granola.
5. Casa da Cultura
The Casa da Cultura sits just off the square with the Caixas D'água. Here you will find changing expositions by local artists, and once done an exhibition of local culture. Entry is free.
Combine it with the water towers and the railway station, which are all within a short walk of one another.
6. Catedral
On Dom Pedro II stands the main church of Porto Velho. It is simple on both the inside and outside, but well worth a visit.
It is an easy stop while you are walking the centre, and pairs naturally with the Casa da Cultura and the square with the Caixas D'água.
7. Edifício Feitoza
The Edifício Feitoza is one of the older structures in the centre, dated 1945. Look for it as you walk the streets around the main square.
It is a quick stop rather than a destination in itself, best folded into a walk that takes in the Catedral, the Casa da Cultura and the Caixas D'água.
8. Candeias and the Santo Antônio waterfall
There is virtually no tourist infrastructure in Porto Velho, so you will be better off renting a car to explore the surroundings. Go west on the BR-364 and look for signs for Candeias, the place where Porto Velho actually started. It can be reached by local bus as well.
Move a bit up and visit the cemetery, or visit the Santo Antônio waterfall. If you prefer to drive yourself, rent from a respected agency: the cost of car rental is about R$100 per day excluding insurance (about R$25 per day). Rent at the local Hertz, Localiza or Avis, which are close to the rodoviária (bus station); when you exit, walk to your right and look for them on the other side of the road. Plenty of other car rental places are around, but you will probably end up renting from a private person with no guarantees or insurance, at about the same cost.
9. The balsa west to Humaitá
To the west, take the balsa and drive up to Humaitá, about 200 km away on the road to Manaus. Note that there are no intermediate gas stations, so plan your fuel accordingly.
This is a full-day undertaking and only makes sense if you have already arranged a car. Treat it as a way to see the country beyond the city rather than as a sight in Porto Velho itself.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at the Estação da Ferrovia, where you can walk the terrain and imagine the hardship it took to build in the heat. From the station entrance, go right and keep walking to the Caixas D'água, the three water towers on their square. Just off that square is the Casa da Cultura, with its changing expositions by local artists.
Afternoon. Walk to the Catedral on Dom Pedro II, simple inside and out but well worth a visit, and look for the Edifício Feitoza, one of the older structures in the centre, dated 1945. If your visit falls on a Sunday, head instead to the Feira Cai na Água, turning left at the Clube da Ferrovia on 7 de Setembro; it starts as early as 05:00, so an early start will get you the best of it. Eat an açaí with guaraná and granola, and try a vatapá or tacacá.
Evening. Finish at the Beira Rio, the small promenade at the end of Av. 7 de Setembro, where the bars look out over the Rio Madeira. It is a nice place to watch the sunset. If you are still in the centre after dark, the Caixas D'água are sometimes illuminated at night for nice photos.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of year to visit Porto Velho?
The dry season is short and covers the months of June, July and August. The city is particularly wet from November through April, averaging roughly 200 mm of rain per month in each of these months. Temperatures are relatively consistent through the year, typically between 25 and 26 degrees Celsius on average daily.
Do I need a car in Porto Velho?
As there is virtually no tourist infrastructure in the city, you will be better off renting a car to explore the surroundings. Rent from a respected agency such as Hertz, Localiza or Avis, which are close to the rodoviária; the cost is about R$100 per day excluding insurance, at about R$25 per day. Private rentals cost about the same but come with no guarantees or insurance.
What local food should I try?
When available, eat an açaí with guaraná and granola. On the weekly market or on the central square, get a vatapá or tacacá. You may not like the taste, but when you eat the included green leaves in the tacacá, you will be sure to have a numb tongue for an hour or so.
Is the railway museum open?
No. The once excellent museum at the Estação da Ferrovia is now closed for reforms, with nobody able to tell when it will open again. The station terrain itself is still interesting enough to see.
Decide whether your visit falls in the dry months, sort out a car if you want to see Candeias or the Santo Antônio waterfall, and start planning around a Sunday market and a sunset on the Beira Rio.