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A 138 km coastline with the capital in the middle
Paraíba has about 138 km of coastline, and João Pessoa sits right in the middle of it. That means almost all the state's best beaches are less than an hour and a half from the capital's seafront: to the south, the coloured cliffs of Conde and Pitimbu; in the middle, the city's calm reef-sheltered sea; to the north, the sandbanks of Cabedelo and the almost deserted beaches of Potiguara territory.
We have listed them from south to north. At almost all of them, low tide transforms the beach — check the tide table before you pick a day.
South coast: Pitimbu and Conde
- Acaú (Pitimbu): Paraíba's last beach, at the mouth of the Goiana river, with calm sea and sandbanks at low tide.
- Praia Bela (Pitimbu): 45 km from João Pessoa, where the Mucatu river meets the sea and you can wade across at low tide.
- Tambaba (Conde): the Northeast's first official naturist beach, with a clothed area open to all and cliffs all around.
- Coqueirinho (Conde): coloured cliffs, coconut grove and greenish sea — the beach in almost every photo of Paraíba.
- Tabatinga (Conde): reached down a staircase, with cliffs and natural pools at low tide between Tabatinga I and II.
- Carapibus (Conde): about 30 km from the seafront, with cliffs, natural pools and a quiet feel.
- Conde (PB): beaches, viewpoints and what to do
- Paraíba's south coast: the one-day itinerary
- Praia Bela: where the river meets the sea
- Tambaba beach
João Pessoa: calm sea and natural pools
- Barra de Gramame: the capital's southernmost beach, where you can swim in fresh and salt water.
- Cabo Branco and Tambaú: the classic seafront, with promenade, craft fair and boats to Picãozinho.
- Manaíra and Bessa: the city's gentlest sea, good for children, with natural pools at Bessa at low tide.
- Picãozinho and Seixas: natural pools out at sea, by boat only and only at low tide.
Cabedelo: sandbanks and the sunset
- Poço beach: under 25 minutes from the capital, with sandbanks that rise in the middle of the sea.
- Ponta de Campina: calm, shallow sea, one of the best for children.
- Camboinha and Areia Vermelha: boats leave Camboinha for the sand island that only appears at low tide.
- Praia do Jacaré: not a swimming beach, but its sunset with Ravel's Boléro is the most famous in Paraíba.
North coast: Lucena, Rio Tinto, Baía da Traição and Mataraca
- Lucena: seven quiet beaches across the Paraíba river, reached by ferry from Cabedelo.
- Campina and Oiteiro (Rio Tinto): cliffs, dunes and open sea, with surfable waves.
- Barra de Mamanguape: a fishing village at the river mouth, a protected area for the manatee.
- Baía da Traição: beaches inside Potiguara territory, with villages, a lighthouse and the old fort's cannons.
- Barra de Camaratuba (Mataraca): 110 km away, river and sea on the same beach and almost no phone signal.
- Lucena and the bridge that will shorten the northern coast
- Rio Tinto, Barra de Mamanguape and Sapé, Paraíba
- Baía da Traição: beach and Potiguara land
- Barra de Camaratuba
Which beach for which trip
- With small children: Manaíra, Bessa, Ponta de Campina and Praia do Poço.
- For photos: Coqueirinho, Tabatinga and the Tambaba lookout.
- To swim with fish: Picãozinho and Seixas, by boat.
- For peace and quiet: Praia Bela, Lucena and Barra de Camaratuba.
- For surfing: Intermares, in Cabedelo, and Oiteiro, in Rio Tinto.
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