How far is Pitimbu from João Pessoa?

About 70 kilometres, along the south coast, passing through Conde.

Which is the quietest beach in Pitimbu?

Acaú is usually the recommendation: calm sea and sandbanks that form shallow bathing areas at low tide — good for those travelling with children.

What to do in Pitimbu with children

The Mucatu estuary, at Praia Bela, is the best-equipped spot, with restaurants, toilets and kayak, quad-bike and zip-line rides over the river.

Can I see Pitimbu in a day?

You can. At 70 kilometres from João Pessoa it works well as a day trip — and gives more if combined with the Conde beaches on the same route.

Pitimbu, the south coast without the crowds

Where it is

Pitimbu is on Paraíba's south coast, its town centre around 70 kilometres from João Pessoa — though Praia Bela, already inside the municipality, is about 45 — past Conde and close to the Pernambuco border. It is the quietest end of the Paraíba coast, and those who make it there are usually after exactly that.

The beaches

There are several, and they are quite different from one another:

Acaú — the best known, with calm sea and sandbanks that form shallow pools at low tide
Praia Bela — home to the Mucatu estuary, the municipality's most complete set of facilities
Ponta do Coqueiro, Guarita and Azul — more secluded stretches, with few people
Praia de Pitimbu — the central beach, next to the town, with a fishing tradition

Every beach, according to the official guide

The council's tourism guide lists more than a dozen beaches. Grouped by character:

Urban, with facilities: Praia de Pitimbu, in the centre, with guesthouses, bars and restaurants; Pontal, to the north, the last urban beach before the deserted ones; and Guarita, to the south, separated from the main beach by the Maceió river — the name comes from a sentry box of the old Pitimbu Fort.
Quiet holiday-home beaches: Praia dos Mariscos, with a family feel, and Praia Azul, with coconut palms and turquoise sea, good for walking.
Deserted and wild: Ponta de Coqueiros, with rough sea and plenty of palm shade, and Barra do Abiaí, south of Praia Bela, with no facilities, for surfing, stand-up paddleboarding and quad-bike rides.
River and sea: Praia Bela and Barra do Graú, where the river meets the sea, with beach shacks and kiosks; and Acaú, in the south.

Wide strip of sand and grass by the sea at Praia dos Mariscos, with palms and holiday homes — Photo: ismaelsantos · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Out at sea: Croas, the Farol and Pedra da Galé

Croas de Pitimbu: offshore reefs that form crystal-clear pools at low tide.
Farol natural pools: a few kilometres from the centre, by boat, with coral and good visibility for snorkelling.
Pedra da Galé: rocks almost 3 km offshore that, in colonial times, served as an anchorage for galleys — hence the name.

Fishermen pushing their jangada into the sea in the morning, at Praia dos Mariscos — Photo: ismaelsantos · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

All depend on low tide and a local boatman — check the tide table and arrange it on the beach.

Sunset at Pontinhas and Santa Rita

At the far south, at the mouth of the Goiana river on the border with Pernambuco, Pontinhas has calm dark water, white sand and views across to the neighbouring state. It is the place to end the day: its sunset is Pitimbu's postcard.

In the Santa Rita district, the church and cemetery of Santa Rita de Cássia, surrounded by local legends, stand beside a beach of tall palms and grassland. And from Acaú a jangada crossing goes to Carne de Vaca, already in Pernambuco.

What to do

The Mucatu estuary, at Praia Bela, is the best-equipped spot: restaurants, toilets and quad-bike, kayak and zip-line rides over the river.

Catamaran trips also run out to the region's natural pools. And fishing here is a local activity, not just a tourist one — which says a lot about the pace of the place.

Fishing boat on the sand at Pitimbu with village houses behind — Photo: ismaelsantos · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Is it worth including in the itinerary?

Worth it if you have at least a full day. The 70-kilometre distance makes Pitimbu an easy day trip from João Pessoa, and it usually works better combined with the Conde beaches along the same route.