As a city,
VITÓRIA is vaguely reminiscent of Rio with its combination of sea, steep hills, granite outcrops and irregularly shaped mountains on the horizon. Founded in 1551, it's one of the oldest cities in Brazil, but few traces of its past remain and nowadays most of the centre is urban sprawl. Vitória is not a tourist town, and few people visit it unless they have a very definite reason. The heart of Vitória is an island connected to the mainland by a series of bridges, but the city has long since broken its natural bounds, spreading onto the mainland north and south: the major beach areas are on these mainland zones,
Camburi to the north and
Vila Velha with its beach
Praia da Costa to the south. Vitória is renowned as the world capital of marlin fishing. It also has the unfortunate distinction of having the highest murder rate in Brazil and, although violence is unlikely to affect the casual visitor, appropriate care should be taken.
The City
The city is built into a steep hillside overlooking the docks, but the main streets are all at shore level. The name of the street that hugs the shore changes as you go eastwards from the Rodoviária, initially called Avenida Elias Miguel, then Avenida Getúlio Vargas, Avenida Mal. de Moraes and finally Avenida Beira Mar, but the whole stretch is generally known to locals as
Avenida Beira Mar . From the Avenida Beira Mar, you can catch buses to the beach districts; the yellow TRANSCOL bus #500 goes over the massive
Terceira Ponte (third bridge) to the southern district of town,
Vila Velha , handy for the
Praia da Costa and site of the
Convento da Penha , with its spectacular views over the city. From the bridge itself you can also get a good idea of Vitória's layout.
From Avenida Jerônimo Monteiro , the main shopping street, a number of stairways ( escadarias) lead to the colonial Palácio de Anchieta, now the state governor's palace. Just down from here the pleasant, tree-shaded Praça Costa Pereira is the heart of the downtown area with its Teatro Carlos Gomes, a replica of La Scala in Milan built between 1925 and 1927.
At the western end of Avenida Beira Mar is the city's oldest inhabited quarter, the Ilha do Príncipe , a labyrinth of narrow paths and blind alleys. It occupies a small but very steep hill behind the Rodoviária, and although no trace remains of the original dwellings the atmosphere is of a bygone age, with houses constructed one on top of another, many of them propped up on stilts, complete with the stench of broken sewers and mounds of garbage. Tourists seldom venture here, but it's well worth an hour's ramble for an alternative insight into daily Vitórian life, and harbours a few local bars should you wish to hang out a while longer. But do take care, avoid the area at night, and leave valuables in your hotel.
