Petrolina is a city in the São Francisco Valley (Vale do São Francisco), in the southernmost point of the state of Pernambuco, in Brazil. With over 340,000 inhabitants (2017), it is one of the largest cities of the Northeast's Sertão, a mostly semi-arid and sparsely populated region. However, Petrolina stands as the major city and business center of the São Francisco Valley, a fertile area thanks to the irrigation from the São Francisco river. It is a major exporter of fruits and a growing enotourism destination.
The São Francisco Valley is an agricultural region, in-between the states of Bahia and Pernambuco irrigated by the São Francisco river. It is a major fruit exporter, especially grapes, mangos and bananas, and a growing center of production of Brazilian wines and sparkling wines. Petrolina is the largest city and business center of the region, and contains the region's only international airport. Petrolina is certainly the most convenient base for business travellers and enotourism enthusiasts to explore the region, as besides the airport, it contains the best array of hotels, transportation, and more upscale bars and restaurants which are rare in other cities of the region.
If you plan to do agro- and eno-tourism, definitely a car would be highly recommended unless you plan to take the Vapor do Vinhos boat tour in Juazeiro. Car rental agencies are readily available at the airport and at the city center, with prices typically starting from R$ 150 per day. To move exclusively around Petrolina or to the nearby town of Juazeiro it is not cost-effective to rent a car. Taxis are available at the airport, at taxi stands, and by calling, but are often not that frequent to hail on the street.
1 Catedral Sagrado Coração de Jesus e Cristo Rei, Praça Dom Malan, S/N - Centro, Petrolina. The Cathedral of Petrolina is one of the city's most recognisable and attractive sights, built in Neo-Gothic style and inaugurated in 1929. In front of the cathedral lies the O presente de Padre Cícero a Dom Malan sculpture, that represents the scene of Padre Cícero, one of Brazil's most popular religious leaders, giving the cathedral's clock as a gift to the first bishop of Petrolina, Don Malan. In the north side of the cathedral lies the Concha Acústica (acoustic shell), built in Modernist style in 1973 and that resembles an open bible.
The main highlight of Petrolina is getting out of the city and exploring the São Francisco Valley region, either by car or by boat. Apart from that, some possible activities in the city include: 1 Parque Aquático Ilha do Sol, Estrada da Tapera, Km 3, s/n - Zona Rural, ☏ +55 87 3861-4398. W-Su 08:00-17:00. A modest water park facing the São Francisco river, it is a good way to refresh from the daytime heat and enjoy the city's abundant sunshine. (updated Jan 2018) 2 Ilha do Rodeadouro (take Av. Luís de Souza to the west of the city to the Juarez pier, then take a ferry). The island in the São Francisco river contains Petrolina's only beach, which is a popular place for bathing on weekends.
Petrolina has probably the widest range and highest quality of eating options of the São Francisco Valley. It has some excellent Brazilian Northeastern restaurants, with goat meat being the local speciality. Surprisingly, the city also has a quite significant number of Japanese (actually more like Brazilian-Japanese) restaurants, due to having a significant Japanese-Brazilian community, originated from São Paulo, and active in the farming and retail sectors. 1 Bodódromo, Av. São Francisco, s/n - Areia Branca, Petrolina, 56330-095.
Petrolina's variety of nightlife spots is unparalleled in the São Francisco Valley and Sertão regions, ranging from simple botecos and riverside kiosks to high-end bars, gastropubs and nightclubs. The highest concentrations of watering roles are in the Orla and surrounding streets, and nearby the Bodódromo.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Sep, Petrolina typically sees ~32°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
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