Teresina is the capital of the State of Piaui, Brazil. It is a hot, sleepy, and unpretentious town. It is not a coastal city and it has a small-town feeling. The city sits between the Parnaíba and Poti rivers. It is one of the hottest cities in Brazil, and is also an important center for hospitals and other health-related institutions.
Formerly called Nova Vila do Poti, Teresina replaced Oeiras as capital of Piauí in 1852. The city was named after the Brazilian Emperor's wife.
It is best not to drive at night through the remote highways of the Brazilian North and Northeast. Lack of shoulders and tall farm crops growing right up to the roadside make visibility difficult on curved stretches. You may hit a farm animal, such as a burro, and damage your car and injure yourself and passengers. Driving at night can also be dangerous since thieves and gangs can more easily create roadblocks at night to rob drivers.
Municipal bus service is provided by SETUT and costs R$2.10 (2013). Buses carry about 225,000 passengers a day in the city and you can get most anywhere you need to by bus. Don't take valuables with you if traveling by bus.
Taxis are affordable in Teresina and are a good alternative to renting a car if you don't plan on traveling too far outside of the city.
Teresina has a light rail system with 9 stations that was built on tracks laid in 1922 (it is referred to as a metro, but is completely an above-ground system). The rolling stock is new, but the stations are dilapidated and, with the exception of two stations (Engenheiro/Bandeira and Frei Serafim), are nowhere near where you would travel in Teresina as a visitor or even as a member of the upper poor class or higher. Most of the stations on the east side of the Poti River are on narrow, dead end streets in poor neighborhoods with no commerce nearby and no bus terminals. Station names can be a point of confusion for both locals and visitors. The west side terminus is referred to as "Bandeira" station, yet the station's official name is "Engenheiro Alberto Tavares Silva." "Novo Horizonte" is sometimes referred to as "Parque Ideal." Other stations on the east side also vary in name and have no signage to indicate which station you are at (e.g., Mercado, Itararé, Novo Horizonte).
Approximately 8,000 people ride the metro per day (225,000 ride buses per day). Although it was started in 1991 around the same time as larger and more successful metro systems in central and southern Brazil, the Metro appears to be more of a vanity project for local politicians than a useful transportation alternative to buses.
Benedict the Moore Church (Igreja São Benedito).
João Isidoro França Sesquicentennial Cable Suspension Bridge (lookout tower), Av. Raul Lopes (access road - lookout is on Av. Rio Poti), Bairro Fátima, -5.069843°, -42.80244°, +55 86 3215-7472. The 100-m (312-foot) lookout tower in the middle of the bridge is accessible by elevator with 360-degree views of the city and natural surroundings beyond.
O Encontro das Aguas, Rua Des. Flávio Furtado, 1421-1589 - Olarias, -5.035487°, -42.838776°. The river Poti flows into the river Parnaíba on its way to the Atlantic, 8 km north of the center. In the dry season their colour difference is very distinct, and they continue flowing side by side, even when merged into one body. There is a floating restaurant, a monument over local fishermen´s legend and boat trips are offered for R$3. The meeting is easily accessible from the city at Av. Boa Esperança.
Museu Histórico do Piauí, Praça Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca , S/N, Centro, +55 86 3221-6027. Tuesday to Friday from 8 to 11AM and 3 to 6PM, and on Saturday and Sunday from 8AM to noon. This state museum is divided into a series of exhibition rooms devoted to the history of the state; religious art; popular art; archaeology; fauna, flora and minerals; and an eclectic assortment of antique radios, projectors and other ancient wonders. Hidden in the corner of one room is a pathetic cabinet containing a flag, kerchief and some scribbled notes from comunistas, a flexible term used here to describe a group of independent thinkers, who were wiped out by the government in 1937. $R5
Parque Zoobotânico do Piauí, Rodovia PI 112, KM 5, +55 86 3216-2060. The botanical park is on the road going north from Teresina towards União. The zoo part of the park is fifty years behind the West with bored unhappy animals (including a blind lion) in cages and insects on pins. Happily the armadillos (tatu) are not in cages and are free to wander around the park with the visitors. Don’t swim in the lake – it is full of caimans (jacaré). The main attraction of the park is the collection of local flora.
Parque Potycabana. Potycabana Park is Teresina’s exercise park, situated in front of Teresina Shopping. You can play soccer, volleyball, and basketball, as well as take a jog, stroll, or roller blade around its winding paths. Roller blades are available for rent. It fills up in the early mornings and evenings due to Teresina's scorching climate. 2017-11-15
Mercado Troca-Troca ("barter"). This a place to exchange your kitchen sink for an old bicycle rather than buy a memento of Brazil. The market started under the vast fig tree that now stands behind the permanent roofing, on the banks of the River Parnaíba. It is fun for those who like a good rummage; the more refined may wish to give it a miss. 2017-11-15
Catedral de Nossa Senhora do Amparo.
Palácio de Karnak. This Greco-Roman structure once functioned as the governor's residence and contained valuable works of art and antiques. In the late 1980s, the outgoing governor made a quick exit, together with many of the valuable contents.
Cajuína is a sweet soft drink made from the cashew fruit, which link with Teresina was immortalized in the Caetano Veloso song "Cajuína"
The local cachaça brand is Mangueira.
Most nightlife is in the vicinity of Shopping Riverside. A few clubs along Avenida Nossa Senhora da Fátima
A few cheapies in front of the bus station, although this location is inconvenient if you don´t have your own car. The area between the centre and the hospital zone, south and east of Avendida Frei Serafim, is dotted with cheap pensões, although many of these seem more like hospital waiting rooms.
Primary administrative division