Source: wikitravel: http://wikitravel.org
History
Founded in 1551, is the third oldest capital of Brazil, after Salvador and Recife. For a long time it was only a ‘city-port’, suffering various French, British and Dutch attacks, after sugar and ‘pau-brasil’.
Its name is attributed to a victory over the native Indians, when, seeking refuge, the Portuguese fled to the island, and then achieved victory, renaming the village, at the time known only as “Vila Nova”, to “Vila Nova da Vitória”. It has many nicknames, like Ilha do Mel (Honey Island), Cidade Sol (Sun City) and others. It's often referred by the locals as simply "VIX" (the IATA code for its airport).
Geography
It is located in the southeastern region of Brazil, the most developed in the country. The location is strategic, close to the big urban centers, and it is, in average, one hour away by plane from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.
Circled by the Bay of Vitória, the main island has mangroves, beaches, granite formations and many smaller islands.
The municipality of Vitória is made of an archipelago with 34 islands and a continental area. Its total area is 104 km2, including the main island, the continental area, the coastal islands and the oceanic islands of Trindade and Martin Vaz. It used to have more than 50 islands, but now many of them have been incorporated, by landfills, to the main island.
The highest point is the Maciço da Fonte Grande, a granite formation 309 meters tall, and then there is the Pedra dos (Dois) Olhos, 296 meters tall.
The climate is tropical humid, with a maximum average temperature of 30,4ºC and a minimum of 24ºC, with most of the rainfall in the months between October and January.
Get in
By plane
Vitória Airport (VIX) - also known as Eurico Salles Airport - is located near the north end of Camburi beach. It's about 10 minutes by taxi to most hotels and served by many bus lines. It receives daily flights from most state capitals in the country, mostly via Rio de Janeiro (the nearest gateway),São Paulo, Belo Horizonte or Salvador.
Among the main airlines serving the airport are TAM , Gol and Azul
The bus line 212 direction Aeroporto / B.Mar x Mario Cyprestes takes you from the airport via the Camburi beach, the port and the city center to the main bus station in 50-60 minutes.
By bus
Vitória's long-distance bus station is downtown, also with many bus lines serving it. There are many buses arriving and leaving during the day from cities like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Brasília and others. It's around 20 minutes away from most of the hotels by taxi and 30 to 35 minutes by bus. The bus 212 Aeroporto / B.Mar x Mario Cyprestes takes you from the bus station via the city center, the port and the Camburi beach to the airport in 50-60 minutes.
The bus trip from Rio de Janeiro takes about 8 hours, and from São Paulo some 14 hours, but most of the bus times are at night, making the trip not as tiring and time-wasting.
By train
The train station is located in the city of Cariacica (Greater Vitória) and connects the city to Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais.
By car
The two main roads are the BR-101, which runs south-north just inland of the coast, linking Vitória to Rio de Janeiro, to the south, and Salvador, to the north, and BR-262, that runs east-west, leaving Vitória and going to Belo Horizonte. Another road, local highway 60, runs along the coast southward to Guarapari.
Get around
By bus
The website Ponto Vitória [6] (in Portuguese) lists bus connections in the city. For Transcol buses, which cross city boundaries connecting the whole Grande Vitória metropolitanean area, please check CETURB (in Portuguese). Prices are R$2.45 per fare. Transfers at the terminals (eg Terminal Ibes, Terminal Vila Velha, etc) are free.
See
- Parque Pedra da Cebola (Onion Rock Park) - Located in the Jardim da Penha neighborhood near the university, the centerpiece of this park is an unusual rock formation. A popular place for local couples to hang out.
- Parque da Fonte Grande - Located in the central portion of the island, this is the biggest park of Vitória, preserving an important remaining area of the Atlantic Forest. Visitors can choose from many planned walks inside the forest and spot native animals such as snakes, small mammals, and many species of birds. The area's highlight is its 309m high mountain from which you can appreciate beautiful views from Vitória and nearby cities. To get there from the neighborhood of Praia do Canto, take the direction of Maruípe and make a right turn on the Police Station Headquartes, towards Serafim Derenzi Road. From there, just keep going straight ahead until you see the sign to get in the park. The route should take 15 minutes by car. The park is open from tuesday to sunday, from 8am to 5pm.
- Praça dos Namorados - A very long beachside park that runs from the yacht club at Praia do Canto all the way down to Curva da Jurema near Shopping Vitória.
- Catedral Metropolitana, Vitória's cathedral, dates from 1970. Located downtown.
- Capela de Santa Luzia, near the cathedral, is Vitória's oldest religious building. Open weekdays 8AM to 6 PM. Tel.(27)3222-3219
- Convento da Penha - Just across the Terceira Ponte (Third Bridge), in Vila Velha (Espírito Santo) is this hilltop Franciscan convent dating from the 16th century. It is open from Monday to Saturday from 5:15 AM to 4:45 PM and on Sundays from 4:15 AM to 4:45 PM. See more information here: http://conventodapenha.org.br
