Les meilleurs hôtels à Vitória

In its earlier days, Vit¢ria was a lawless place. During the height of the colonial gold exportation, Vit¢ria and nearby Vila Velha became popular smuggling ports. Vit¢ria is still an important shipping area, but now the ships that sail into the Atlantic's waters legitimately carry iron ore, coffee, and timber to foreign ports. Capital of the state of Esp¡rito Santo, Vit¢ria is the main island of a 33-island archipelago. Right across the city's two bridges is Vila Velha ("Old Town"), the nucleus of the original settlement. Although the colonial-style houses, churches, and forts of its past have been preserved, Vit¢ria is a modern city with a well-developed tourist infrastructure; hotels, bars, and numerous restaurants cater to visitors who come for its beaches and relaxed atmosphere. The city's distinctive cuisine relies heavily on seafood, in keeping with its coastal location, and moqueca capixaba (fish stew) and torta capixaba (seafood pie) show up on many restaurant menus. Both locals and tourists flock to the popular white-sand beaches of Vila Velha and Praia da Costa. The 40-kilometer-long coastline of Esp¡rito Santo begs for exploration. Along the way, the towns of Guarapari, Serra, Anchieta, and Marataises offer their own charms and dazzling beaches. A centuries-old religious celebration, the Penha Festival, draws thousands to the cliff-top fortified monastery of Nossa Senhora da Penha in Vila Velha during the week after Easter. In Concei?ao da Barra, the annual Ticumbi-Congo Ball of Sao Benedito is a festival that combines Catholic ritual with dramatized mythological elements. Esp¡rito Santo is known as the land of hummingbirds because the state's forests are filled with them. The Atlantic Rain Forest in the mountains of Esp¡rto Santo preserves the region's rare species of animals in a tropical paradise of thundering waterfalls and vivid orchids.