Sobral
Brazil · Americas
About Sobral
Sobral is a municipality in the state of Ceará, Brazil.
Sobral is the fifth largest municipality of Ceará, after Fortaleza. Its economy is based on agriculture, services and some manufacturing industries. The city has two public universities: Universidade Federal do Ceará and Universidade Estadual do Vale do Acaraú. It also has private universities, such as Faculdade Luciano Feijão, Unopar, and UNINTA − a theological institute. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sobral.
The city is known for being the place where the astronomical observation of a solar eclipse on May 29, 1919, by a team of British scientists led by Sir Frank Watson Dyson was offered as the first proof of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, which had been published in 1916. The town's Museu do Eclipse ("Museum of the Eclipse") celebrates this event. There is a monument in Patrocínio Square marking the location of this solar eclipse. A planetarium was also inaugurated in 2015 next to this monument.
𝙎𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙤𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙡
Sobral travel guide
Getting there
Easily accessible by bus from Fortaleza (several companies, every hour, 4 hours journey), or, in the other direction, Teresina. Daily minibuses (except Sunday) to Jericoacoara (change to 4x4 at Jijoca) at 11:00 from Churrascaria o Nunato opposite the bus station. (This ride can take up to 4 hours, as it stops everywhere.)
Getting around
Mostly walkable, or mototaxis take you virtually anywhere within the city for R$ 3-4.
See
Sobral has its share of colonial architecture. Mostly its churches, notably the cathedral, and also along the Avenida Dom José. More modern lines can be found along the river, including the Biblioteca Municipal, built on the grounds of an old cat food factory.
Do
Stroll along the riverfront between the two bridges.
Buy
Many smaller businesses close for lunch.
Eat
Watch out for the local specialty panelada, mostly made from pork tripes.
Drink & nightlife
Good Lanches (Near the university). It´s really a snack bar, but turns into quite a party on weekends. Bar da Boa, Praça São João. Warm up venue. Choupana. Forró the rustic way. Coqueiros. Where the rich kids go to dance. Entry R$ 7.
Sleep
Hotel Hugo Palace (Right next to the bus station). Bright and clean. Single R$ 50, double R$ 60.
Go next
Ubajara National Park Serra da Meruoca is refreshing. 1 hour by pick up truck (leaves as soon as it fills up) from Sobral´s Mercado.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.