Fortaleza is famous for its urban beaches, Praia de Iracema and Praia Meireles, where you can enjoy swimming or simply lazing in the beachfront bars and people watching.

Considered one of the most important colonial military structures in the Caribbean, it was completed in 1577 and later served as a prison from the 19th century through the Trujillo years. Now a museum, touring the fort reveals the original canons facing the Atlantic, ancient weapons, and numerous hidden chambers.