City Tour Olinda and Recife

We met Olinda on February 1st. Arriving in the Alto da Sé has several accredited guides and with a blue shirt offering to make the tour. As we went without any script we ended up "hunting" one of those local guide who is there and was very worth it. Whoever accompanied us was Diogo. He took us to all the sights and took several pictures of us. We were with a baby of 1 year and the pass was quite quiet, lasted about 3 hours. First we get to know the entire upper part of Olinda, Cathedral da Sé, House of Giant Dolls... and then we drive to the lower part, where the carnival takes place. The guide goes to the car with us explaining all the points and at the end left us a restaurant on the edge of Olinda (which is more in mind, the restaurants in the upper part are much more expensive). For those who want to meet, one afternoon is enough.

The driver and bus service is just compliments. They were punctual (which is rare in tourist tours in Porto de Galinhas where I left), clean bus, polite and careful driver in the direction. But I did not contract a transfer, but a tour and the guide did not bring practically any information, it was only a matter of taking us to the establishments agreed and where he receives commission for the group's purchases. The lunch also had no prior guidance and there was no more consideration, since we were taken to an isolated restaurant and with a well-salted price. There was an episode of the guide Vagner who started complaining with everyone about the delay of some participants and being in the queue of a craft store that he himself insisted everyone to enter. I was quite frustrated with the guide service and the lack of historical information, expecting a more informative tour and with fewer stops at handicrafts and souvenirs. Other guides who were conducting groups at the same points, facilitated and oriented their groups on queues, history, admission and took photos including...in our group we did not have these services available. On the return, the guide Vagner stayed all the time on the cell phone in private calls and did not even talk low...without paying any attention to the tourists...and had a girl who even passed the point of his hotel and had to get off and back from Uber...even when she came off the bus, the guide Vagner commented that she should have warned that she had seen his hotel. Without notion and without any desire to provide tour service =( unfortunately we had a whole day that could have been quite rich in information and knowledge and was not. An additional suggestion is to provide a location and optional stop for an afternoon snack in Olinda as there was nothing.

Very good Guide, good bus. The tour lacked an explanation of the script. I understood everything would be done by bus. In Olinda, it was warned that, either we would walk the tour or with jeeps, paying R$60.00 per person, more than had already been agreed, because the bus can not make the route. It was only warned at the moment. I found a lack of transparency when we chose the tour. And we didn't have time to visit the Recife handicraft market. From Mark Zero, we're back for the bus.