Brazil · Rio Grande do Norte · Natal
Cidade Alta, Natal — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Cidade Alta, also known as Centro, is the oldest neighbourhood of Natal, created in 1599 in what became the capital of Rio Grande do Norte.
About Cidade Alta
Where to stay in Cidade Alta
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
The bairro is walkable throughout. Anyone basing themselves in Cidade Alta wakes within a few streets of the Memorial Câmara Cascudo, the Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora da Apresentação and the Coluna Capitolina, which suits a short museum-and-church trip in Natal. The neighbourhood answers to two names, Cidade Alta and Centro.
Rio Grande do Norte's capital carries its oldest ground here, and travellers who want the Museu Ludovicus - Instituto Câmara Cascudo on the doorstep will find it a short walk away.
About Cidade Alta
What are the main landmarks in Cidade Alta?
Churches set the pattern here. The Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora da Apresentação shares its dedication with another Natal neighbourhood, and the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos and the Igreja de Santo Antônio stand within the same handful of blocks. The Coluna Capitolina marks the same old ground.
Two museums carry the name of Câmara Cascudo, the Memorial Câmara Cascudo and the Museu Ludovicus - Instituto Câmara Cascudo.
What is the history of Cidade Alta?
The date is on record. Cidade Alta was created on 25 December 1599, the first neighbourhood laid out in Natal, and it kept the working name Centro as the rest of the city spread outward from it. Parish churches followed.
The Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos and the Igreja de Santo Antônio remain among its older buildings, and the Museu Ludovicus - Instituto Câmara Cascudo keeps a record of that past.
Where is Cidade Alta?
Cidade Alta holds the middle of Natal, where the Coluna Capitolina and the Igreja de Santo Antônio stand a few blocks apart.
Good for
More areas in Natal
Updated September 2026