Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
0 comments 
Vitória is the city with the second best quality of life among Brazilian capitals, formed by 33 islands on the Capixaba coast, with an HDI of 0.845, the best score in education in the country among capitals and urban beaches just minutes from any point, yet it remains forgotten on the routes of the Southeast.
Formed by an archipelago of 33 islands on the coast of Espírito Santo, Vitória is a city that delivers what many Brazilian capitals promise and few fulfill. This city is the capital with the second best quality of life in Brazil, second only to Florianópolis, and features urban beaches, preserved mangroves, views of the Third Bridge, and the historic ensemble of the Convento da Penha, from 1558, in neighboring Vila Velha. All just a few minutes by car from any point in the city. Even so, almost no one thinks of Vitória when planning to live or travel in the Southeast.
What makes this city even more impressive are the numbers that support it. In the 2024 study Challenges of Municipal Management by Macroplan Analytics, Vitória ranked 4th among all Brazilian capitals and received the best score in education among them. In the Connected Smart Cities ranking, which evaluates 75 indicators of governance, health, mobility, and telecommunications, the city consistently appears among the smartest in the country and leads in the Health axis. Founded in 1551, this city is also the third oldest capital in Brazil.
Why this city with 33 islands goes unnoticed on the routes of the Southeast
The answer lies partially in geography and partially in the travel culture of Brazilians. Vitória occupies a main island surrounded by 32 smaller islands, connected by seven bridges to the mainland, creating a compact network that shortens travel times and brings the beach closer to the center.
-
Drones come into action as teams of young people build 74 artificial dams and 100 rock structures to contain erosion, restore threatened streams, and try to return moisture and stability to degraded areas.
-
Have you ever wondered why the clock shows 60 minutes and not 100? The answer involves a mystery of 5,000 years that began in Mesopotamia, and no one has been able to change it to this day.
-
A 90-meter secret corridor remained hidden for 2,000 years under gladiator sand in Croatia and now reveals how the Roman Empire organized death away from the public eye.
-
Capable of flying above Mach 3.3 at nearly 29,000 meters altitude and crossing up to 4,800 km without a pilot, the secret drone D-21 was created to invade forbidden territories faster than any fighter jet and disappear before being detected.
But when tourists think of the Southeast coast, the names that come to mind are Rio de Janeiro, Búzios, and Ubatuba. The Capixaba city falls off the radar due to a lack of exposure, not a lack of attractions.
The medium-sized city rhythm that Vitória maintains is exactly what many people seek without knowing it exists. The estimated population is 343,378 people, and the HDI of 0.845 is classified as very high by IBGE.
It is a city where traffic does not paralyze, where the beach is minutes from the commercial center, and where public management appears in national efficiency rankings. Those who know it rarely want to leave. Those who do not know cannot even imagine that this city exists in its current form.
What to do between urban beaches and colonial history in this city
The itinerary through the capital combines beach, landscape, and heritage at short distances. Camburi Beach is the largest urban beach in the city, with about 6 kilometers of shoreline, boardwalk, and bike lane frequented in the morning and at dusk.
The Curva da Jurema offers calm waters with a direct view of the Third Bridge, considered the city’s postcard and officially named the Deputy Darcy Castello de Mendonça Bridge.
The Historic Center of the city preserves colonial mansions, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Anchieta Palace, the seat of the state government. The Fonte Grande Park, the largest urban green area in Vitória, offers trails on the hill and a viewpoint overlooking the entire archipelago.
For those crossing the Third Bridge to Vila Velha, the Convento da Penha awaits atop a 154-meter cliff, with a panorama of the bay, the bridge, and the Atlantic.
The Convento da Penha and the history of almost five centuries that marks this city
The most symbolic historical ensemble of Greater Vitória has crossed almost five centuries. The Convento da Penha began in 1558 with the arrival of the Spanish friar Pedro Palácios and was listed by IPHAN in 1943.
The sanctuary is one of the oldest in Brazil and attracts thousands of faithful during the Festa da Penha, which mobilizes the entire state between March and April.
The connection between the city of Vitória and Vila Velha via the Third Bridge transforms the two into a functional urban unit. In just a few minutes by car, residents or visitors leave an urban island with beaches and commerce and arrive at a historic cliff with an ocean view.
Few Brazilian capitals offer this combination of urban compactness and historical depth in the same metropolitan area.
The numbers that place this city among the best capitals to live in Brazil
In addition to quality of life and education, Vitória stands out in indicators that measure the efficiency of a city as a functional organism. The City Hall of Vitória highlights the city as a reference among capitals, with simultaneous advances in health, education, and public management.
The fact that it leads the Health axis in Connected Smart Cities and ranks among the top four capitals in the Macroplan study is no coincidence. It is the result of consistent investments in areas that directly affect the daily lives of residents.
The indigenous people called the territory Guananira, or Island of Honey, in reference to the calm waters of the bay and the abundance of the mangrove. Originally, the archipelago gathered about 50 islands, a number reduced by landfills over the centuries.
The city that now operates on 33 islands retains in its urban structure the traits of a geography that has always favored those who lived there: sea on all sides, constant breeze, and a rhythm that resists the acceleration of large metropolises.
Why this city could be the next discovery for those seeking quality of life
Vitória does not need more rankings to prove its worth. It needs visibility because the city delivers what the most sought-after capitals in the Southeast demand in price and urban chaos, but without the disadvantages that accompany fame.
The cost of living is more affordable than in Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, traffic is manageable, the beaches are real and accessible, and public education leads among capitals.
For those thinking about changing their life, investing in real estate, or simply discovering a destination that does not appear on obvious itineraries, this city deserves to be on the list. The Third Bridge is not just a postcard.
It is the gateway to a functioning capital that preserves its heritage and delivers measurable quality of life in data, not just in feelings. Vitória is the city that Brazil forgot to promote, but it does not need promotion for those who know it up close.
Have you visited Vitória or did you know that this city has 33 islands and the best score in education among capitals? What surprised you the most: the numbers or the fact that almost no one talks about it? Share in the comments. Underrated capitals deserve to be discovered, and Vitória is at the top of that list.
Seja o primeiro a reagir!