Cheap flights to Natal
Set your departure airport and maximum budget: SniperAir tracks prices to Natal and alerts you the moment a deal matching your criteria appears.
Quick summary
Country
Brazil
Continent
South America
Airport
NAT
Currency
Brazilian real
Time zone
UTC-3
Deals already spotted to Natal
Real flight examples detected by SniperAir, with their reference price.
Loading examples…
Why track Natal with SniperAir
Brazil's 'city of the sun', between dunes, ocean and a Christmas fortress
Choose your departure
Enter your departure airport and your maximum budget for a flight to Natal (NAT).
SniperAir keeps watch
Our systems continuously compare new prices with the real price history of the route. SniperAir monitors prices and alerts you: it does not sell or book tickets.
You receive an alert
As soon as a price matches your criteria, you are notified, without having searched for anything yourself.
Natal is the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, on Brazil's north-eastern Atlantic coast, at the mouth of the Potengi river. It was founded on 25 December 1599, which is why its name means Christmas in Portuguese (Wikivoyage EN; Wikipedia FR, DE). English Wikipedia gives it just over 750,000 inhabitants in the 2022 census within about 167 km², one of the smallest state capitals by area, and the Brazilian Portuguese Wikipedia adds that it is nicknamed 'cidade do sol'. Wikivoyage (EN) says it is one of the eight most visited cities in Brazil, yet calmer than other big Northeastern cities such as Recife or Salvador, with a high quality of life and many holiday homes owned by wealthy Brazilians and foreigners. It was also a stop on the airmail route between Dakar and Natal in the early twentieth century (Wikipedia FR), and a US military base during the Second World War, when presidents Roosevelt and Vargas met here in 1943 (Wikipedia EN, ES). Visitors come for dunes, beaches and the fortress, and to use the city as a base for the Rio Grande do Norte coast. This guide reflects open sources only; SniperAir watches flight prices to NAT, compares them with the real history of the route and alerts you when one drops below your budget.
Airport and getting into town
A modern airport about 25 to 30 km from the centre, at São Gonçalo do Amarante
Natal - São Gonçalo do Amarante-Governador Aluízio Alves International Airport (NAT)
Rio Grande do Norte/São Gonçalo do Amarante-Governador Aluízio Alves International Airport (NAT) is in São Gonçalo do Amarante, in the Natal metropolitan area (Wikipedia EN, FR). It began operations on 31 May 2014 (Wikipedia FR, PT). The sources give different distances to the centre: about 25 km (Wikipedia EN airport article; Wikivoyage EN) and 30 km (Wikipedia EN city article), so plan on 25 to 30 km. English Wikivoyage mentions a city bus at the terminal door and a taxi ride of about 40 minutes to Ponta Negra; we publish no timetable or fare because both change. It also suggests comparing flights into Recife or João Pessoa, which can be reached by intercity bus.
Distance per Wikipedia (EN, airport article) and Wikivoyage (EN): about 25 km; Wikipedia (EN, city article): 30 km. No fares or timetables are published, as they change.
For price alerts, NAT is the code to follow. Wikivoyage (EN) also suggests looking at Recife (REC) and João Pessoa (JPA), reachable from Natal by intercity bus, so a second alert can make sense. Entry rules, travel advice, health recommendations and flight availability can differ depending on where you start from: check your own government's official guidance and confirm the actual flights before you book.
Landmarks
The bridge, the fortress, the dunes of Ponta Negra and the Potiguar coast
Natal is above all a coastal city: a fortress, a big bridge, towers facing the sea and beaches without end. The five views below are followed by other places mentioned in the sources.
The Newton Navarro Bridge and the fortress
The Newton Navarro Bridge, known as the Bridge of Everyone, crosses the Potengi river for about 1.8 km and rises up to 100 m according to Wikivoyage (EN); it opened to traffic in November 2007 (Wikipedia PT, DE). It links the north and east parts of the city and can be admired from the fortress right beside it or from Redinha (Wikivoyage EN).
The Three Wise Men fortress from above
The Forte dos Reis Magos, a star-shaped fortress, was the first milestone of the city on the right bank of the mouth of the Potengi (Wikipedia EN). Construction began on 6 January 1598, the day of Epiphany, which gave it its name (Wikipedia EN, DE). It was first built in earth, then rebuilt in stone and completed in 1614 (Wikipedia EN). Wikivoyage (EN) says it defended the coast against French pirates and can be reached by a footpath from the beach. We give no price or opening hours.
The Atlantic coast of Natal
Natal fronts the ocean to the east, with residential towers rising in the distance. To the south, Ponta Negra is the favourite beach of tourists and wealthier locals according to Wikivoyage (EN); it is overlooked by the Morro do Careca, a huge dune about 120 m high that symbolises the city and the state (Wikipedia EN, DE). Access to the dune is restricted because it belongs to a protected environmental zone (Wikipedia EN, FR). Ponta Negra gained a four-kilometre boardwalk with kiosks in 2000 (Wikipedia EN, ES).
A city of towers and beaches
Natal is one of the smallest Brazilian state capitals by area (Wikipedia EN, ES), hence its high density. Wikivoyage (EN) divides the city into four zones: the south, the most affluent and touristy with Ponta Negra; the east, with the historic centre and the fortress; the working-class north with Redinha beach; and the poorer west, home to the bus station.
A beach on the Rio Grande do Norte coast
The Potiguar coast combines dunes, lagoons, sandstone cliffs and vegetation (Wikivoyage EN). English and Spanish Wikipedia speak of dozens of white-sand beaches and warm water. Neighbouring beaches named by Wikivoyage (EN) include Pipa, Baía Formosa, Barra do Cunhaú and Genipabu, and German Wikipedia adds Tibau do Sul with its cliff. Be careful: Spanish Wikipedia warns of constant heavy surf, strong undertow and tides whose range exceeds two metres.
More places in and around Natal: the Natal Dunes State Park, the second-largest urban park in Brazil, visited along a trail with guides (Wikipedia EN); Genipabu, about 20 km north of Natal in the municipality of Extremoz, a complex of shifting dunes, a lagoon and an environmental protection area (Wikipedia EN, PT); the Via Costeira, a road and beaches beside the dunes park (Wikivoyage EN; Wikipedia FR); the 37 m Mãe Luíza lighthouse, inaugurated in 1951 (Wikipedia EN, ES); the Dom Nivaldo Monte City Park, an Oscar Niemeyer project (Wikipedia EN); and the Pirangi cashew tree, one of the largest trees in the world, covering over 8,000 m² (Wikipedia EN, DE).
Museums and culture
Local memory, sacred art and city museums
Cidade Alta and Ribeira, the historic centre
Wikivoyage (EN) places the historic centre in the Cidade Alta and Ribeira neighbourhoods; most of its buildings date from the 19th and early 20th centuries and mix colonial, neoclassical, Art Deco and modern styles. German Wikipedia names the Matriz church of Nossa Senhora da Apresentação, from 1599, the city's first church. Wikivoyage (EN) also lists the baroque Church of Santo Antônio, nicknamed the Igreja do Galo, from 1766.
Museums
English Wikipedia lists, among others, the Museum of Sacred Art, the Museum of Popular Culture, the state picture gallery, the Câmara Cascudo Museum and the Câmara Cascudo Memorial, devoted to the anthropologist and folklorist Luís da Câmara Cascudo (Wikivoyage EN), plus the Natal Aquarium; German Wikipedia adds the Sea Museum. We give no prices or hours; check opening days.
Theatre, festivals and an off-season carnival
The Alberto Maranhão Theatre, opened in 1904, is one of the city's landmarks (Wikipedia EN, ES). Natal also hosts Carnatal, an off-season carnival created in 1991 and held in November or December (Wikipedia EN, DE, PT), and the Festa Junina of St John on 24 June (Wikipedia EN). Dates change every year, so check before booking.
Food and drink
Ginga with tapioca, carne de sol, shrimp and tropical fruit juices
Fish and shellfish
According to Portuguese Wikipedia, Rio Grande do Norte cooking divides between the sea and the interior; Natal is best known for shrimp (notably bobó de camarão), lobster and caranguejada. The emblematic dish is ginga com tapioca, fish fried in very hot palm oil and served with tapioca (Wikipedia PT); Wikivoyage (EN) says the best is served at the Redinha public market, which is best avoided on crowded Sundays.
Northeastern dishes
Portuguese Wikipedia lists for Natal baião de dois, carne de sol (sun-dried beef), chicken cuscuz, paçoca and tapioca, plus cheeses such as coalho and cashew sweets. Juices and sweets from tropical fruit such as mango, passion fruit and cashew are everywhere.
Beaches and markets
Wikivoyage (EN) notes plenty of seafood restaurants with outdoor seating along the beaches, and that kiosks provide chairs and tables, free if you consume or for a fee to be agreed in advance. Portuguese Wikipedia mentions the Beco da Lama gastronomic festival, usually between late November and early December. We name no addresses or brands.
Getting around
Buses, ride-hailing, car and buggy: getting around Natal
Buses and apps
Wikivoyage (EN) says buses leave from the shopping centres for almost everywhere in the city, and that ride-hailing apps work. Urban trains are cheap but do not reach any major tourist sight (Wikivoyage EN). We publish no fares.
Renting a car
Wikivoyage (EN) finds a rental car convenient for day trips outside the city, since even beaches in neighbouring Parnamirim and Extremoz are complicated to reach by public transport. English Wikipedia describes road access via the BR-101 and the Sun Route (Rota do Sol) to the southern beaches, and the Newton Navarro bridge to the north.
Dunes and buggies
Exploring the coast by buggy, on the sand rather than on a road, is one of the most cited local activities (Wikivoyage EN; Wikipedia PT). Wikivoyage (EN) warns that unlicensed drivers exist and accidents happen; the Genipabu dunes shift, since the wind moves the sand, which carries some risk for anyone who does not know the ground (Wikipedia PT). We name no operator or price: choose a registered provider and ask locally.
Budget and precautions
Budget, health and general precautions
Price level
Wikivoyage (EN) presents Natal as a heavily visited resort city, but the open sources we read do not allow us to publish reliable, cross-checked price ranges, so we give no amounts. The currency is the Brazilian real.
Flights, entry rules and health
SniperAir monitors prices to NAT and compares them with the route's history, but it does not sell or book tickets. Entry rules, health recommendations (vaccinations, precautions against mosquito-borne diseases) and travel advice vary depending on where you travel from and may change, so check your government's official advice and see a health professional before travelling, and take out suitable travel insurance.
Safety, sea and sun
Be careful in town and on the beaches: follow the advice of local authorities and of your own government. For swimming, Spanish Wikipedia notes heavy surf, strong currents and tides; the sun is strong all year, so carry sun protection and plenty of water.
When to go
A hot tropical climate all year, with a rainy season from March to July
March to July: the rainy season
Wikivoyage (EN) and Portuguese Wikipedia place the rains between March and July, and German Wikipedia mentions 100 to 200 mm a month from January to July. About 1,700 mm falls in a year (Wikipedia EN, PT).
August to December: drier
German Wikipedia says little rain falls from August to December. This is the period often picked for beaches and dunes, though the festival calendar (Carnatal late in the year) can also affect crowds.
Temperatures
Wikivoyage (EN) gives averages between 23 °C and 30 °C, steady all year thanks to the trade winds. February is the warmest month and July the coolest, with little difference (Wikipedia EN); the annual mean is about 25 to 26 °C according to Wikipedia (FR, DE, ES).
English Wikipedia classes the climate of Natal as tropical wet and dry (As), with heat and high humidity all year, eased by trade winds from the ocean. German Wikipedia stresses a very small range, about 6 °C between day and night on an annual average.
By length of stay
What to do in Natal depending on how long you stay
The essentials
The Three Wise Men fortress and the bridge, Ponta Negra beach and the Morro do Careca, a sunset on the Potengi or along the Via Costeira.
Natal in depth
The dunes park, the historic centre (Cidade Alta and Ribeira), one museum, and a day out to the Genipabu dunes with a registered provider.
Beyond the city
The beaches to the south (Pirangi, Pipa, Baía Formosa) or to the north, according to Wikivoyage (EN) and Wikipedia (DE); a rental car is often useful for these trips.
In pictures
Natal in pictures
You might also like
Similar destinations
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about flights to Natal
How far is NAT airport from Natal?
São Gonçalo do Amarante-Governador Aluízio Alves Airport (NAT) is about 25 to 30 km from the centre depending on the source (Wikipedia EN; Wikivoyage EN). It began operations on 31 May 2014 (Wikipedia FR, PT).
What should I see first in Natal?
The Three Wise Men fortress, the Newton Navarro Bridge, Ponta Negra beach and the Morro do Careca, the dunes park and the historic centre, according to Wikipedia (FR, EN, DE) and Wikivoyage (EN).
Is Genipabu worth a visit?
It is a complex of dunes, a lagoon and a protected area about 20 km north, often visited by buggy (Wikipedia EN, PT). The dunes shift and unlicensed drivers exist (Wikipedia PT; Wikivoyage EN), so choose a registered provider. We name no operator.
When is the best time to visit Natal?
The climate is hot all year, between 23 °C and 30 °C according to Wikivoyage (EN); the rainy season runs from March to July (Wikivoyage EN; Wikipedia PT), and the rest of the year is drier.
What entry requirements and health precautions apply for Brazil?
Official advice varies depending on where you travel from and may change: check your own government's recommendations and see a health professional before booking.
How many days do I need in Natal?
Two days cover the fortress, the bridge and Ponta Negra, three to four add the dunes park, the historic centre and Genipabu, and five or more allow you to explore the Potiguar coast.
How much does a flight to Natal usually cost?
The price depends mainly on your departure city, the time of year and how far ahead you book. The "opportunities" section above shows real examples of prices SniperAir has already detected to this destination.
How do I get alerted when a flight to Natal drops below my budget?
Create an alert profile with your departure airport, Natal (NAT) as the destination and your maximum budget. You are notified automatically as soon as a matching price is detected. SniperAir monitors and alerts, it does not sell or book tickets.
Ready to head to Natal?
Set your budget and let SniperAir monitor fares for you.
Create my alert