The Ponte Metálica — known locally as the Ponte dos Ingleses (Bridge of the English) — is a 155-metre iron pier stretching into the sea at Praia de Iracema. It was built in 1903 by the English firm Norton, Griffiths & Co. to allow ships to dock before the harbour was completed, and was designed by engineers from a generation that made iron engineering into public spectacle. Today it is a promenade, fishing point, and sunset-watching platform.
The bridge is at its best in the late afternoon, when fishing lines arc out into the water from both railings and the light turns the sea orange. It is also the symbolic heart of Fortaleza for locals — a point of civic pride and weekend rendezvous, particularly in the neighbourhood's bohemian evening scene. The small restaurant at the end of the pier is a pleasant if not remarkable place to eat; the view is the reason to come.