Tambaú is João Pessoa's main beach strip — a wide arc of sand backed by a seafront promenade, hotels, restaurants, and the landmark Tambaú Hotel, a circular modernist building that juts out into the sea and has become one of the city's most recognisable images. The beach is accessible, well-served by buses from the Lagoa, and lively in the evenings when families and couples come out to eat at the kiosks along the orla.
The water here is generally calm and warm, though the beach itself gets crowded at weekends. A reef about 500 metres offshore makes for pleasant snorkelling at low tide. Tambaú is also the neighbourhood with the widest range of restaurants, bars, and accommodation — it's where most visitors to the city base themselves.