The best places to visit in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

FREE WALKING TOUR

As one of the things I love to do is share good free things. On this walking tour you can schedule to visit the historic center of Salvador and the neighborhood. Click here and schedule your tour

LIGHTHOUSE: FAROL DA BARRA

Symbol of Salvador, the fortification is one of the oldest in Brazil. At the same place is also the Nautical Museum of Bahia, which preserves crockery, cutlery and personal objects from the more than 400 castaways of the Portuguese galleon Sacramento, which sank in 1668.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
January and July: Monday to Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Price: R$ 15,00 | R$ 5,00 students

LACERDA ELEVATOR – the way to the low city

The elevator is the connection between the city and the “Pelourinho” (pillory). The trip is around 20 seconds and there is nothing to see. But from the top (73 m) you can see the Model Market (Mercado Modelo) and the Bay of All Saints (Baía de Todos os Santos

Location: Praça da Sé, s/n – Historical Center, Salvador

PILLORY (Pelourinho)

Since 1985, the Historical Center of Salvador has been hosting churches from the 17th and 18th centuries and  workshops, shops, museums, cultural centers, bars, restaurants and inns, all the place constructed in Portuguese baroque style.

Tip: do not drive outside the tourist area – some streets to the right of Largo do Cruzeiro, where the Church and Convent of San Francisco are located, are dangerous and should not be explored.

Remember that vehicles do not circulate here. There are two parking lots for those arriving by car from Castro Alves Square. Turn right onto Padre Vieira Street, left onto Rua da Ajuda, follow signs for parking and pass in front of the Church of the Third Order of San Francisco. Turning right, you arrive at the only 24-hour parking lot (more expensive); Going straight, you find another, which closes at night (cheaper). The best, however, is to get to the Pelourinho by taxi and drop off near the Mercado Modelo, in the Cidade Baixa, and then climb the Elevador Lacerda.

CHURCH AND CONVENT OF SÃO FRANCISCO

Built with Portuguese government resources and donations from the faithful. The church has two relatively simple towers and a more elaborate pediment. In the chapel and the cloister, paintings on almost 55,000 tiles show the life of St. Francis. The amount of gold, the richness of detail and the size make it the main representative of the baroque of Bahia.

Tip: When you are inside the place, you’ll see a wall full of panels. Look at them with attention, they depict pagan scenes and bear epigraphs of the Roman poet Horace. Inside, note the altars, with golden carvings of baroque and rococo influences.

Hint: Avoid the praying times (3am, 7am, 8am, 4pm and 6pm, Saturday at 7:30 am, Sunday at 8am), when admission is free, but it is forbidden to walk around the chapel and visit the cloister. The visit can be done without monitoring: guides do not usually reach the artistic complexity of the church, and do not always have secure information.

Location: Largo do Cruzeiro de São Francisco (Pelourinho)

Open: Monday from 9h to 17h30 | Wednesday from 9am to 4pm | Wednesday to Saturday from 9 am to 5:30 pm | Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

Price: R $ 5.00.

TAMAR PROJECT

The Praia do Forte Visitor Center was created in 1982. Together with the research base, it occupies a total area of ​​ten thousand square meters, provided by the Brazilian Navy / Command of the Second Naval District, near the Garcia D’Ávila lighthouse .

The biodiversity, natural beauty and historical and cultural richness of this tourist region make the Visitors Center one of the most frequented in Brazil, serving around 600 thousand people / year, among members of the community, students, researchers and tourists from Brazil and abroad .

Between tanks and aquariums are 600,000 liters of salt water with specimens of the region’s marine fauna and four of the five species of sea turtles that occur in Brazil at different stages of the life cycle. It has multimedia, cinema, video, aquariums, tanks, permanent exhibition of photographic panels, shops, and restaurant. A cultural space hosts events with national, international and local artists. The information is distributed throughout the space, through panels in Portuguese and English.

Tip: Anyone in the area between December and February still gets a bonus – you can take part in the exciting process of dropping newborn turtles at sea.

Location: Av. Farol Garcia D’Ávila, s / n | Phone: (71) 3676-0321 / 1045 e 8127-2010 | E-mail: centrodevisitantes@tamar.org.br

Open: Daily from 08:30 to 17:30 hours.

BEACH: PRAIA DO FORTE

It is one of the most popular destinations in Salvador, along the preserved border, the frame is formed by clear sands, coconut trees, reefs, and a crystalline sea full of colorful shoals. Around it, the attractions are due to the environmental reserves and the ruins of Garcia d’Avila Castle, the first Portuguese fortification in Brazilian lands, and since the 1980s Praia do Forte has been the main base of the Tamar Project – responsible for studying and protecting sea turtles.

Location: Av. Farol Garcia D’Ávila.

You can also go snorkeling in one of the most wonderful environments at Praia do Forte. Click here

BEACH: PRAIA ITAPUÃ

Most famous beach of Salvador, immortalized by Vinícius de Moraes and Caetano Veloso songs, Itapuã is really a postcard: besides the lighthouse, there are green waters, rocks, coconut trees, natural pools, and clear sands. It can be crowded, but still beautiful. Try one of the most appreciated acarajés of the city: the Bahian Cira.

BEACH: PRAIA DE PIATÃ

Very popular with tourists and locals, the beach has calm waters, coconut trees and bars with live music and snacks, while relaxing, the visitor appreciates the refreshing dip and enjoy Bahia’s seasoning.

LAGOON: LAGOA ABAETÉ 

Sung in verse and prose by the poets of Bahia music, Lagoa do Abaeté is one of the main postcards of the city of San Salvador. Its dark waters, surrounded by a vast white sand, create a charming contrast, sharpened by the blue sky of white clouds and the rays of sun. A watercolor of nature.

The depth is up to five meters and its dark coloring is due to the great amount of minerals and microorganisms present in all their extension. The dunes, formed of sand brought by the wind from the beaches of Itapuã and its surroundings, were carefully framed by the vegetation cover over the years. The flora, exuberant, holds rare examples of orchids in the midst of fruitful guava trees and cashew trees. Feel free to taste these tropical wonders, true gifts of nature.

The Abaeté Lagoon is the result of damming of ancient rivers that flowed in the region, added to the accumulation of rainwater. Its currents of water do not mix, providing varied temperatures throughout its length. The visitor appreciates the refreshing dip while relaxing, enjoying Bahia’s seasoning. The more than 18 thousand square meters of preserved area transform the Parque da Lagoa do Abaeté into one of the largest ecological leisure centers in the entire Northeast.

Location: Parque Metropolitano Lagoas e Dunas do Abaeté

Looking for a Guided Tour: Click here

What about some sport? Schedule a scuba dive class: Click here

Look more things you can do in Salvador: Click here


Now you are ready to go!
But check my trip before 🙂

And after book your guided tour here!
Book your free walking tour

Contribute to the environment

  • Take your trash
  • Collect rubbish if possible
  • ALWAYS PRESERVE THE NATURE

Sorces:
Bahia
Projeto Tamar
Ferias Brasil

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