Historical Centre
The Salvador Historical Centre, which was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO, has thousands of 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Century houses. It is divided into three main areas: the Municipal Square on the Largo de São Francisco, the Pelourinho and the Largo do Carmo, ending at the Largo de Santo Antonio Além do Carmo. There are secular churches and houses, surrounded by rich locally developed cultural activity. In addition, its steep pavements and streets paved with ‘cabeça-de-negro’ stones register important episodes of Brazilian history.

Among its attractions, those deserving of special attention include the Municipal Square and Sé Square, Lacerda Elevator, City Hall, the Municipal Plaza, Rio Branco Palace, Misericordia Hospital and Church, the Archepiscopate Palace, Basilica Cathedral, the Terreiro de Jesus, Largo do Cruzeiro de São Francisco, Pelourinho with its churches, shops and squares, and last but not least, Largo do Carmo, where the Santo Antonio Fort and the great religious complex formed by the Church and Convent of Our Lady of Carmo and the Church of the Third Order of Carmo are located.

Popular Manifestations
Passed on from generation to generation, the popular manifestations are a strong cultural trait of Salvador. City folklore gathers artistic elements made by the people for the people, always emphasizing the traditional character of these performances, such as: capoeira, afoxé, Folia de Reis, Maculelê and Samba de Roda.

Beaches
The Salvador coastline is one of the longest in Brazil. There are 50 km of beaches distributed between the High City and the Low City, from Inema, in the railroad suburb to the Praia do Flamengo, on the other side of town. While the Low City beaches are bordered by the waters of the All Saints Bay – the country’s most extensive bay, with 1,052 km of reflecting waters – the High City beaches, from Farol da Barra to Flamengo, are bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The exception is Porto da Barra, the only High City beach located in the All Saints Bay.

The capital’s beaches boast enormous ecological diversity because of this difference. There are calm inlets, ideal for swimming, sailing, diving and underwater fishing, as well as open sea inlets with strong waves, sought by surfers. There are also beaches surrounded by reefs, forming natural pools of stone, ideal for children.


Churches

Church of Ajuda
Founded in the 16th century by the Jesuits who arrived with Tomé de Souza. In the 20th century, it was demolished and rebuilt on the other side of the road. It is one of the oldest churches in Salvador. Today, the façade has been re-done in a neo-romantic style.

Church of the Lord’s Ascension
This church, built in 1975, does not follow the conventional standards of Salvador’s churches. Almost everything in it is related to the number 12. In homage of Christ’s 12 apostles, the ceiling is formed of 12 concrete “petals” and 12 pews are positioned in a row. In the basement there is a mini church, where the baptistery and sacristy are located.

Church of the Third Order of Saint Domingos
It was started in 1731 and finished six years later. It has a rococo style façade and neoclassic engraving. Its floor plan is typical of 18th century churches, with aisles along the sides and a raised pulpit. The nave’s ceiling has an illusionist concept and the Noble Room panels are attributed to José Joaquim da Rocha. The tiles in the Main Chapel are paintings of Saint Domingos.

Our Lady of Penha Chapel
Located in the Iguape Estuary, the main chapel and church nave are totally covered with “massaroca” type tiles. It is dated from the mid-17th century.

Priests House – Itacaré
It was constructed by the Jesuits, over a high basement, at the beginning of the 18th century. The roof has four slopes, with ‘beira-saveiro’ trimming. The house is in a semi-ruined state and its roof has collapsed.

Basilica Cathedral
It was built in the 17th century with materials such as gold, marble, rosewood, and turtle ivory. It is a church that blends baroque and rococo styles.

Church of Our Lord of Bonfim
It was built on the top of a hill in the mid-18th century. The highlight is the image of Our Lord of Bonfim on an ebony cross, adorned with silver, greatly adored by the people of Bahia.

Saint Francis Church and Convent
This church is one of the greatest expressions of baroque in Brazil, having retables decorated with gold. The Saint Peter of Alcântara image is a work by Manoel Inácio da Costa. Church construction began in the first half of the 18th century. The panels, made of Portuguese tiles, portraying Saint Francis’ birth and his renunciation of material goods, are also baroque. The central nave, transversally cut through by a smaller one, represents the Cross of the Lord. The paintings are star-shaped, hexagons and octagons and exalt Our Lady. In the sacristy, there are 18 oil paintings telling the story of Saint Francis.


Forts

Santo Antonio da Barra Fort
This fort belongs to the Brazilian Navy and is located at the northern entrance of the All Saints Bay. It was started by the first donee of the Bahia Province, Francisco Pereira Coutinho, in 1536, and it was originally shaped as a ten-sided tower.

Mont Serrat Fort
Due to its elegant shape it is considered the most beautiful military construction of the Brazilian colonial period. Construction started in 1583, on a strategic position on top of the most projecting side of the peninsula, overlooking the city’s port. It was finished in 1742, and has not undergone any alterations from its original plan. It still has a command house flanked by round bastion walls and nine canyons.


Museums

Carlos Costa Pinto Museum
This museum reveals the intimacy of the rich 18th and 19th century families. Costa Pinto’s private collection originated 23 art décor and painting exhibition rooms. The exhibits includes collections of silverware, jewellery, Chinese and European porcelain, crystalware, furniture, paintings, ivory works, opaline, copper and Chinese lacquer. The gold jewels and the collection with 27 silver trinkets are the most valuable pieces in the entire collection.

UFBA Sacred Art Museum
It was inaugurated on August 10th, 1959 and is located at the Santa Tereza Convent, one of the most amazing architectonic complexes from the XVII century. The work was done by the Carmelitas Descalças (Barefoot Carmelites). Its collection consists of sculptures in wood, soapstone, clay and ivory and jewellery. It also includes a vessel in golden silver, adorned with more than 400 gems and semi-precious stones.

Bahia Museum of Art
The Bahia Museum of Art is the oldest museum in the State. Founded in 1918, it operates today from the Solar Cerqueira Lima. Its collection consists of wood, clay and ivory sculptures, painted tiles and 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century silver pieces, as well as pieces of typical Bahia furniture from the same period.

Abelardo Rodrigues Museum
It harbours one of the largest private collections of sacred art in Brazil: 808 pieces consisting of images, paintings, oratories, altars, as well crosses from the 17th to 19th centuries. It is located at the Solar Ferrão, a valuable building from the civil architecture of the colonial period.


Shopping

Arts and Crafts
The simplest arts and crafts use natural resources such as straw, leather, ceramic, wood, seashells and seeds. The most sophisticated are produced with gems and semi-precious stones. Many pieces are made in metal such as gold, silver, copper and brass. The artisans in general opt for religion as a theme for their works, expressed in images of catholic saints as well as candomblé. The amulets, which reveal the syncretism of its people, are explored through figas (an amulet in the shape of a clenched fist with the thumb clasped between the fore and middle fingers), bull’s-eye, garlic, four-leafed clover, the famous Bonfim ribbon, among others. Nature, reflecting the local fauna and flora, is also depicted on these pieces. The music is represented by atabaques, pau-de-chuva and water drums, in addition to the famous berimbau and many others unusual instruments.

Shopping: Suggestions of the best known shops:
Souvernirs and arts and crafts: Mauá Institute - Largo do Porto da Barra, 2 (Porto da Barra), Rua Gregório de Mattos, 27 (Pelourinho), and Mercado Modelo - Praça Visconde De Cairu (Lower City - Cidade Baixa).

Professional berimbaus and atabaques: Mestre Lua - Rua Frei Vicente, 19 (Pelourinho), Mestre Olavo da Paixão – at the stall facing the Mercado Modelo.

Antiques: Casa Moreira - Ladeira da Praça, 1 (town centre), Rua Rui Barbosa, 51 (town centre) and Casa San Martin - Rua Rui Barbosa, 69 (town centre).

São Felix and Cachoeira Cigars: Rosa do Prado Tobacco Shop - Rua Inácio Acciole, 5 (Pelourinho).