But Southern Bahia has a more modern side too–particularly in the city of Porto Seguro. There, you’ll find a very urban atmosphere with a festive beach experience unlike any other in the world. The main attractions are the three huge structures on the beaches of the northern coastline. The structures, called super barracas, are enormous two- or three-story beach bars, each with three or four outdoor stages presenting non-stop, continuous music and dance. For sure, the sand and surf in Porto Seguro is secondary to the festivities at the super barracas.

South of Porto Seguro, the climate changes at the villages of Arraial d’Ajuda and Trancoso. There, you find a smaller, more charming atmosphere with small roads leading past the many quaint pousadas, shops and restaurants. The beaches, too, are quainter, due to their smaller and more personalized beach kiosks. Naturally, you pay a bit more for the charm and quality of options that these towns have to offer, but most international visitors prefer the village atmosphere.

Finally, in the more distant south are small fishing villages and experiences that bring you closer to the marine world. The more elaborate excursions possible in these areas will give you something to remember for a lifetime–tropical islands, deserted beaches, whales splashing in the ocean, and miles of palm trees lining the coast.

PLANNING YOUR TIME

First of all, try not to visit this area on the weekend. Everything here is designed for weekday visits–especially the nightlife options. The beaches along the entire southern coast fill with thousands of locals on the weekends and some become almost unbearable in terms of crowds and noisy masses of people who have no business wearing those little bathing suits anyway. Weekdays in the months just before and after the peak season (as always, mid-December through mid-February) are the best times to visit. If you happen to be in town over the weekend, use these days to take the more extended (and more expensive) excursions to the remote areas of Southern Bahia. You won’t be missing anything in town. During the week is another story altogether and you’ll find semi-deserted conditions just a kilometer or two away from the principal areas.

For reasons detailed in the Porto Seguro section, I suggest you spend no more than a day and a night in Porto Seguro. That’s enough time to get a glimpse of the amazing super-barracas and hit the Passarelo de Alcool in the evening. Since most daytime excursions that visit the outlying beaches leave from Porto Seguro, you can either remain in your Porto Seguro accommodations and spend the next couple of days on day trips or else move your base of operation down to Arraial d’Ajuda for the next few days. This latter option is the best, as it lets you spend your nights in the charming village of Arraial d’Ajuda. Whatever excursions you cannot arrange right there in Arraial, you can arrange back in Porto Seguro, only 20-minutes away by bus and ferryboat. I guarantee, you’ll prefer the quaint atmosphere of Arraial d’Ajuda over that of Porto Seguro.

Here’s a better idea: Don’t even stay in Porto Seguro, but go directly to Arraial d’Ajuda. You can take the ferryboat over to Porto Seguro for a day, if you’re curious about the super-barracas and night scene there. Now, instead of taking planned excursions to the outlying beaches, why not rent a car or buggy and drive down the coast to Trancoso, Jacumã, Caraíva and even as far as Caravelas? If you have more time (and are here between July and November) arrange a diving and whale watching excursion from Caravelas to the Abrolhos Islands–the kind that lets you stay overnight on the boat. It’s something you’ll never forget.

HISTORY

Alveres Cabral was probably off course when he “discovered” the land that is now known as Brazil. But his discovery was recorded and christened The Land of Vera Cruz and claimed for the Portuguese Crown. Cabral had arrived with a fleet of 13 ships and set his foot upon Brazilian soil in the place that is known today as Porto Seguro, the safe port. Today the entire south coast of Bahia is called the Discovery Coast due to the many early voyages made here. Ironically it was Amerigo Vespucci’s discovery of the Bay of All Saints up near present-day Salvador that would mark the continent with its current name, America. The Discovery Coast would play a secondary role in the drama that was to come: the colonization and exploitation of Brazil.

Villages and ports sprouted up along the coastline and sugar soon overtook wood and cocoa as the principal export to Europe. The village of Porto Seguro is home to some of the country’s oldest houses, churches, and monuments. They remain standing on the plateau overlooking the ocean, a great vantage point from which to spot the English, French, and Dutch ships that might sail in to threaten Portugal’s hold on the colony. Indeed, the Discovery Coast and the entire Northeastern coast of Brazil was the stage of many skirmishes and all-out battles for control of the new land. Add to this the precarious relationships with the natives (often attacking from the other side) and you have an idea of the free-for-all that was the discovery and occupation of South America. And it all happened right here in Southern Bahia.

The Beach

Barra is a busy beach just about every day of the year. It is situated in front of one of the most active areas on the coastline for hotels, bars, and restaurants. During the day, the Barra beach is a place to kick back and get some sun on the sand. You won’t be there but two minutes before you’ll be interrupted by someone selling something: roasted peanuts, sunglasses, sunscreen, and roasted cheese. The water in Barra and all of the beaches of Salvador is mercifully pollution free, due to a major clean-up program initiated by the mayor. The city installed sewage treatment facilities in every beach from Bonfim to Itapuan and you can swim anywhere on the Salvador coast, with the exception of Boca do Rio (the river does not get treated before it empties into the ocean). Of course, there are many beaches that you should not visit due to risk of assault, such as anything within 20 kilometers of Rio Vermelho Beach.

If you go into the water in Barra, just be sure that you have someone to watch your stuff. If you are alone on the beach (perhaps watching somebody’s stuff), be aware of people who may try to distract you from what you are watching over. Some of these misdirection schemes are performed in pairs, so if one person approaches you, open the eyes in back of your head. There is almost no risk of outright assault on the Barra beach during the day.

Sights

Barra is more about beaches and less about sites than Pelourinho. You may also find yourself in Barra because of the abundance of hotel options there. Still, there are a couple of sites worth checking out. First and foremost is the Santo Antônio da Barra Forte, also known as the Farol da Barra (or Barra Lighthouse). It is perhaps the most important fort in Brazil’s history. It was here that the Dutch first invaded Brazil (unsuccessfully) in 1624 and then again (successfully) in 1629. It has played an important role in the protection of the Bay of All Saints since its construction in the mid 1500s. Inside the fort is the Nautical Museum, which has a bunch of artifacts from a 16th century Portuguese ship that sunk offshore, as well as nautical maps and historical documents.

Most impressive is the view from the lighthouse platform, which lets you see both the bay side and ocean side of the coastline. There is a small coffee shop inside the fort. Open 9am–7pm in low season and 9am–9p.m. in the summer months. Closed Wednesday. The second most interesting fort in Salvador is also in the Barra region, called the San Diogo Forte. It overlooks the Barra Port at the end of Av. Princesa Isabel. Open 9:30am–noon and 1:30–5:30pm Next to this fort is the Instituto Mauá (see Shopping below). Finally, on the hill above Barra is the Igreja Abadia da Graça (Largo da Graça in the Graça neighborhood). This church was built in 1557, making it one of the city’s oldest original structures. It’s small and not as flashy as the churches in Pelourinho, but if you want to take a walk in the Barra neighborhood, you can check it out. Open 8–11:30am and 2–5pm

Shopping

There are shops all along Av. Sete de Setembro, the coast highway at Barra. If you want a more formal shopping experience, then Shopping Barra is within walking distance. It’s one of the best shopping malls in Salvador and has a tourist information booth inside, as well as movie theaters and Internet cafés. There are also some excellent lunch buffet restaurants in the food court and a bank of relatively quiet public phones. The best way to enter is from Rua Miguel Bournier. You’ll enter at the arts and crafts fair, which is in the east wing. This fair has some of the same items that you’ll find in the Mercado Modelo and probably at about the same prices. Another arts and crafts fair is at the Instituto Mauá (Praça Azevedo Fernandes 2, across from the gas station). Again, the merchandise here is similar to that of the Mercado Modelo at about the same prices, but it’s worth a look.

As you walk into the main praça of Pelourinho, called the Terreiro de Jesus, the Catedral Basilica will be on your left. You can’t miss it; it’s the largest and most impressive church in the praça, built in the early 1600s, not long after the founding of Salvador. Much of the original construction was lost to fire in the early 1900s, but the church was rebuilt and stands as an example of baroque architecture and sacred art in South America. The church was originally built as a Jesuit school (until the Jesuits were ousted in the mid 1600s) and above the entrance doors are carvings of three Jesuit saints. Inside, you can look down to see the marble floors, or up to see the beautifully painted and carved ceiling. Side altars are loaded with gold-covered wooden sculpture and hand-painted ornamentation, and represent a mixture of styles, from Baroque to Neo-Classic.

The highlight is the front altar with a hand-carved arch and many wood carvings. In the back of the church is a collection of religious paintings and Portuguese tiles. With its two towers, marble floors, tropical wood, gold leafing and paintings, the Catedral Basilica is considered one of the country’s most beautiful churches. It is often used by Brazil’s rich and famous for wedding ceremonies. Cost of entry is R$1. Open 9–11am and 2–5pm daily. You can attend mass on Sundays at 10:30am with Baroque music presentations.

Igreja de São Pedro dos Clerigos

Not necessarily one of the most exciting churches in the Centro Histórico, São Pedro is worth peeking into as you walk across the praça Terreiro de Jesus. It’s one of the few churches in the Rococo style. Open 1–5pm Monday–Friday.

Igreja e Convento de São Francisco

Considered the richest church in Brazil, the Igreja São Francisco (also known as the Gold Church) is drenched in gold leaf, hundreds of kilos of it. The many wood sculptures on the altars representing cherubs, angels, saints, flora and fauna are all draped in gold and surrounded with detailed ornamentation in gold and white. The simple gold-and-white motif is offset by the dark Jacarandá wood used in the hand railings and altar pews and a few simple blue Portuguese tiles above the altars. The ceiling and entrance are covered in Baroque paintings. The church was finished in 1723 and has a rather humble outer façade, hiding the incredible riches within. The adjoining convent has an entrance hallway covered in blue Portuguese tiles from the 1500s, and the theme continues to the outer patio area. It’s open from 8:30am–5pm Monday–Saturday.

Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco

This church has the date 1703 carved into the façade, which is the only church in Pelourinho with hand carved stone in the front. The ceilings are beautifully painted with several interlocked panels and the altars are filled with typical Baroque carvings covered in gold. Upstairs is a museum with numerous paintings (check out the gold-leafed frames) and an enormous banquet table for thirty. Located at Rua Inacio Acccioli next to the São Francisco Convent. Entrance fee is R$3. Open 8am–5pm Monday–Friday and 7am–noon on Sunday.

Igreja Nossa Sra. do Rosário

At the bottom of the hill, on the far end of Pelourinho sits the Igreja do Rosário, built in the 1700s by free slaves. Like most churches of the brotherhood of Rosário (brotherhood of black slaves), this church is on the outskirts of town and uses a mixture of themes, both African and Catholic. The façade is a mixture of Baroque and Rococo architecture with Indian influences in the spires. It’s open from 7:30am–6pm Monday–Friday and 7:30am–noon on weekends. At the time of this writing, this church was closed for restorations, which have been known to take years to complete in Pelourinho.

Igreja Nossa Sra. da Misericordia (Santa Casa)

Flanking the Monument to the Fallen Cross on Rua Chile is the Santa Casa de Misericordia, a 17th century construction with 18th century reforms. The house contains a collection of sacred art, sculpture, colonial furniture and artifacts from the colonial period. Even if you’re not up for checking out more religious art and sculpture (you might want to save your stamina for the Sacred Art Museum and principal churches), it’s worth at least stepping into the entry hall to check out the interior of the building. Open 8am–5pm Monday–Friday.

Originally, this principal area of Salvador consisted of a high and low city, called Cidade Alta and Cidade Baixa. Today the famous Lacerda Elevator carries over 50,000 people every day between the two. At the bottom, where all of the shipping activity took place, are more churches, the Mercado Modelo for regional arts and crafts, and the Maritime Terminal, where you can catch a boat to one of the islands in the bay. The Cidade Baixa extends westward to the area known as Bonfim, a neighborhood famous for its Afro-Brazilian festivals and home to the famous Bonfim Church.

On the other side of Pelourinho (toward the ocean) the monuments, churches and museums continue all the way down the coast to the Campo Grande neighborhood (mainly along Av. Sete de Setembro). Some highlights here include the Museum of Modern Art and the nearby Solar do União performing arts center. Two of the city’s best museums are here (Carlos Costa Pinto and Bahian Art Museum) as well as the Praça Castro Alves and the modern Castro Alves Theater.

Sites

Churches in Pelourinho
Museums in Pelourinho
Architecture & Monuments in Pelourinho