Top Things to do in Salvador
Top 10 Things to do in Salvador, State of Bahia (BA)
Brazil's former capital is renowned for its African-influenced cuisine, music and architecture. Known as "the Capital of Joy," because of its exuberant week-long Carnaval celebrations, Salvador brims with contemporary music and art amid architecture that has gone untouched since the 17th century.
Restaurants in Salvador
1. Casa do Rio Vermelho
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,209 reviews
Reviewed By MelBr75 - Curitiba, Brazil
This used to be the house of Jorge Amado and Zelia Gatai, both great and world known writers. It’s very well preserved and it’s collection is beautifully displayed. It’s a must see!
2. Praia do Porto da Barra
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,990 reviews
Porto da Barra is one of the few points of land in Brazil that face west over the Atlantic Ocean (due to its unique geography near the entrance to the Bay of All Saints). Because of this, Porto da Barra Sundown Show features sunsets which are both spectacularly beautiful and endearing because of the way people (visitors and local residents alike) applaud, cheer, whistle and sing while the sun sets over the sea. Porto da Barra Sundown Show also features various styles of live music at world-famous Hot Dougie's Rendezvous on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The water at Porto da Barra Beach is quite calm and perfect for swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, ad and other water sports. Even on days when other beaches in Salvador are empty, there is typically a good crowd at Porto da Barra Beach. Porto da Barra also features Portuguese forts (recently renovated as multimedia museums) dating back to the 17th century and number of good restaurants, bars, shops including used book and record stores, and a State of Bahia agency which promotes the production and sale of quality hand-made artisan products, and others.
Reviewed By chelslynne - Pensacola, United States
I stayed in barra two nights and was happy I did. Sunsets are fantastic and there are lots of dining options. Take a coconut down to the beach and enjoy the soft ocean waves.
3. Sao Francisco Church and Convent
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,242 reviews
One of the most spectacular churches in the world, this famous church is richly adorned inside with gold, silver and precious stones and has ceiling art that has been compared to that of the Sistine Chapel.
Reviewed By MelBr75 - Curitiba, Brazil
It’s a world heritage by UNESCO. It’s an important colonial period church. It’s interior is very beautiful and full of details. Exuberant inner decoration, mostly executed in the first half of the 18th century. All surfaces inside - walls, pillars, vaults and ceilings - are covered by golden sculpted gilt woodwork and paintings.
4. Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,646 reviews
5. Praia Farol da Barra
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,720 reviews
Reviewed By MelBr75 - Curitiba, Brazil
The Farol da Barra Beach is located right next to Farol da Barra, a must-visit lighthouse and tourist attraction in Salvador. Beautiful beach.
6. Flamengo Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,267 reviews
Beach in Salvador da Bahia.
Reviewed By 4Charlito - New York City, United States
Flamengo Beach is about a 40 minute drive from Barra . It is a wide, sunny beach with a large restaurant (Barraca de Pipa) with beach access and showers. They also offer beach service( chairs, umbrellas, food and drinks) and the waves are not big or overpowering.
7. Ponta de Humaita
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,937 reviews
Reviewed By Dru_Floche - Paris, France
Our guide (Ivan Bahia) took us on a round trip in Salvador and de ponta Humaita was a very nice spot. You have an impressive view on the skyline of Salvador and on All Saints Bay (with a beautiful sunset if you get there a bit past 5pm). Definitly worth a stopover.
8. Ilha dos Frades
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,421 reviews
Reviewed By mingsobral - Dublin, Ireland
a trip to Ilha dos Frades is an amazing option for a day off. tours from R$ 50 will take you all day long to amazing beaches close to Salvador. the boat has live music and board service, with fruits included for free in the price and they sell lots of cocktails and beers. don’t miss out the roskas with seasonal fruits, they’re delicious and costs R$ 15. make sure you’ll enjoy a lot this trip!
9. Praia do Forte
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 522 reviews
Reviewed By vanwilder_za - Cape Town, South Africa
This tour is just so cool. Once you get there, you can visit a turtle sanctuary (very impressive). Once done, you can chose to park off on the beach or walk around the little village exploring all the little boutique shops and stalls, this is the main attraction as far as I'm concerned. On your way back you will stop off at Praia de Gaurajuba where you will enjoy a fantastic lunch - try the famous local Bahia dish Moqueca
10. Pelourinho
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 16,859 reviews
Sometimes called the "city within a city," this old part of Salvador is worth visiting for its cobblestone streets, pastel-colored buildings, churches, restaurants, shops and nightlife.
Reviewed By vanwilder_za - Cape Town, South Africa
When I first saw Pelourinho on YouTube I knew I just had to make my way there. Apart from it being one of the most Instagrammed places in the world with its colourful colonial buildings and cobblestone streets, there's a deeper attraction when walking around these side streets and alleyways and it has to do with the rich history that's associated with Pelourinho. You feel like you've stepped back in time. One of the oldest cities in Brazil, Pelourinho is city within a city and has been named a UNESCO world cultural site. Plenty of bars and restaurants, amazing nightlife and Tuesday evenings is a must. You will find lots of activity with tourists everywhere and on the main square you will always find different schools performing capoeira, putting on a show for tourists. Just be careful of pickpockets as is normal at any popular tourist attraction worldwide. Visitors may be intimated by some of the rundown buildings and associate it with the area being unsafe but this is not true. Just don't wonder way off the beaten track where there is no people around as you could end up looking for trouble. That being said, I stayed one week in Porto da Barra and a week in Pelourinho. Where I stayed in Pelourinho (Santo Antonio) was not exactly close the main square and tourist attraction and was a mere 5/10min walk from there. At first I was intimated walking down this long street late at night to get to my place but quickly learnt that I had nothing to be concerned about as it was perfectly safe. Explore the area, don't be confined to just the main square and surrounding alleyways...there are plenty of gems in the form of restaurants, bars, clubs 10/15min away from the main square. Check out a boca Espaço cultural situated in Santo Antonio. Tip: depending on your length of stay, I would recommend doing what I did and stay in both the historic town of Pelourinho and in Porta da Barra. If you don't have time to do so and only had to chose one, I would chose Porta de Barra along the beach. You can easily Uber back and forth to Pelourinho. I also recommend you do a day tour to Pelourinho as well exploring the same place at night to get a feel of the nightlife festivities in that area. (but remember, during the day is equally as cool so experiencing both is a must). Another recommended tour is a boat tour that takes you to Ilha dos Frades and Illha de Itaparica. Another really cool tour is going to Praia do Forte and Paraia de Guarajuba (very cool). Last but not least a city tour is also recommended as you'll stop over the famous church with all the colourful ribbons Igreja Do Senhor Do Bomfin Da Bahia
