Editor's picks
A local's shortlist — the places worth your time first, each with a tip.
Pelourinho & Santo Antônio Além do Carmo
Culture · Cidade Alta, historic centre
The UNESCO-listed colonial core — pastel townhouses, the gilded interior of São Francisco, and the drumming of Olodum on Tuesday nights.
Local tip: Pelourinho itself empties of locals outside events. Walk north along Rua Direita do Santo Antônio instead: the same architecture, working guesthouses and bars, residents rather than tour groups, and the bay view from the fort at the end.
Rio Vermelho
Nightlife · Coastal, mid-city
The bohemian quarter — Largo da Mariquita and Largo de Santana, the acarajé stands, live music and the city's densest concentration of bars.
Local tip: The two acarajé stands at Largo de Santana are the famous ones and they are genuinely good, but the queue is shortest before six. The 2 February Iemanjá festival starts here at dawn and is the most extraordinary thing in the Salvador calendar after carnival.
Elevador Lacerda & Mercado Modelo
Landmark · Between Cidade Alta and Cidade Baixa
A 1873 public lift dropping 72 metres between the two halves of the city, landing beside the crafts market on the bay.
Local tip: Ride it for the view down onto the Baía de Todos os Santos, then keep walking to the Mercado Modelo's lower level and the ferry terminal. Locals use the lift as ordinary transport, which is the point — it costs a few centavos, not a ticket price.
Ilha de Itaparica & the Baía de Todos os Santos
Hidden gemNature · Across the bay, by ferry from Bom Despacho
The largest bay on the Brazilian coast, with an island of beaches, mangroves and quiet fishing villages an hour from the centre.
Local tip: Take the lancha from the Terminal Náutico rather than the car ferry if you are on foot — it is faster and the approach to the island is the better view. Go on a weekday; Bahians fill it at weekends.
Praia do Forte & the Linha Verde
Nature · North coast, about 80 km
A former fishing village with the Projeto Tamar sea-turtle station, and the start of the protected coastline running north to Sergipe.
Local tip: Everyone stops at Praia do Forte. Keep driving another forty minutes to Imbassaí or Praia do Forte's northern neighbours and the beaches are the same water with a tenth of the people.
Dique do Tororó & Parque da Cidade
Nature · Central Salvador
A lake ringed by sculptures of the orixás, beneath the Arena Fonte Nova, and the city's largest inner park up on the ridge.
Local tip: The Dique is best at sunset when the orixá sculptures are lit and the running track fills. Parque da Cidade on a Sunday morning is where Salvador actually exercises — it is free, safe, shaded and almost never mentioned to visitors.
Explore 119 places across Salvador
Museums, landmarks, monuments, heritage sites and parks — mapped, with photos. The most notable spots first.
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Museums & galleries
(18)
MuseumSão Marcelo Fort
Well listed by the Institute of Artistic and Cultural Heritage of Bahia in the city of Salvador, Bahia
Museum
Museum
Museum
Museum
MuseumMuseu Abelardo Rodrigues
Museum in Salvador, Bahia
MuseumMuseu Carlos Costa Pinto
Art and biographical museum in Salvador, Bahia
MuseumMuseu Geológico da Bahia
Museum in Salvador, Bahia
MuseumCity Museum of Salvador
Museum in Salvador, Bahia
MuseumMuseum of Sacred Art
Museum of religious art in Salvador, Bahia
MuseumCasa do Rio Vermelho (Rua Alagoinhas, nº 33)
Well listed by the Institute of Artistic and Cultural Heritage of Bahia in the city of Salvador, Bahia
MuseumMuseu Tempostal
Museum of postcards and photographs of Salvador, Brazil
MuseumCasa do Benin
Historical and artistic museum in Salvador, Bahia
MuseumEspaço Mario Cravo
Museum in Salvador, Bahia
MuseumMuseu Eugênio Teixeira Leal
Museum in Salvador, Bahia
MuseumHouse of Carnival
Museum in Salvador, Bahia
Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia
Museum.
Galeria Cañizares UFBA
Art gallery.
Landmarks & architecture
(29)
Landmark
Landmark
LandmarkPraça da Sé
Square in Salvador, Brazil
Landmark
LandmarkPraça do Reggae
Landmark in Salvador.
LandmarkLargo dos Dois Leões
Square in Salvador, Brazil
LandmarkLargo do Pelourinho
Public square in Salvador, Brazil
LandmarkPalácio Tomé de Sousa
Landmark in Salvador.
LandmarkPalácio da Aclamação
Landmark in Salvador.
LandmarkPalácio de Ondina
Landmark in Salvador.
LandmarkPasseio Público
Park in Salvador, Bahia
LandmarkPraça Cairu
Public square in Salvador, Bahia
LandmarkPraça Castro Alves
Public plaza in Salvador, Bahia
LandmarkPraça Duque de Caxias
Public square in Salvador, Brazil
LandmarkPraça Tomé de Souza
Public square in Salvador, Bahia
LandmarkPraça da Piedade
Public square in Salvador, Brazil
LandmarkLargo de Santana
Public square in Salvador, Brazil
LandmarkHouse of the Count of Arcos
Historical good listed by the Bahia Artistic and Cultural Heritage Institute in the city of Salvador
LandmarkMerchants' Exchange Building of Bahia
Historical good listed by the Bahia Artistic and Cultural Heritage Institute in the city of Salvador
LandmarkPraça Bahia Sol
Landmark in Salvador.
LandmarkLargo da Baixa do Bonfim
Landmark in Salvador.
LandmarkLargo do Carmo, Salvador
Public square in Salvador, Brazil
LandmarkPraça Carneiro Ribeiro
Landmark in Salvador.
LandmarkPraça Irmã Dulce
Landmark in Salvador.
LandmarkLargo da Soledade
Landmark in Salvador.
LandmarkInglaterra square (Salvador)
Square in Comércio neighborhood, salvador, Brazil
Forte São Pedro
Castle.
Forte da Capoeira
Fort.
Forte do Barbalho
Fort.
Monuments & memorials
(14)
Monument
MonumentCruz Caída
Sculpture and monument in Salvador, Brazil
MonumentMonument to the City of Salvador
Sculpture in Salvador, Brazil
MonumentPavilhão Dois de Julho
Building in Salvador, Brazil
MonumentSereia de Itapuã
Monument in Salvador.
MonumentMonumento Piloto Ayrton Senna
Monument in Salvador.
MonumentMonumento das Gordinhas
Monument in Salvador.
MonumentOratório da Cruz do Pascoal
Oratory in Salvador
MonumentMonumento ao Dois de Julho
Sculpture in Salvador, Brazil
MonumentEstátua de Jesus – O Salvador
Monument in Salvador.
MonumentMonumento ao Barão do Rio Branco
Statue in Salvador, Brazil
Monumento Cleriston Andrade
Historic monument.
Oxum Orixá
Public artwork.
Xangô Orixá
Public artwork.
Places of worship
(45)
Religious
Religious
Religious
Religious
Religious
ReligiousChurch of the Third Order of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black People
Church in Salvador, Brazil
Religious
Religious
ReligiousCasa Pia and College of the Orphans of Saint Joachim
Brazilian school, orphanage, and chapel
Religious
Religious
Religious
ReligiousChurch and Monastery of Saint Benedict
Church building in Salvador, Brazil
Religious
Religious
Religious
ReligiousChurch and Convent of Our Lady of the Conception of Lapa
Church and convent in Salvador, Brazil
Religious
Religious
Religious
Religious
Religious
Religious
ReligiousIgreja da Ordem Terceira da Nossa Senhora da Conceição do Boqueirão
Church in Salvador, Bahia
Religious
Religious
Religious
Religious
Religious
Religious
Religious
ReligiousCapela Nossa Senhora da Piedade e Recolhimento do Bom Jesus dos Perdões
Church and convent in Salvador
Religious
Religious
Religious
ReligiousIgreja São Brás de Plaforma
Church in Salvador, Brazil
ReligiousIgreja do Carmo de Salvador
Church building in Salvador, Brazil
ReligiousIgreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Lapinha
Church in Salvador, Bahia
ReligiousIgreja e Convento de Nossa Senhora da Piedade
Church and convent in Salvador, Brazil
ReligiousIgreja e Convento de São Raimundo
Church and convent in Salvador, Brazil
ReligiousCapela de Santo Antônio dos Velasques
Church in Vera Cruz, Brazil
ReligiousIgreja de São Joaquim
Church of Casa Pia in Salvador, Brazil
Igreja Nossa Senhora da Escada
Place of worship.
Ilê Axé Opô Afonjá
São Gonçalo
Place of worship in São Gonçalo.
Igreja do Senhor Bom Jesus dos Aflitos
Place of worship.
Heritage & archaeology
(2)ANTIGA FABRICA DE TECIDOS SÃO BRÁS
Historic ruins.
RUÍNA DA USINA DA FABRICA DE TECIDOS SÃO BRÁS (FATBRAZ
Historic ruins.
Parks & nature
(9)
ParkParque Metropolitano de Pituaçu
Park in Salvador.
ParkParque Joventino Silva
Park in Salvador, Brazil
ParkParque Costa Azul
Park in Salvador.
ParkParque Jardim dos Namorados
Park in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
ParkParque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas
Zoo Salvador, Bahia
ParkSão Bartolomeu Park
Park in Salvador, Brazil
Jardim de Alah
Public park.
Praça Carlos Batalha
Public park.
Praça João Mangabeira
Public park.
More to explore
(2)Antigo Mercado do Peixe - Rio Vermelho
Visitor attraction.
Naufrágio do Blackadder
Visitor attraction.
Data from Wikidata (CC0) & OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Images via Wikimedia Commons — see each credit. Listings are community-maintained and may be incomplete or out of date — verify hours and access before visiting.
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