---
title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Salvador, Brazil | Wimup"
description: "The 10 best things to do in Salvador, Brazil: the Pelourinho, the Elevador Lacerda, Carybé's orixá panels, the Bonfim ribbons, sunset at Farol da Barra and acarajé in Rio Vermelho."
url: https://wimup.com/city/salvador
type: City guide
updated: 2026-10-21
publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com)
---

# Top 10 Things To Do in Salvador

Salvador, Brazil · South America · By Wimup Editorial, 10 min read

Salvador is the capital of Bahia and was Brazil's first capital, built on a ridge above the Bay of All Saints. The old upper town and the port below are joined by a public lift, the Atlantic beaches start at Barra, and the city's African roots show in its food, music and faith.

## Quick answer

Give the first morning to the Pelourinho and the Terreiro de Jesus, including Carybé's orixá panels at the Museu Afro-Brasileiro. Ride the Elevador Lacerda down to Mercado Modelo, then spend late afternoon at Porto da Barra and the Farol da Barra for sunset. Eat acarajé in Rio Vermelho at night, and keep a morning for the ribbons of the Bonfim church.

## Quick facts

- **Best months:** Sep · Oct · Nov
- **Ideal length:** 3 days
- **Budget per day:** $55–110
- **Language:** Portuguese
- **Getting around:** Walking, metro, ride-hailing & ferries
- **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.salvadordabahia.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## The 10 best things to do in Salvador

### 1. Walk the Pelourinho

Landmark · Largo do Pelourinho, Centro Histórico, Salvador

The sloping square at the heart of the old upper town, lined with pastel colonial houses and part of a UNESCO-listed centre. Come before ten, when the light is soft and the streets are quiet, and keep valuables out of sight on the side lanes after dark.

- **Time:** 2–3 hrs
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Early morning
- **Tip:** Start at Terreiro de Jesus

Links: [Website](https://www.salvadordabahia.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 2. Ride the Elevador Lacerda to Mercado Modelo

Landmark · Praça Tomé de Sousa, Centro Histórico, Salvador

The lift has joined the upper and lower towns since 1873, and the terrace at the top looks straight over the Bay of All Saints. At the bottom, Mercado Modelo sells lace, berimbaus and cachaça; compare a few stalls before you buy.

- **Time:** 1–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Small fare
- **Best at:** Late morning
- **Tip:** Free with a SalvadorCard

### 3. See Carybé's orixá panels at the Museu Afro-Brasileiro

Museum · Terreiro de Jesus, Centro Histórico, Salvador

The university museum in Brazil's first medical school building holds Carybé's 27 carved cedar panels of the Candomblé orixás. Pair it with the cathedral across the square; together they explain the city better than any tour.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Ticketed
- **Best at:** Weekday morning
- **Tip:** Check hours before going

### 4. Tie a ribbon at the Senhor do Bonfim church

Landmark · Largo do Bonfim, Bonfim, Salvador

The 18th-century church on the Sacred Hill is Salvador's most loved, its railings knotted with coloured ribbons tied for three wishes. Step into the Sala dos Milagres on the right, hung with ex-votos and photographs left in thanks.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Friday morning
- **Tip:** Locals wear white on Fridays

### 5. Watch the sunset at the Farol da Barra

Landmark · Largo do Farol da Barra, Barra, Salvador

The lighthouse stands on the Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra, where the bay meets the open Atlantic, and the sun sets over the water. The fort holds the Museu Náutico da Bahia; arrive an hour early to see it before the crowd settles on the walls.

- **Time:** 1–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Ticketed museum
- **Best at:** Sunset
- **Tip:** The lawn is free

Links: [Website](https://museunauticodabahia.org.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 6. Swim at Porto da Barra

Beach · Avenida Sete de Setembro, Barra, Salvador

A short city beach inside the bay, so the water is usually calm enough to swim and the sun drops into the sea behind it. Rent a chair and umbrella from the beach stalls and keep only what you need on the sand.

- **Time:** 2–3 hrs
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Weekdays are calmer

### 7. Eat acarajé in Rio Vermelho

Food · Largo de Santana, Rio Vermelho, Salvador

Rio Vermelho is the bohemian seafront district, and its squares are where the city buys acarajé from the baianas' stalls each evening. Queue at the stall of the late Dinha on Largo de Santana or at Cira's on Largo da Mariquita, then stay for the bars.

- **Time:** 2 hrs
- **Cost:** Cheap eats
- **Best at:** Evening
- **Tip:** Ask for it 'quente' if you like chilli

### 8. Visit MAM-BA at the Solar do Unhão

Museum · Avenida Lafayete Coutinho, Comércio, Salvador

The Bahia Museum of Modern Art fills a colonial sugar estate on the bay, restored by Lina Bo Bardi, whose wooden spiral stair is the building's real masterpiece. A sculpture park runs down to the water, and the terrace faces the sunset.

- **Time:** 1–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Take a taxi there

### 9. Stroll Santo Antônio Além do Carmo

Neighborhood · Rua Direita de Santo Antônio, Santo Antônio, Salvador

The quieter continuation of the old town, a ridge of small guesthouses, cafés and bay views north of the Pelourinho. Walk to the Forte de Santo Antônio at the end, home to the city's traditional capoeira schools, and ask what is on that night.

- **Time:** 2 hrs
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Sunset from the Largo

### 10. Explore the Cidade da Música da Bahia

Museum · Praça Visconde de Cayru, Comércio, Salvador

A music museum over four floors of the blue-tiled Casarão dos Azulejos Azuis, next to the foot of the Elevador Lacerda. It traces Bahian sound from samba de roda to axé, with listening booths and studios where you can try the rhythms.

- **Time:** 1–2 hrs
- **Cost:** Ticketed
- **Best at:** Weekday
- **Tip:** Combine with Mercado Modelo

## Historic sights in Salvador

Churches, forts and squares from the city's two centuries as capital.

1. **Catedral Basílica** (Ticketed · Terreiro de Jesus): The Jesuits' 17th-century church on the Terreiro de Jesus, gilded inside.
2. **Rosário dos Pretos** (Free · Pelourinho): The blue church of a Black brotherhood on the Largo do Pelourinho.
3. **Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado** (Free · Pelourinho): Two houses on the Largo given to the novelist's life and books. [Website](https://jorgeamado.org.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
4. **Praça Tomé de Sousa** (Free · Centro Histórico): The city's first square, at the top of the lift, with bay views.
5. **Igreja de São Francisco** (Closed · Largo do Cruzeiro): Closed since part of its ceiling fell in 2025; reopening is planned for 2029.
6. **Conceição da Praia** (Free · Comércio): The lower-town basilica where the Bonfim procession starts.
7. **Forte de Monte Serrat** (Free · Monte Serrat): A small colonial fort on the Itapagipe point, best at sunset.

## Best restaurants in Salvador

Bahian cooking, from a baiana's stall to a tasting menu.

1. **Origem** (Tasting menu · $$$ · Pituba): Tasting menus built on Bahian produce, listed by Latin America's 50 Best.
2. **Dona Mariquita** (Bahian · $$ · Rio Vermelho): Recipes from the Recôncavo and old Bahian kitchens, in Rio Vermelho.
3. **Casa de Tereza** (Bahian · $$ · Rio Vermelho): Chef Tereza Paim's moquecas and Bahian classics.
4. **Paraíso Tropical** (Bahian · $$ · Cabula): Beto Pimentel's fruit-led Bahian cooking in a garden in Cabula.
5. **Acarajé da Cira** (Street food · $ · Rio Vermelho): A family-run baiana stall on Largo da Mariquita.
6. **Camafeu de Oxóssi** (Bahian · $$ · Comércio): Moqueca with a view of the bay, upstairs in Mercado Modelo.

## Best beaches in Salvador

Calm water inside the bay, surf and coconut palms along the Atlantic shore.

1. **Porto da Barra** (Bay · Barra): The calmest swim in the city, inside the bay.
2. **Farol da Barra** (Ocean · Barra): Natural pools at low tide below the lighthouse.
3. **Buracão** (Ocean · Rio Vermelho): A small cove at the foot of a stair in Rio Vermelho.
4. **Itapuã** (Ocean · Itapuã): Palms, reef pools and the lighthouse of the Vinicius de Moraes song.
5. **Stella Maris** (Ocean · Stella Maris): Wide sand and beach bars, popular with surfers.
6. **Flamengo** (Ocean · Flamengo): The northernmost city beach, quieter on weekdays.

## Bars and live music in Salvador

Bloco rehearsals, open squares and the bars of Rio Vermelho.

1. **Olodum on Tuesdays** (Tuesday · Pelourinho): The bloco's drummers fill the Pelourinho on Tuesday nights.
2. **Largo de Santana** (Free · Rio Vermelho): Bars, acarajé and street drinking on Rio Vermelho's main square.
3. **Largo Tereza Batista** (Varies · Pelourinho): An open-air stage in the old town for samba and axé shows.
4. **Mercado do Rio Vermelho** ($ · Rio Vermelho): The covered market's bars stay busy late on weekends.
5. **Ilê Aiyê rehearsals** (Ticketed · Liberdade): Salvador's oldest bloco afro rehearses at its Curuzu headquarters.

## Afro-Brazilian Salvador

Dance, capoeira and the faith that shape the city.

1. **Balé Folclórico da Bahia** (Ticketed · Pelourinho): Orixá dances, capoeira and samba de roda on stage in the old town.
2. **Forte da Capoeira** (Free · Santo Antônio): The Santo Antônio fort, home to traditional capoeira angola schools.
3. **MUNCAB** (Ticketed · Comércio): The national museum of Afro-Brazilian culture, in the lower town.
4. **Casa do Carnaval da Bahia** (Ticketed · Pelourinho): Costumes, film and music telling the story of the city's Carnival.
5. **Casa de Iemanjá** (Free · Rio Vermelho): The fishermen's shrine where Iemanjá's offerings gather each February.

## Salvador's best neighborhoods

The old town on the ridge and the seafront districts that face the Atlantic.

1. **Pelourinho** (Old town · Centro Histórico): The colonial core: churches, museums and drums.
2. **Santo Antônio Além do Carmo** (Quiet · Santo Antônio): Guesthouses, cafés and bay views north of the old town.
3. **Barra** (Beaches · Barra): The beach district at the mouth of the bay, easy for a first stay.
4. **Rio Vermelho** (Nightlife · Rio Vermelho): The bohemian seafront, with the best evening food and bars.
5. **Ribeira** (Local · Ribeira): A bayside peninsula of old houses, ice cream and Sunday calm.

## Best day trips from Salvador

Islands in the bay, turtle beaches and the old towns of the Recôncavo.

1. **Morro de São Paulo** (Catamaran · Tinharé): Car-free island village, about 2 hours 20 by catamaran.
2. **Ilha de Itaparica** (Ferry · Itaparica): The largest island in the bay, by ferry from São Joaquim. [Website](https://www.internacionaltravessias.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
3. **Praia do Forte** (Car or bus · Mata de São João): A village with a Projeto Tamar turtle centre, about an hour north. [Website](https://www.tamar.org.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
4. **Cachoeira** (Car or bus · Recôncavo): A colonial river town in the Recôncavo, about two hours by road.
5. **Ilha dos Frades** (Boat tour · Bay of All Saints): Boat tours of the bay stop at this island's quiet beaches.

## Festivals & annual events in Salvador (2026)

- **Lavagem do Bonfim** (January (15 January 2026)): Baianas wash the Bonfim church steps after a walk from Conceição da Praia.
- **Festa de Iemanjá** (2 February): Offerings to the sea goddess carried out by boat from Rio Vermelho.
- **Carnaval** (February (12–17 February 2026)): Six days of trios elétricos on the Barra-Ondina and Campo Grande circuits.
- **São João** (23–24 June): Forró, bonfires and licor; many locals head to the Recôncavo towns.
- **Dois de Julho** (2 July): A street parade marking Bahia's independence in 1823.
- **Dia da Consciência Negra** (20 November): Black Consciousness Day, a national holiday, with events across the city.
- **Festa de Santa Bárbara** (4 December): A red-clad procession in the Pelourinho for the saint linked to Iansã.
- **Festa da Conceição da Praia** (8 December): The feast of the city's patron saint, in the lower town.

## Must-try dishes in Salvador, Brazil

- **Acarajé**: Black-eyed pea fritter fried in dendê, split and filled with vatapá.
- **Abará**: The same pea batter, steamed in a banana leaf.
- **Moqueca baiana**: Fish or prawn stew with coconut milk and dendê oil.
- **Vatapá**: A paste of bread, prawns, peanuts and coconut milk.
- **Caruru**: Okra stewed with dried prawns, cashews and dendê.
- **Bobó de camarão**: Prawns in a cassava and coconut purée.
- **Xinxim de galinha**: Chicken with dried prawns, peanuts and cashews.
- **Cocada**: Coconut sweets sold by baianas, white or caramelised.

## Salvador transport & airports

- **Salvador Bahia Airport** (SSA): North-east of the centre. Metro Line 2 starts at the airport station, and ride-hailing to Barra takes about 40 minutes off-peak. [Website](https://www.salvador-airport.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Metro** (Metro): Two lines run north from Lapa and link the airport and bus station, but they skip the old town and the beaches of Barra and Rio Vermelho.
- **Elevador Lacerda** (Lift): The public lift between Praça Tomé de Sousa and the Comércio, the quickest link between the upper and lower towns.
- **Ferries and catamarans** (Boat): Catamarans to Morro de São Paulo and launches to Mar Grande leave the Terminal Náutico; car ferries to Itaparica leave São Joaquim. [Website](https://www.internacionaltravessias.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## Salvador at a glance

- **Country:** Brazil
- **Region:** Capital of Bahia state
- **Population:** 2,417,678 (2022 census)
- **Founded:** 1549, by Tomé de Sousa
- **Nickname:** Roma Negra (Black Rome)
- **Language:** Portuguese
- **Currency:** Brazilian real (BRL)
- **Time zone:** BRT · UTC−3, no daylight saving
- **Calling code:** +55 71
- **Airports:** Salvador Bahia Airport (SSA)
- **Power:** 127 V in most sockets, type N plugs
- **Emergency:** 190 police, 192 ambulance, 193 fire

## Interesting facts

- Salvador was the capital of colonial Brazil from 1549 until 1763, when the seat moved to Rio.
- The historic centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.
- The Elevador Lacerda has carried passengers between the upper and lower towns since 1873.
- Olodum's drummers appear in Michael Jackson's 1996 video for They Don't Care About Us.
- Bahia marks its own independence day on 2 July, for the expulsion of Portuguese troops in 1823.

## Salvador travel FAQ

### How many days do you need in Salvador?

Three. One for the Pelourinho, the Museu Afro-Brasileiro and the Elevador Lacerda, one for Bonfim, Barra and sunset at the lighthouse, and one for Rio Vermelho or a boat to an island in the bay. Add two nights for Morro de São Paulo.

### When is the best time to visit Salvador?

September to November is dry and warm before the summer crowds. December to February is hot and full of festivals, including Carnaval. April to June brings the heaviest rain, though showers rarely last all day.

### Is Salvador safe for visitors?

Take the usual big-city care. Stay on busy streets in the Pelourinho after dark, keep phones out of sight, carry little cash on the beach and use ride-hailing at night. Avoid empty streets between the old town and the lower town.

### How do I get from the airport to the city?

Metro Line 2 starts at the airport station and connects with Line 1 for Lapa, near the old town. For Barra or Rio Vermelho, a taxi or ride-hailing car is more direct and takes about 40 minutes outside rush hour.

### Can you visit the Igreja de São Francisco?

No. The church has been closed since part of its ceiling collapsed in February 2025, and restoration is planned to finish by 2029. The facade and the Largo do Cruzeiro outside can still be seen.

## Nearby guides

- [Rio de Janeiro](https://wimup.com/city/rio-de-janeiro.md): Brazil · 10 picks
- [São Paulo](https://wimup.com/city/sao-paulo.md): Brazil · 10 picks
- [Florianópolis](https://wimup.com/city/florianopolis.md): Brazil · 10 picks
- [All of South America →](https://wimup.com/south-america): 31 cities

Part of the [Brazil guide](https://wimup.com/country/brazil.md) · [South America](https://wimup.com/south-america.md)

## Sources

- [Salvador tourism board](https://www.salvadordabahia.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Watch the sunset at the Farol da Barra (official site)](https://museunauticodabahia.org.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado (official site)](https://jorgeamado.org.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Ilha de Itaparica (official site)](https://www.internacionaltravessias.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Praia do Forte (official site)](https://www.tamar.org.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Salvador Bahia Airport (official site)](https://www.salvador-airport.com.br/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.