Brazil · Bahia
Salvador
Brazil's first capital and the beating heart of Afro-Brazilian culture.
Salvador was Brazil's first capital and is the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture, set on a ridge above the Bay of All Saints. Pelourinho, its historic centre, is a hillside of pastel colonial houses and gilded baroque churches where drums and capoeira fill the squares. Below the old city lie the port and markets, and along the Atlantic shore run beaches, a lighthouse fort and the routes of one of the world's biggest street carnivals.
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Language
Portuguese
Currency
BRL
Timezone
UTC-3
Why you'll love Salvador
Pelourinho a hillside of pastel colonial facades and baroque churches, one of the Americas' great historic centres
Afro-Brazilian culture candomblé, capoeira and samba-reggae drumming are part of everyday life, not staged shows
Bahian food moqueca, acarajé and vatapá cooked with dendê oil and coconut milk
Sea and sunset beaches along the Atlantic shore and sundown over the bay from the Barra lighthouse
Best time to visit
Sep-Mar
Warm & sunny · 28-31° days
12.982° S, 38.481° W
UTC-3 · America/Bahia
whenywhere contains ads and partner links that we think are helpful and that earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Weather & when to go to Salvador
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Sep-Mar
Conditions Jan Warm & sunny · Feb-Mar Warm · Apr Wet starts · May Wet · Jun Wettest · Jul Wet · Aug Wet easing · Sep Drying · Oct-Nov Warm & dry · Dec Warm
Watch for Apr-May monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Salvador
April to July is the rainy season and June is the wettest month, with heavy downpours that can wash out beach days. Carnival, in the days before Lent in February or early March, takes over the whole city: come for it, or avoid it, as accommodation books out and the centre is gridlocked.
Top things to do in Salvador
-
Pelourinho - the colonial historic centre
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe UNESCO-listed upper city of cobbled slopes and pastel townhouses around the Largo do Pelourinho and Terreiro de Jesus. Wander the squares, the Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado and the craft shops, and catch drummers and capoeira in the streets.
-
Igreja e Convento de São Francisco - the golden church
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedAn 18th-century Franciscan church whose interior is almost entirely covered in gilded carved wood, with a cloister lined in blue and white Portuguese azulejo tiles. The richest baroque interior in the city.
-
Elevador Lacerda and Mercado Modelo
history shopping 👍 PopularThe art deco lift tower links the upper city to the port-side Cidade Baixa in seconds, with a sweeping view of the bay from the top. At its foot, the Mercado Modelo sells Bahian crafts, berimbaus and lace in an old customs house.
-
Igreja do Nosso Senhor do Bonfim - the ribbon church
culture arts history ⭐ Highly recommendedSalvador's most beloved church, on the Itapagipe peninsula, where the railings are tied with thousands of coloured fitas, wish ribbons knotted onto the wrist. In January the Lavagem do Bonfim procession washes its steps.
-
Farol da Barra - sunset at the lighthouse fort
history scenic 👍 PopularThe Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra and its lighthouse stand on the point where the bay meets the open Atlantic. It houses a nautical museum, and crowds gather on the lawns and rocks to watch the sun set over the water.
-
Forte da Capoeira - watch a roda
culture artsThe old Forte de Santo Antônio Além do Carmo is home to several capoeira schools, where you can watch a roda to the berimbau or join a beginners' class. Salvador is where Angola-style capoeira was kept alive.
-
Museu Afro-Brasileiro - Bahia's African roots
culture arts historyIn the old medical school on the Terreiro de Jesus, with collections on the orixás, candomblé and African heritage, including Carybé's carved wooden panels of the orixás.
-
Solar do Unhão - modern art on the bay
culture arts scenicA colonial sugar estate on the water below the upper city that now houses the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia, with a sculpture garden and some of the best sunset views over the bay.
-
Blocos afro and Carnival
nightlife music culture artsOlodum's samba-reggae drummers rehearse in Pelourinho and Ilê Aiyê parades from Liberdade, while trios elétricos roll along the Barra-Ondina and Campo Grande circuits at Carnival. Rehearsals in the weeks before are the gentler way in.
-
Bahian food - acarajé and moqueca
foodBuy acarajé, black-eyed pea fritters fried in dendê and split with vatapá and shrimp, from the baianas in white at Rio Vermelho's Largo de Santana, then eat a bubbling clay pot of moqueca baiana.
-
Dique do Tororó - the orixá lake
culture artsA city lake where giant sculptures of candomblé orixás appear to rise from the water, a short ride from the historic centre.
Best areas to stay in Salvador
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Santo Antônio Além do Carmo
Couples $$Quiet colonial street of boutique pousadas
Explore hotels in Santo Antônio Além do Carmo →
Pelourinho
First-time visitors $Historic centre of churches and drums
Explore hotels in Pelourinho →
Barra
Beach and families $$Beachfront base by the lighthouse
Explore hotels in Barra →
Rio Vermelho
Nightlife and food $$Bohemian bar district on the sea
Explore hotels in Rio Vermelho →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Salvador
Getting to & around Salvador
Getting there
Fly into Salvador's international airport, around an hour by road or metro to Barra and the historic centre
Flight
Salvador Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (SSA)
The airport sits northeast of the city near the beaches of Itapuã. Ride-hail or taxi takes 40 min to over an hour depending on traffic, or take the metro from the airport station into the city and a short ride on.
Coach
Rodoviária de Salvador
Long-distance buses from Lençóis, Recife, Aracaju and southern Bahia arrive at the main bus station near Iguatemi, linked to the metro
Ferry
São Joaquim ferry terminal
The car ferry crosses the bay from Bom Despacho on Itaparica, the overland approach from the Recôncavo and the coast to the south
Cruise
Salvador cruise terminal
Cruise ships dock in the Cidade Baixa near the Mercado Modelo, steps from the Elevador Lacerda
Getting around
Walking
Pelourinho and Santo Antônio are compact and best on foot, though the cobbles are steep
Free
Elevador Lacerda and funiculars
The lift and the Plano Inclinado funiculars link the upper city with the port below
TBC
Metro
Two lines link Lapa in the centre with the main bus station and the airport
TBC
Ride-hail and taxi
The easiest way between Barra, Rio Vermelho and the historic centre, and the safe choice at night
TBC
City bus
Cover the whole city and the beach road, but routes are confusing for visitors
TBC
Day trips from Salvador
Morro de São Paulo
1-2 daysCar-free island beaches
A car-free village on Tinharé island with numbered beaches, natural pools at low tide and a lively evening scene. The crossing can be rough, so most stay at least one night.
Getting there
ferry
About 2-2.5 hr by catamaran from the Terminal Náutico near the Mercado Modelo
Praia do Forte
Full dayBeach village and turtles
A former fishing village with reef pools, a Projeto TAMAR sea turtle centre and the ruins of the Garcia d'Ávila castle, one of the first Portuguese fortified houses in Brazil.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
About 1.5 hr north by car or bus along the Estrada do Coco
Ilha dos Frades and Itaparica
Full dayBay island schooner
Schooner tours sail across the Bay of All Saints to the beaches of Ilha dos Frades and the old town of Itaparica, with swimming stops along the way.
Getting there
ferry | tour
About 1 hr by schooner tour from the port, or by ferry to Itaparica
Cachoeira
Full dayColonial river town
A colonial tobacco and sugar town on the Paraguaçu river, facing São Félix across an iron bridge, and a centre of candomblé and the Sisterhood of the Good Death.
Getting there
car | bus
About 2 hr by car or bus west into the Recôncavo
A little history of Salvador
Salvador was founded in 1549 by Tomé de Sousa as the capital of Portuguese Brazil, on a ridge above the Bay of All Saints. For two centuries it was the colony's seat of government and its great port, rich on sugar and tobacco from the Recôncavo, and the main entry point for enslaved Africans brought to Brazil.
That African inheritance, much of it Yoruba, shaped candomblé, capoeira, Bahian cooking and the city's music. The capital moved to Rio in 1763, and Bahia's fight to expel Portuguese troops ended on 2 July 1823. The historic centre was listed by UNESCO in 1985.
A Portuguese expedition names the Bay of All Saints
Tomé de Sousa founds Salvador as the capital of Portuguese Brazil
The Dutch seize the city, holding it for about a year
The colonial capital moves to Rio de Janeiro
Portuguese troops leave Bahia on 2 July, sealing independence in the region
The Malê Revolt, an uprising of enslaved African Muslims
Brazil abolishes slavery
Ilê Aiyê, the first bloco afro, is founded in Liberdade
The historic centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Limited
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / N
127/220 V, 60 Hz
Dialing
+55
Monsoon flooding risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
Mobile network & SIM card
Get an eSIM before you fly
A Brazil eSIM installs in minutes and works the moment you switch off flight mode. No SIM swap, no roaming bill.
FAQs about Salvador
▸ When is the best time to visit Salvador?
September to March has the best weather, warm and sunnier, and it includes the summer festival season and Carnival. April to July is the rainy season, with June the wettest month.
▸ How many days do you need in Salvador?
Three days covers Pelourinho, Bonfim, the Barra lighthouse and an evening in Rio Vermelho. Allow five to add a bay island trip or Praia do Forte, or a night or two on Morro de São Paulo.
▸ Is Salvador safe for tourists?
Take big-city care. Keep phones and valuables out of sight, stay on busy, policed streets in Pelourinho after dark, use ride-hail at night rather than walking between districts, and watch belongings on the beaches.
▸ What is Carnival in Salvador like?
It is a street carnival rather than a stadium parade: trios elétricos, trucks carrying bands, roll through the Barra-Ondina and Campo Grande circuits for days, with blocos afro and huge crowds. Book accommodation well ahead.
▸ Is Salvador expensive?
It is generally cheaper than Rio or São Paulo for food, transport and places to stay, though prices rise sharply around New Year and Carnival.
More in Brazil
Brasilia
The great modernist experiment: a capital drawn on paper, built on an empty plateau in under four years, and still standing as it was designed.
✓ best May-SepFernando de Noronha
Brazil's protected island of spinner dolphins, clear water and the twin peaks of Dois Irmaos.
✓ best Jun-JanFlorianopolis
More than 40 beaches, a lagoon full of bars and some of Brazil's most consistent surf, all on one island.
✓ best Jun-Aug