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Travel guide
Salvador da Bahia
3 days · 5 things to do
Best time to go: September to March
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Welcome
Salvador da Bahia, in a few days
Brazil's first capital and the cradle of Afro-Brazilian culture, with the colonial Pelourinho set above the Bay of All Saints. Come for its pastel façades, capoeira on street corners, Candomblé traditions and drumming.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The colonial Pelourinho · about 2 to 3 hThe UNESCO-listed old centre, with cobbled slopes, pastel colonial houses and baroque churches such as the gilded São Francisco.
- Afternoon · Lacerda Elevator · a few minutesAn art deco lift linking the lower city by the port with the upper city, with views across the Bay of All Saints.
🛏️ Where to sleep · ibis Salvador Rio Vermelho€45 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Capoeira and blocos afro · 1 to 2 hCapoeira circles in the squares of the old town, and Afro-Brazilian drum groups such as Olodum, whose rehearsals and parades peak around Carnival.
- Afternoon · Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim free · about 45 minA pilgrimage church where visitors tie coloured Bonfim ribbons to the railings, making a wish with each knot.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Bahia Flat€55 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Bahian food (acarajé, moqueca) · about 1 h 30Acarajé, black-eyed pea fritters fried in palm oil by women in white, and moqueca, a seafood stew cooked with coconut milk.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Pousada do Pilar€85 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Feijoada: black beans slow-cooked with pork, eaten on a Saturday.
- Pao de queijo: small cheese breads, chewy and served warm.
- Acai: the Amazon berry, frozen into a bowl with banana and granola.
- Moqueca: fish stewed in coconut milk and dende palm oil.
- Caipirinha: cachaca, lime and sugar, and nothing else.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Go out light: no jewellery, no phone in hand, only the cash you need that evening.
- Use Uber rather than a street taxi, above all after dark.
- Do not walk into a favela without a guide from the community.
- On the beach, take turns watching the bags. Nothing left on a towel stays there.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Portuguese
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Hello | Olá |
| Thank you | Obrigado |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sim |
| No | Não |
| Excuse me | Com licença |
| Goodbye | Adeus |
| Do you speak English? | Fala inglês? |
| I don't understand | Não compreendo |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa? |
| Where are the toilets? | Onde fica a casa de banho? (BR: banheiro) |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favor |
| Help! | Socorro! |
| Cheers! | Saúde! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyBrazilian real (BRL, R$)
BudgetAbout €90 a day, mid-range
Best seasonSeptember to March
PlugN/C · 127/220V
Tap waterBottled is safer
TippingAround 10%, often already on the bill
Emergency190 / 192
EntryVisa-free for 90 days for EU and UK passports. US, Canadian and Australian passports need an e-visa, applied for online before departure.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. A yellow fever vaccination is needed for the Amazon, and malaria is limited to the lowlands. Repellent, morning and night.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/salvador-da-bahia
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.