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Life in Salvador de Bahia is as colorful as its beautiful pastel-toned buildings. The largest city on the northeast coast, it is famous for its street parties and boasts a carnival that’s even bigger than Rio’s.

Salvador de Bahia is known as Brazil’s ‘capital of happiness’ because of its amazing party atmosphere. Its annual carnival makes it into the Guinness Book of Records for being the biggest street party in the world. But it’s not all about partying; there’s plenty of time for relaxing too. The destination is surrounded by fantastic beaches, including Porto da Barra Beach; declared the third best beach in the world by British newspaper The Guardian.

 

A UNESCO World Heritage treasure
The historic city centre of Salvador de Bahia, which revolves around the Pelourinho quarter, is a designated World Heritage site. Its brightly coloured Renaissance buildings, often decorated with fine stucco work, give the city a unique character and colonial charm. As the first capital of Brazil, from 1549 to 1763, it boasts many fine buildings, including three Baroque palaces and the Cathedral Basilica with its breathtaking interiors of gold and marble and many carvings and paintings. The city also retains a host of 16th-century open spaces, such as Municipal Plaza and Terreiro de Jesus, where you can witness locals showing off their capoeira skills.
A trip to Mercado Modelo, Salvador’s largest market, should also not be missed. Housed in an historic customs house by the port, it is a centre of Bahian arts and crafts with more than 250 stalls, selling traditional clothing, lacework, jewellery, wood carvings and musical instruments.

Be a beach bum

While Rio has Copacabana and Ipanema, Salvador has Porto da Barra; a beach that is the very epicentre of life in the city. The beach is situated in a bay, with a small, white colonial fort at one end and a whitewashed church perched on a hill at the other. The water is clean and clean and much calmer than on the oceanside beaches, so it’s ideal for swimming. However, if you prefer to sit and watch the world go by you will have plenty to see - small fishing boats unloading their catch, active types playing volleyball, football and tennis, kids diving into the sea off the old stone harbour walls and – if you stay late enough - some fabulous sunsets.
If the city beach is too crowded for your liking, take your pick from the plethora of beaches located across 50km of beautiful sandy coastline.

 

Feed your soul

Salvador has its own cuisine, much of it West African in heritage due to the city’s involvement in the slave trade in the 1500s. Delicacies include acarajés; deep-fried bread made from black-eyed peas and sold by women in traditional white dress. They are usually served with small prawns, red pepper sauce or a kind of an okra stew known as caruru.
Another dish that must be sampled is moqueca; a delicious seafood and coconut milk stew cooked and served in a large clay bowl.