Stories · Brazil
A weekend in Salvador de Bahia
Told the way I’d tell a friend, step by step.
My first time in Salvador de Bahia, I tried to see everything and mostly saw queues. Now I do it differently: a few places a day, the right ones, in the right order. Here is my 2-day thread.
Day 1 · The icons
To start, it’s Basílica do Senhor do Bonfim. You’ve seen it a hundred times in pictures; in person it is bigger, closer, more alive. Unmissable, and for good reason. 4.8 out of 5 across 41,000 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or compare on Tiqets.
Then, I make my way to Shopping Barra. My advice: a pause on a terrace at the hour when locals leave work. You understand everything. Everyone goes; everyone is right. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (14,000 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: here is the route by public transport; skip-the-line book your visit, otherwise go through Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
After lunch, head to Church and Convent of San Francisco. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. Everyone goes; everyone is right. 4.8 out of 5 across 7,400 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Getting there: how to get there. To get a feel for it: travellers’ reviews.
In the evening, meet me at Salvador Shopping. This is where the city looks most like itself. Walk slowly, look at the shopfronts, listen. Unmissable, and for good reason. 4.7 out of 5 across 79,000 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or also check Tiqets.
Keep the evening free. Salvador de Bahia is a city that tells itself better at night.
Day 2 · The icons
In the morning, head to Ponta do Humaitá. It’s the kind of place that makes you go quiet for a moment, even when you thought you knew it all. Unmissable, and for good reason. Travellers give it 4.8 out of 5 (7,250 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
Around noon, meet me at Forte de Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (3,979 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
Lunch without a plan: the first noisy room you pass is often the right one.
Later, it’s Chafariz do Bonfim. It’s the kind of place that makes you go quiet for a moment, even when you thought you knew it all. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or go through Tiqets.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and Salvador de Bahia does the rest.
If you’re still hungry
Other places I wish I could have fitted in: House and Chapel of the Former Quinta do Unhão, a Casa do Rio Vermelho, Museu Náutico da Bahia - Farol da Barra, Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black People, Teatro Castro Alves and Elevador Lacerda. Slip them in wherever a day feels light.
My advice
Walk. Then take public transport: that is where you see the city live.
Book the busiest places the day before: queues have ruined more than one morning.
Keep a little local cash: the best addresses are often the least equipped.
Safe travels. And get lost at least once; that is where Salvador de Bahia begins.
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