Favorite Tourist Attractions In Salvador De Bahia
Salvador de Bahia, one of the old cities of the Brazil is situated on the coastline and is most popular for its festivities, carnivals, music and food. Given the rich historical heritage attained by the place since the 17th C, it has been given the status of a world's heritage site by the UNESCO. Geographically since its topography ranges from plains to hills, Salvador is both industrial and agricultural.
Being the first and foremost capital of Brazil starting from 1549 to 1763, Salvador has seen the amalgamation of Amerindian, African and European cultures. One of the few cities which has immortalized the Renaissance architecture, with a stark feature being the old stone houses decorated with stucco-work. The architectural marvels of Salvador which ought to be visited are -
- Cathedral of Salvador which is a specimen of the most intricate form of Mannerist style or architecture and decoration
- Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim is the most sacrosanct church in Salvador with neoclassical decorations.
- Convent and Church of Sao Francisco is one of the most magnificent churches of Brazil done up with extensive baroque decoration.
- Elevador Lacerda is an elevator made in the 19th C bridging the 72 meters between the upper and the lower city.
- Mercado Modelo is the market area of Salvador with centers of arts and crafts running there with a few restaurants and bars.
The city's coastline is one of the longest in Brazil being that of 50 km from Inema to the Praia do Flamengo. The country's most extensive bay, that is, the All Saints Bay, border the Low city beaches and the Atlantic Ocean borders the High city beaches with one exception - the Porto da Barra beach which according to the polls in 2007 is the 3rd best in the world. The beaches have numerous water sport activities like scuba diving, sailing, angling as well as surfing.
The island of Itaparica in the Bay of All Saints, the cachoeira region and the region of morro de Sao Paulo, an island across the Bay of All Saints are splendid tourist areas around Salvador which can be visited by ferries.
The culture of Salvador is a flamboyant mixture of different cultural complexes thus lending a rich ethnicity to the city. One of the famed cultural practices of Salvador is the Capoeira which is a combination of martial arts and dance developed largely in the 20th C. Its masters Mestre Bimba and Mestre Pastinha are acknowledged worldwide for spreading and popularizing this art form of dovetailing dance techniques with combat movements. Capoeira is accompanied by music especially that of percussion instruments. It has now traced its flow from Brazil to the high centers of creativity and art like Berlin, New York and Australia.
The carnival of Salvador is the most celebrated event of the world on street and is celebrated for week with people celebrating in every avenue. Thereby lending the city its name of 'city of joy' / "Capital da Algeria"
