Salvador: Orientation

Salvador, the capital of Bahia, is a seaport situated between the Atlantic Ocean and All Saints (Todos os Santos) Bay. It is the state's largest city and the fourth largest in Brazil. Other cities in order of importance are Feira de Santana, northwest of Salvador, and Itabuna, Ilhéus, and Jequié to the south. The Portuguese discovered Brazil in 1500, and a governor for the Bahia area was named in 1549. Bahia became a province of the empire of Brazil in 1823 and a state of the republic of Brazil when the emperor was deposed in 1889.

Salvador is physically unique. It is divided into a lower section at the foot of a high bluff and an upper section on top of the cliff. The port is connected to the business and shopping district above it by elevators, a funicular railroad, and several roads.

Neighborhoods

Many roads in Salvador have two names: for example, Avenida Presidente Vargas, the main seafront road is properly marked on the map but more often it is called Avenida Oceânica by the residents. In general go for the name that actually appears on the street signs.

Built on hilly and uneven location, Cidade Alta is the historic section of Salvador. The most important buildings and houses were constructed on the hilltops, overlooking the district. City planning was not a high priority and it shows.

The colonial neighborhoods of Terreiro de Jesus, Pelourinho, and Anchieta are filled with 17th century churches and houses. The Pelourinho is a great tourist center, packed with restaurants, bars, art galleries and boutiques. The area is safe and tourist police are posted on just about every other corner.

A little ways away from Praça da Sé you will find Praça Tomé de Souza and the large, cream-colored building called Palácio Rio Branco. Close by is the Lacerda Elevator. A few blocks further down is Praça Castro Alves, a major center for Carnaval festivities. From here, parallel to the bay, Avenida 7 de Setembro runs southwards until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean and the Barra district, which has many of the city's top-end and mid-range hotels and bars. Heading east from the Barra district is the main road along the Atlantic coast, sometimes called Avenida Presidente Vargas (Avenida Oceânica) . It curves along the shore all the way to Itapoã. Along the way it passes the middle-class Atlantic suburbs and a chain of tropical beaches.

Cidade Baixa is the state's commercial center and financial hub. During the day it is busy and cafe's are filled. At night the lower city is empty and unsafe. As you head north, away from the ocean and along the bay, you pass the port and the ferry terminal for Ilha de Itaparica, and continue to the popular bay beaches of Boa Viagem and Ribeira. These are poor suburbs along the bay and the further you go from the center, the greater the poverty. The algados architecture is incredible, which resemble the favelas (slums) but built on the bay.

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