> Welcome to Salvador, Bahia

The Portal Top do Brasil presents to its visitors the Guide to Salvador, Bahia, Brasil with quick and essential information to help you prepare your trip to this Brazilian colonial and historical city

Salvador, Brazil's first Capital, is a cheerful city, and discovering this wonderful town will be a very interesting experience, mainly if you are interested in history, baroque arts and architecture... and nice beaches!

Salvador has a lot of surprises to you. So, let's introduce them to you

> The All Saints Bay

Salvador, founded in 1549, by the Portuguese Tomé de Souza, is situated at the entrance of a very large bay, the All Saints Bay (Baía de Todos os Santos).

This exciting city, with a preserved cultural, historical and architectural patrimony, is famous too for its folklore, the capoeira, its colours and rythms and spicy cooking. The bahianos hospitality charms visitors. Salvador awaits your visit

Among other historical and colonial cities of Brazil (Olinda, São Luís, Tiradentes, Ouro Preto, Mariana and Diamantina), Salvador deserves surely to be included in your itinerary when traveling to Brazil: its Old Quarter, the Pelourinho, is declared World Cultural Patrimony by Unesco.

And, last but not least, besides all Salvador major attractions (See Discover for more details), the city's Carnival is one of the most animated from Brazil.

> Baroque Treasuries

Salvador has some of Brazil's most important baroque churches as the marvellous São Francisco Covent, the Ordem Terceira de São Francisco church, and The São Bento Monastery, which keep some of Brazil baroque's greatest treasuries, religious as well as profane, as in other historical cities.

A week in Salvador
If you include Brazil baroque treasures in in your trip, it is worth to include Salvador. A week will suffice to discover its main monuments and churches.

365 Churches

Walking in the narrow streets of Salvador is like going to the past and discovering Brazil's history. Salvador's richness came from the sugar-cane, tobacco plantations and leather trade with the Portuguese Metropole until late XVIIIth Century. Later, diamond and other precious stones from the Chapada Diamantina contribute to this richness.

As a result of this trade, rich private mansions (solar) and imponent churches were build

In 1763, Brazil's Capital moved from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro. A decline followed, but Salvador has always kept its pace in becoming an important commercial and cultural center.

> Old Façades

Besides baroque treasuries, Salvador is an important center of religious (the candomblé), cultural and musical center.

One of Brazil's most important center with African influence and heritage, Salvador is a mirror of Brazil's melting pot. The Bahia's lazy way of life give to this land a nickname that resumes all what bahianos say of their State: the Happyness Land (Terra da Felicidade)