Cruises from Salvador

The official name for the city of Salvador is São Salvador da Baía de Todos os Santos or Holy Savior of All Saints’ Bay. It is situated on Brazil’s northeast coast and is nicknamed, ‘Brazil’s capital of happiness’. The name comes from the relaxed and easy-going spirit of the people who love outdoor parties and street carnivals. Salvador is the oldest city in Brazil, being founded in 1549 and was once an active seaport. Its main industry was sugar and the slave trade. Salvador is the capital of Bahia and became a bishopric in 1552.

The city sits on a small triangular peninsula, separating Todos os Santos Bay, a natural harbour and the Atlantic Ocean. Its population is over 80% Black African, which is the reason for its Afro-Brazilian culture. The city is actually made up of two separate sections, connected by an elevator. The Upper or High Town is home of the city’s administration offices and the Lower or Low Town is home to the commercial areas.

Tourism is a very important Salvadorian industry, generating large numbers of jobs and local income and the main attractions of the city relate directly to its cultural and artistic heritage. The annual Carnaval attracts a huge number of visitors. The infrastructure of the tourism industry is among the most modern in Brazil, especially in the standard of accommodation available and modern international hotels and youth hostels are plentiful. Among other industries active in Salvador are the auto industry, chemical plants and raw materials manufacturing.

Salvador has 50km of beaches for swimming, boating, surfing and sunbathing. In Barra and Porto da Barra there are small hotels, with prices ranging from expensive to inexpensive. The Avenida Sete and Pelourinho areas have inexpensive hotels, although some of these rent only by the hour rather than at an overnight rate. Bed and breakfast rentals, called guesthouses, are in Barra, Pelourinho or Old Town and Santo Antônio. Most of the youth hostels are in the Pelourinho area of the city.

One of the main attractions is the Historic Center, which received World Heritage status from UNESCO in 1985. The outdoor museum Espaço Cravo is another popular attraction, which houses 800 items created by Mario Cravo. Among them are totems, winged and three dimensional figures, drawings and paintings. Pituaçu Park is an ecological park, built as a water reserve originally, but now a recreational site. It is in the Atlantic forest, where you can walk among the plants and animals. There are ice cream parlours, snack bars, a playground and an outdoor museum

In Salvador you can shop until you drop at the many malls within the city. Among them are the Aeroclube Plaza Show, Caboatã Shopping, Outlet Center, Shopping Barra, Shopping Boulevard 161 and Shopping Center Iguatemi. There is also a market located at Cayru Square and called the Mercado Modelo or Model Market, which has 200 stands selling arts and crafts. This market has two restaurants and several bars serving drinks and appetisers.