Popular tourist stop, but generally disliked by most native Brazilians. But has hidden charms.
Salvador is widely known as a dangerous big city, ugly, with annoying sellers at the beaches. Most Brazilians will say you should visit only the old town part to take some tourist photos and immediately go off to other (better) cities in the Bahia region/state.
And I agree with half of it. That yes…Salvador does have a “nice” colorful old town area with tourist value, and is super dangerous. And that yes, the beaches have tons of annoying sellers who come by every minute.
But I would also say that Salvador DOES have its charm if you know where to go. The people who DO like Salvador are usually locals who grew up here or people from big city Sao Paulo who like the warm people and accessible beaches here (Bahia region in general). They prefer it over the more excessively contrasty (and “superficial”) Rio de Janeiro.
While the old town Pelourinho can be seen in 2 days, to enjoy the everyday local life in Salvador…you’ll need to spend a couple more days at least.
Where to stay:
- Pelourinho – cultural touristy stuff, typical hostel place. make sure you explore up the hill as well (on other side with vegan stuff). but all locals know never to go here. considered ugly and dangerous, and too many annoying street-sellers and beggars. a typical classy local person would NEVER go to pelourinho. maybe for sao joao street party one night a year at most. The fun/nice neighborhoods are more like Barra and Rio Vermelho.
- Barra – where the real life of salvador happens. most people like this (although local residents living in residential areas may consider it “boring”). for foreigners, i’d say this is the first place you should start. it’s closer to the beach/water and typical tourist stuff, easy to walk around, many restaurants and fun.
- Rio Vermelho – some people consider it more boring and quiet…but it’s most centrally located, 10mins closer to local stuff on east and northeast. and easier/faster to get to the more inland stuff where locals are. depending on who you talk to, people argue whether rio or barra has more stuff going on (bars, clubs, nightlife). i get the sense that true locals born and raised in salvador would easily prefer rio vermelho. or at least say “it depends on what you want, both have everything” when you ask them which is better.
Hostels:
- Hostel Galleria da 13 (Pelourinho) – if you’re gonna be in Pelourinho, this is the hostel to stay at.
- S… (Barra) – looks like a nice big hostel in nice area, and right across from the beach.
Neighborhoods & Walking areas:
- Pelourinho – you should only be here during the daytime for some tourist photo ops and cultural activities. But know that it’s dangerous and you need to be vigilant at all times, night and day.
- Main square
- Michael Jackson Square
- Churches all around
- Carnaval Museum
- Carmo church & musuem
- leave, because it’s not safe to hang out here!
- Barra – walk around the water and the lighthouse. Shopping Barra (is a good mall with many options, but I agree Shopping Salvador is better).
- Rio Vermelho – not much of a walk-around area, but you can do some.
Activities to do:
- Beach – it’s not the same beach vibe like other cities in Brazil. It’s more like a coastline that you overlook. If you’re going to get in the water, I recommend away from Praia do Porto da Barra. That beach is nice but crowded and has the most annoying vendors who never leave you alone. Trust me on this, you will not have any peace! You’ll be bothered every 1 to 2 minutes.
Restaurants & Cafes:
- Pelourinho – Cuco Bistro (amazing everything), Bar Zulu (delicious moqueca & drinks), up the hill vegan.
- Barra (beachfront) – Sabores da Barra Bar e Restaurante (good cheap local food), Livic (good cheap local food), Amado (amazing ocean view, good for fancy lunch), Barrevento (fancy restaurant, great food & service).
- Local recommendations – , Bao Petiscaria (awesome lunch hangout), Mistura (fancy seafood). Places I didn’t go but was told by locals to try. Zuuk (amazing sushi).
Bars & Clubs:
- Blue Beach Bar – upscale bar
- Marreco – night party place, drinking and dancing.
- Show Bar (Rio Vermelho) – nice funk music was here. Very local.
- BomBar RV & Amsterdam Pop – both in Rio Vermelho that I heard about but never tried.
Honestly, the only real and nice and safe option is to hangout in Barra or Rio Vermelho for the nightlife. Not Pelourinho, unless you’re walking together in a big group and don’t want to venture far from your place.
Miscellaneous tips:
- Quick travel guide for Brazil.
- Safety tip – a word of advice given to me by the hostel owner, “If it doesn’t look inviting, don’t be there. If it does look inviting, be cautious.” Flash robberies/muggings do happen, even on the blocks with police at the corner. Do NOT go down side-streets even if they’re right next to the “safe” public areas.
- Shopping – I really liked these mens brands…Aramis, John John, Reserva. Best malls are Shopping Salvador and Shopping Barra. Both are nice, big, and with every option you can think of.
Nearby towns:
- Morro de Sao Paulo* – only one around that I went to and really liked. It’s super crowded party-mode in high season, and relaxed-chill in low season.
- Boipeba* – much quieter and smaller beach town. Not as pretty and touristic as Morro. It’s more if you want a very chill, quiet, local vibe. It’s not dead.