Salvador & Bahia
All of Brazil, within reach.
The flag of Salvador shows a blue field with a white dove carrying an olive branch, a design credited to the city's founder Tomé de Sousa evoking the biblical dove returning to Noah's ark and symbolizing the hope and freedom won by the Bahian capital; long used informally, it was standardized by municipal law and officially presented for the first time on March 30, 2007.
Salvador & Bahia in pictures
About Salvador & Bahia
Salvador, capital of Bahia, was founded in 1549 as Brazil's first capital and remained the seat of Portuguese colonial government until 1763, leaving behind the Pelourinho — the Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 and one of the best-preserved ensembles of 17th- and 18th-century colonial architecture in the Americas. As the historic gateway for enslaved Africans brought to Brazil, the city is the country's most important center of Afro-Brazilian culture, expressed through Candomblé, capoeira, and a culinary tradition built on dendê palm oil — and it hosts what is widely regarded as the world's largest street Carnival. For DMCs and tour operators, Salvador offers a rare combination: a compact, walkable UNESCO heritage core, deep cultural and culinary programming, urban beaches, and a well-connected international airport, making it a strong stand-alone Nordeste product or an easy pairing with the Bahia coast and Chapada Diamantina.
Salvador–Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport
Salvador's main international/domestic gateway, principal air access point to Brazil's Nordeste region.
How Salvador & Bahia came to be
Sourced milestones your team can use for guest briefings and storytelling — not filler copy.
Curiosities & practical notes
What's on the table
Acarajé
A fritter of mashed black-eyed peas deep-fried in dendê (palm) oil, split and filled with vatapá, caruru, and dried shrimp; sold by the traditional Baianas do acarajé.
Moqueca baiana
A fish or seafood stew simmered in dendê oil and coconut milk with peppers and tomatoes, traditionally cooked and served in a clay pot.
Vatapá
A creamy paste of bread, ground shrimp, coconut milk, dendê oil, and peanuts or cashews, usually served alongside rice.
Caruru
An okra-based side dish cooked with dendê oil, shrimp, and ground nuts, closely tied to Afro-Brazilian religious offerings.
Bobó de camarão
A shrimp stew thickened with pureed cassava (manioc) and enriched with coconut milk and dendê oil.
Casquinha de siri
Crab meat seasoned and baked or served in the crab shell, a popular starter along the Bahian coast.
Cocada
A traditional coconut and sugar sweet, sold widely as a street snack in white or brown (with caramelized sugar) versions.
What there is to see
Marked where a site carries UNESCO World Heritage status directly, versus a locally or nationally protected landmark.
Pelourinho (Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia)
The colonial-era Upper Town core of colorful facades, cobblestone streets, and Baroque churches; the best-preserved ensemble of 17th–18th century Portuguese colonial architecture in the Americas.
Elevador Lacerda
Opened in 1873, the world's first urban public elevator connects the Cidade Alta and Cidade Baixa across a 72-meter drop and remains a heavily used piece of city infrastructure.
Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim
Bahia's most venerated pilgrimage church, built between 1740 and 1772, famous for the Lavagem do Bonfim festival and the wish ribbons (fitinhas) tied at its gates.
Igreja e Convento de São Francisco
A Baroque church in Pelourinho known as 'the Golden Church' for its lavishly gilded woodwork interior, alongside an adjoining Franciscan convent with azulejo-tiled cloisters.
Mercado Modelo
A historic former customs house near the base of the Elevador Lacerda, now a market for Bahian handicrafts, art, and souvenirs.
Farol da Barra
A lighthouse dating to 1698 at the mouth of Salvador's bay, often cited as one of the oldest in the Americas, paired with a naval/nautical museum and popular sunset viewpoint.
Forte de São Marcelo
A circular 17th-century fort standing in the waters of the Bay of All Saints (Baía de Todos os Santos), one of Salvador's most distinctive military-era landmarks.
What else we brief agencies on
This is what we prepare for every RFP, whether or not it's published on this page yet:
On request for every proposal
- Best season / weather windows and blackout dates for groups & MICE
- Permit and quota logistics for regulated attractions — lead time and group-size caps
- Accessibility notes and physical-difficulty ratings per activity
- Vetted ground partners, guides and transport already used on past programs
- Sustainability / certification credentials relevant to client RFPs, where they genuinely exist
- Real, checked room and vehicle availability for your travel dates — not a generic quote