Pelourinho, Salvador da Bahia

Although a bit touristy, the Pelourinho area exposes you to all the good things (and some of the bad) that Salvador has to offer. There are some fine examples of colonial architecture, some of the best being the Cathedral Basilica, Igreja de Sao Francisco, Igreja da Ordem Terceira de Sao Francisco, and the Igreja da Nossa Senhora dos Pretos. There are also several museums worth visiting, the most interesting of which is probably the Museu Afro-Brasileiro. Additionally, street corner baianas serve up traditional Bahian cuisine, including a disgusting looking but tasty dish called vatapa (it's a yellow porridge of palm oil, coconut, shrimp and garlic). It is also a great place to hear live music, and the sounds of samba, reggae, and forro, among others, can be heard in the streets and in the bars. At the same time, Pelourinho and the surrounding area is full of beggars and thieves. Despite a strong police presence, it's a place in which it is difficult to ever feel safe.

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In July 2002 friends of mine from Vienna ( where I come from ) came to visit , one with wife and all of them with all their daughters... We flew to Salvador where we hired our own private minibus with driver ( we were a party of 12 , see picture # 5) and the plan was to go from Salvador to Recife on our own schedule.

Here are pictures of our first day and first walk , in colonial Salvador , mainly around the Praça da Sé , Terreiro de Jesus ( = Praça 15 de Novembro ) and further on to the Largo do Pelourinho. The first three pictures show Igreja de São Francisco ( with different foreground , *smiles*) , number 4 is Largo do Pelourinho , number 5 our group with our private bus....)

Re Igreja São Francisco , Church of St. Francis of Assissi who would definitely not approve of this church in his name , because instead of being simple and humble as he was , the church is one astonishing example of extravagant and prodigal luxury with real gold leaf covering the wooden altar like wallpaper and with imported luxury tiles from Portugal in the courtyard..... Well , so be it......

I I do not want to write many things on this ancient restored quarter, many others Vt mamabers have written good pages, mine is only an advice, you do not get lost the occasion to spend some hour walking, observing and discovering small corners of beauty, of old and new atmosphere. Not All the quarter has been restored, therefore there are still zones where people live with semplicity: the smile never does not lack.
Keep in mind that is a tourist area and often someone can pevee you, keep in mind the normal rules of attention... and amuse yourselves.
Here the atmosphere of the old Bahia di Dona Flor is breathed. You will be able to find various exhibitions in the road, percussionists (often children band) that of capoeira... tuesday evening there are sheduled exibition , you can find in the local newspaper ' A Tarde '.
Have a look to mine travelogue on the Pelourinho: only some pics for gives an idea of the colors and the bright lights.

You will probably be staying in the pelorinho, in which case you are perfectly placed to explore on foot. It is quite a tourist centre so you will be constantly hassled by hawkers, but that's par for the course really. The party atmosphere really kicks in on Tuesdays, but every night feels like a festival to be honest...

When we got to Pelourinho we noticed many woman dressed in typical Bahian dress...

These Bahianas, bedecked in white turbans and white dresses to resemble candomblé priestesses will eventually approach you and ask if you'd like to have your picture taken with them for a small fee. Why not?

The pelourinho is in the historic center of Salvador, this place is alive day and night. Day time visit the beautiful churchs and monuments and at nigh great live music an very good restaurant and bars.

This is and old neighbohood that now serves as a source of history.
Lot o music, bars, restaurants and capoeira (an old dance/ fight broght by the ancient slaves from Africa)...
If you go by car, there's a good parking lot to keep your car safe.

I don´t know if I could describe this place and do it justice. There´s a lot to see and do here. Many bars and restaurants. There are stages with live music many nights of the week especially during their summer. The vibe is really the main attraction here. Just go and soak some of it in.

O Pelourinho is the must see area of Salvador... From the churches to the places, from the houses' roofs to the capoeira shows, everything is special here...

O Pelourinho, c'est le quartier a voir a salvador. Des eglises aux placettes, des toits des maisons aux shows de capoeira, tout est special ici...

When I first arrived in Pelourinho by cab, I headed off in the wrong direction and though I didn't know it at the time, I wandered just outside of Pelourinho up the hill on Ladeira do Carmo. At the top of the hill, I found this church and decided to walk inside. There were a couple guys sitting at a small table collecting a small entry fee of 1.50 R. Inside, I found that the church was a bit worn and unkempt, but from some of the hallways in the back, windows revealed great views over Pelourinho. There is also an organ that dates to 1889.

Next to the church is the Museu do Carmo where you'll find some interesting religious sculptures, documents and paintings.