A 16th-century urban layout, a historic center with UNESCO World Heritage status and a city park with 13,800 square meters of green space: Salvador Da Bahia offers different starting points for a cultural trip. You can focus on the city’s history, its museums, music or environmental education. When choosing a hotel in Salvador, it helps to first consider which of these aspects you want to shape your stay.

Historic Center and Pelourinho

Salvador’s historic center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. It preserves churches, monasteries, squares and mansions connected to the country’s political, economic and cultural history. The different building types and squares give the historic center a clear thematic framework: the focus is not just on a single building, but on an urban fabric with several historical facets.

Pelourinho preserves the historic center’s 16th-century urban layout. This gives your exploration a distinct perspective on Salvador: the historic layout of the city is as significant as its preserved buildings. Those interested in urban history can thus appreciate architecture and the layout as related aspects, rather than limiting their visit to individual attractions.

Museums Between Urban History and Collections

The Museu da Misericórdia is housed in a 17th-century palace. It presents health, political and social events in the city of Salvador. The museum thus connects the history of the building with several themes from the city’s history. After restoration work, it reopened to the public at the end of 2024; the exhibition spaces had been expanded and an elevator installed for the reopening. Check current opening hours before your visit.

In the historic center, the Memorial dos Governadores in Palácio Rio Branco displays insignia, swords, city keys, diplomas, letters, daggers, crystal objects, porcelain, books, medals, photographs and personal belongings. The range thus extends from official symbols and documents to objects from private life. Together with the Museu da Misericórdia, the Memorial offers a different way to explore the city’s history: through a collection in one case, and through a museum in a 17th-century palace in the other.

Music and a City Park as Other Areas of Focus

At the Cidade da Música da Bahia, the exhibition “A Cidade de Salvador e Sua Música” uses an interactive model. Visitors can also record their own video in a karaoke studio. The same venue therefore offers two different ways to engage with music: an exhibition featuring its model, and an activity where you can sing and record a video yourself.

The Centro de Interpretação da Mata Atlântica is a city park in Salvador dedicated to protecting the Atlantic Forest, recreation and environmental education. Admission is free. The park includes 13,800 square meters of green space. If you would like to include environmental education or a place to relax alongside historic buildings and collections, this park offers a distinctly different focus.

Getting Around and Choosing Accommodation

The Elevador Lacerda connects Comércio with Cidade Alta. This link between two parts of the city adds a practical point of orientation to the historical and cultural themes. For trip planning, you can first group the places described here by interest: historic urban layout, museums and collections, music or environmental education. Decide what you would most like to experience in Salvador before choosing a hotel for your stay.

Discover more destinations: Itambé, Jacobina, Riachão Do Jacuípe, Porto Seguro, Jandaíra, Ipirá, Maraú, Ituberá.

For the broader travel overview: Bahia.