A Day in Salvador’s Historic Centre, Salvador, Brazil

Colourfully painted heritage buildings surround the cobblestone square in the heart of Salvador’s historic centre. Whether you love to feast your eyes on old architecture, people watch in a lively square or have lunch in an outdoor patio, you will find all of that and more in this lovely Old Town.

As we wondered through the historic district there seemed to be a never ending supply of streets lined by beautifully restored heritage buildings. Founded in 1549, Salvador was the capital of what was then called América Portuguesa and is now called Brazil. Established only 2 years after the colonial town of Olinda, Salvador was deemed to be important even before it was built. The Portuguese king decided that the land over looking Baía de Todos-os-Santos (All Saints Bay) be the location of the first capital in their new land. This decision also makes it the first planned city in the country. It held a prominent position for a long time since it remained the capital for almost 200 years until it was moved to Rio.

Salvador’s history has resulted in a fabulous historic centre and an easy place to spend a day. The perfectly restored Portuguese colonial buildings combine to form one of the best historical centres we have visited in any country. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).