In a nutshell

Discover the history of Salvador e Bahia with an interesting and pleasant tour of the city skirting the main tourist and cultural sights and with free time for some shopping.

Main stops

Igreja do Bonfim (internal visit)
Iguatemi
Farol da Barra
Avenida Sete de Setembro
Campo Grande
Avenida Contorno
Mercado Modelo

The programme

We start our tour with the lower city and move to Igreja dos Mares, the only Gothic-style church in Salvador de Bahia.
Next, Igreja do Bonfim, object of deep devotion for the Bahian people. Here we find the famous Senhor do Bonfim ribbons which, according to popular legend, help get your prayers answered.
The excursion continues with the Feira de São Joaquim, a large market including fruit, vegetables, arts and crafts. After going through the Américo Simas gallery connecting the lower and upper parts of the city, we pass by Dique do Tororó, a lovely lake where we can see the 3 metre high Orisha statues, divinities belonging to the Candomblé cult.
We walk along Avenida Bonocô towards Iguatemi, the most modern part of Salvador where we admire the most innovative architecture in Brazil.
We continue to Farol da Barra and its fort of Santo Antonio, dating back to 1580 and representing the border between Baia de Todos os Santos* and the Atlantic Ocean.
Avenida Sete de Setembro takes us into Campo Grande square, where we admire the statue commemorating 2nd July, the copper-coloured Caboclo monument (i.e. a person of mixed race) symbol of Salvador da Bahia independence, the Castro Alves theatre and Avenida Contorno.
On our way back to the lower part of the city, we stop at Mercado Modelo, the main crafts centre of the city, where we have some free time to do some shopping before heading back to the ship.

Good to know

The excursion does not include a tour of the historic city centre (Pelourinho), but only a sightseeing tour of the lower part of the city.
There is limited availability of English-language guides; if these are not available the local guide's commentary will be translated by a local interpreter.