Salvador da Bahia Travel Forum

We will be in Salvador 4 days...what is the best and safest way to get around.
We are going August 7 to 11th.
what are the main attractions, the order to seee them? Things to do near the city and how to get there by public transport...culture, nature, folklore etc.

I will start to do your route around Salvador emphasising beaches. There are dozens of nice beaches to dip north and south the city:
North: Praia do Forte, Arembepe
South: Ilha de Itaparica, Morro de São Paulo, Barra Grande, Itacaré
You may reach the spots by public bus, vans.
I will list as well some interesting spots in Salvador:
Shopping Center Iguatemi or Shopping da Barra (Music CDs) and
Berimbau and agogô (Bahia regional instrument) may be found at Pelourinho's stores.
Capoeiras may be shown at Pelourinho, Largo de Santo Antonio, Grupo de Capoeira do Pelourinho, Grupo de Capoeira do Mestre Bimba, Grupo de Capoeira do Mestre Moraes.
Sightseeings: Forte de Mont Serrat, Forte de Santo Antonio da Barra.
Go on excursion to Bahia de Todos os Santos, Ilhas do Maré, do Frade e de Itaparica by boat. Get information on Salvador's Tourism Agencies.
Museum Carlos Costa Pinto (Av 7 de setembro, 2490) and Museum de Arte da Bahia(Av 7 de setembro, 2340).
Handcrafts and trinkets may be found at Feira de São Joaquim (Av Jequitaia; Cidade Baixa, Agua dos Meninos).
Olodum group (drum percussion) use to training sometimes at Largo Tereza Batista
Best hotels: Meridien Bahia; Rua Fonte do Boi, 216
Sofitel Salvador; Rua Passargada Farol de Itapuã
Bahia Othon Palace; Av Presidente Vargas, 2456; Ondina
Transamerica Salvador; Rua Monte Conselho, 505; Rio Vermelho
The Sofitel Salvador hotel is far from confusion and nice to rest.

http://www.bahiacultural.com/Template.asp?nivel=00070003&identidade=33&id_equipamento=206

I believe you may find how to reach these spots dealing with Travel Agencies or talking with Hotels clerks and administrative people.
There are several ways to keep up on the go in Salvador. Hope you are slow going now.
Cassiovieggore

Once again, bobagem, from the internet search of the expert on all things from gay life to kitesurfing to ?????, someone who appears never to have been or experienced any of it. Thanks for confusing the situation once again.
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I recommend you read as thoroughly as possible the site www.bahia-online.net to get an idea of the neighborhoods, music, beaches, sights, etc. in Salvador. You can get around quite well to the sights and beaches by public bus. There's been a lot of rain lately so come prepared with good non-slip shoes that can get soaked. You can buy a big double umbrella for R$10 if/when you need to. Unfortunately, I think you will be a few days too early for the biggest local festival, the religious festival of Boa Morte that the Irmandade in Cachoeira (2 hrs by bus into the Interior) does every August.

But most of the sights that attract tourists are in the historic district of Pelourinho, which is quite compact and aggressively touristy/commercial, but where most go first. From there, you can take the Elevador Lacerda down to the Mercado Modelo to do more souvenir shopping. (The tourist office is at the top of the Elevador.) You can also get the bus at the base of the Elevador to go out to the church at Bonfim. Make sure you see the little museum of relics upstairs (R$3), look at some of the religious (Catholic and Candomble) shops alongside, and get a ribbon on your wrist (while making a wish with each of the 3 knots). Walk back through the neighborhood to the beach at Mont Serrat fort to have a beer with the locals or an ice cream at the famous sorveteria in Ribeira. Another interesting place is the old sugar plantation and now art museum at Solar de Uniao. Be sure to take a taxi to and from, starting in front of the Mercado Modelo to pay the least. Enjoy the lively beach at Porto da Barra and the pretty beach out at Itapua by the lighthouse (by public bus).

In 4 days, sightseeing in the morning, visiting a beach in the afternoon and going out for music at night, you really aren't going to have time to see much more. You can choose to take a motorized schooner day tour to two islands in the bay, or just get the ferry to quiet rural Itaparica on your own to hang out at the beach there. If you want to get up the coast easily because of limited time, a kombi day tour that stops at the Abaete lake, goes up for a brief stop in Praia do Forte to see the turtle project, and then stops on the way back in Guarajuba (one of the loveliest beaches in the area) for lunch and a swim, could be a good choice.

Have a wonderful trip.

There is a lot to do in the city and there are also some interesting colonial towns inland as well. We spent a wonderful day just motoring westward. If you don't have a problem driving, and it is not bad there, I would recommend renting a car and just roaming around. We loved it and were able to stop and look around wherever we wanted.