Nowhere is the Afro-Brazilian culture more prominent than in Salvador. The preserved city with its Baroque houses and Renaissance buildings dotted along the narrow cobbled streets city was Brazil's first capital, earning its wealth through sugar cane. This led to an influx of slaves – around five million - brought in from Africa to work on the growing sugar plantations and settling there.
The African influence is in its food, its people, and its music. A hypnotic blend of reggae, rock and afoxé seeps through every crack in the wall, every day of the year, but especially during Carnaval. Each year around two million visitors from all over the country book flights to Salvador to participate in Carnaval, the second largest in Brazil and some say even better than Rio's. Travellers thinking of visiting should book their Salvador flights during this festive time to experience one of the most vibrant cities in Brazil.
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Salvador has a typical tropical climate throughout the year, temperatures range from low 20s to mid-30s with relatively high humidity.
Peak Season
Between the months of December and March, especially February during Carnaval, the city is filled with tourists who book flights to Salvador from all over the world. Accommodation and airfare are higher at this time, and the streets do get overly crowded.
Off Season
In winter, from April to July, is the best time to book a cheap flight to Salvador but it’s also the rainy season.
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Most of Salvador is best explored by foot, especially Pelourinho where parking is impossible and there are lots of narrow streets with hidden churches and houses around them.
To get to any of the beach areas, you can hop on a bus or hail a taxi.
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- Don’t believe in miracles? Well by visiting the Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, Salvador’s most famous church, any wish you make is said to be granted. There’s also a room in the back – the Room of Miracles – where people donate valuables as a thank you for receiving their miracle.
- Some of the finest examples of Catholic art in Brazil are housed inside the Museu de Arte Sacra. Once a convent, the museum has a vast collection of oil paintings, statues, silver, and jacaranda-wood oratorios.
- Stop by the Igreja de São Francisco, a Baroque church from the 17-century that was slathered on the inside with 200 pounds of gold. Then walk over to the Ordem Terceira de São Francisco church next door.
- If there’s one place you can’t afford to miss it’s the Solar do Unhão. Dating back to the 18th-century, this old sugar mill consists of various buildings around a courtyard. Inside the main building is a small modern art museum with works by Portinari and Di Cavalcanti.
- Visit the Art Deco Elevador Lacerda, four elevators shuttling thousands of passengers a day from Cidade Alta to Cidade Baixa.
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