Private Full-Day Tour - Salvador's Lower & Upper City
Description
This full-day adventure will allow you to enjoy both the magnificent panoramic views Salvador offers, as well as discover its rich history, extraordinary architecture, and dynamic culture, result of the blend of Portuguese, African and Indigenous people. We will see the city from different angles, discovering the Lower City, with its bucolic interior atmosphere, around the calm waters of the All Saints Bay, and continuing to the tip of the Itapagipe Peninsula, the extreme west part of Salvador, and then the Upper City with its Historic Center – the cradle of our city’s history.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our journey will start at the Farol da Barra, where we will enjoy the spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean and the entrance to the bay.
We will then head to Dique do Tororó, where we will appreciate the famous sculptures of the Orixás – African Dieties by the artist Tati Moreno, which reflect the African influence in the everyday lives of Bahians, and we will see the soccer stadium, Arena Fonte Nova.
While making our way down to the Lower City, we will drive through Salvador’s old financial center and the Port of Salvador towards Ribeira district.
We will have a chance to stop at the city’s most traditional ice cream shop, Sorveteria da Ribeira, where we will have a chance to enjoy some of the over 70 flavors available, many of which are made with the typical fruits of the region.
Next, we will arrive at the Bonfim Church, one of the most famous churches in all of Brazil and a great representation of the religious syncretism so present in our culture, where we can tie the traditional colored ribbons and ask all the saints for their protection. Moved by faith, the people of Bahia walk 8 km (5 mi) annually on the traditional Bonfim festival.
On the way, we will go to Ponta de Humaitá and make a stop at the Mont Serrat Fort, where we will enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of Salvador.
We will then reach the top of the Upper City, where the Portuguese built the first capital of Brazil, similar to an acropolis. From the Municipal Square we will see the Rio Branco Palace, the City Council and the iconic Lacerda Elevator, from where we will enjoy a magnificent view of the bay with its islands, the old financial district and Mercado Modelo, a handicraft market.
WE will pass through the Sé Square, where the first cathedral of Brazil was built and we can still see its ruins.
The Terreiro de Jesus Square, home of the former Jesuit School and Church were originally built. Nowadays, it's the new Basilica Cathedral. At this point we will provide free time for lunch.
After lunch, we will visit one of the Brazil's most beautiful cathedrals.The Basilica Cathedral of Salvador is the mother of all Brazilian Catholic churches and houses one of the most important collections of Brazilian sacred art.
Saint Francis Square is in the hart of the old city, where we find bars, restaurants and handicraft shops. But, the landmark here is really the world's famous Saint Francis of Assisi Church, a true barroque gem (visit). Ticket not included.
This is one of the most beautiful squares of Salvador, where the Jorge Amado Foundation and the Church of Rosary of the Black Men are located.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
My car is a black Toyota Corolla XEI 2023. For larger groups, I can arrange a confortable van as a transportation. I can pick up travelers at hotel, in the Old Town or at the Cruise Ship Terminal. For hotels outside the area specified above, I charge a fee for pick up and drop off at the hotel.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(54)
Carlos led us on a fabulous trip around Salvador introducing us to the history and culture of his amazing city. His winsome enthusiasm for his city was contagious! He was kind and thoughtful with sharing umbrellas on our rainy day. He showed us all the highlights and found the perfect lunch spot for us to enjoy delicious Bahian cuisine! All in all it was a fabulous day and Carlos treated us well! Thank you so much, Carlos!!
Hello Kristen! I'm so happy to know you enjoyed your visit to Salvador! Thank you so much! I wish you all the best!
Carlos was an incredible guide! He is so knowledgeable about Salvador and the history, architecture, and culture of the city. The tour is fantastic - we really learned a lot and got to see so many special places and enjoy some incredible food. Carlos speaks perfect English and took care of all of the logistics for our group of 9 people with lots of luggage, and even arranged transportation for us unrelated to the tour. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for your review, Lisa! I really enjoyed meeting your family and being able to share some of my passion for my city with you all. I wish you all the best!
Carlos was one of the best guides lve had, very personable, informative and guided us through and around all the stops seamlessly, highly recommended
Hi Jas! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed your visit to Salvador! I loved meeting you and Nina, and I wish you both all the best!
An excellent comprehensive tour covering the modern city and the older parts. Delicious ice cream along the way
Hello Adrian & Maggie! Thank you so much for your review! I enjoyed very much guiding you in my City. I wish you all the best!
Carlos took us on a great tour of Salvador. We booked directly (always our preferred option). Having don’t the previous day blindly wandering around it was so much better to have a structured day with a guide to explain everything to us. You really gain a lot from this. We started in the Barra district (where I am writing this review from on the beach☀️) and during the day traversed both the lower and upper city, we had a great time and Carlos was the perfect guide. He was easy to talk with and clearly very knowledgeable about Salvador. We would recommend the tour to anyone.
Hello, Colin! Thank you so much for your review! I had a great time with you and your family! Enjoy your visit in Brazil!
Four of us went on a trip with Carlos. Incredible guide - very knowledgeable, helpful and very friendly.
Hello Victor! It was a great pleasure to show you my city. Although you are very well-informed about our country and our culture, you showed a great interest in learning even more, and that motivated me to share even more information with all of you. Thank you for being so kind to me, I really enjoyed meeting you!
We had an amazing tour of Salvador with Carlos, he spoke English very well, we learned so much history of Salvador and Brazil from Carlos. He took us to a fabulous place for lunch. He was so patient as I had a leg brace from a knee surgery, he was mindful of having me rest while walking and assisted with stairs. Thank you Carlos, it was an amazing day!
Hello Michelle & Rick! Thank you so much for your review! I had a great time with you both. We had an excellent exchange, which made the tour go smoothly. Enjoy the rest of your trip, ok? I wish you all the best!
Carlos was wonderful! So knowledgeable. He modified the itinerary based on our interests. We saw so much in 6 hours. When it started to rain he went back to his car and got umbrellas for us. He picked a great place for lunch and got us back to the ship in plenty of time.
Hello Sandra & Rick! Thank you for your review! I had a great time with you, too. Enjoy Brazil! I wish you all the best!
Fabulous tour of Salvador! Anna is extremely friendly, personable and knowledgeable. She was flexible to our needs and provided us with an excellent tour of Salvador and the main points to see, together with some of the history of the city. We highly recommend Ana!
Hello Nicola! Thank you so much for your review! I am happy to know that you enjoyed my tour, I loved being your guide! I wish you both all the best!
We would like to sincerely thank our private guide, Carlos, for the amazing tour he gave us. He picked us up on time, showed us all the important spots in the city, and explained in great detail the city’s history and everything we asked about. Thank you so, so much. Amir & Alon
Hi Amir & Alon! Thank you so much for your review! I loved meeting you and showing you my city! You seemed very interested in our culture, in our people and in our Country, which made our visit much more interesting. We had a great time together! Have fun in Brazil!
