Picture-perfect Largo do Pelourinho is a sloping, triangle-shaped square, once the site of the pelourinho (whipping post) – one of several nearby locations where slaves were exposed and punished. After slavery was outlawed in 1835, the neighborhood fell into disrepair; in the 1990s major restoration efforts were initiated to preserve the cobblestone square's colonial houses and churches. Today, the square is the heart of Salvador's historic center.
Largo do Pelourinho
Salvador
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.17 MILES
This famous 18th-century church, located a few kilometers north of Comércio on the Itapagipe Peninsula, is the source of the fitas (colored ribbons) you…
0.17 MILES
The centerpiece of the Cidade Alta is the Pelourinho, a Unesco-declared World Heritage site of colorful colonial buildings and magnificent churches. As…
-
3.14 MILES
This excellent nautical museum in Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra contains relics and displays from the days of Portuguese seafaring, plus exhibits on the…
-
0.14 MILES
Holding one of Bahia’s most important collections, the Museu Afro-Brasileiro exhibits wood carvings, baskets, pottery and other artwork and crafts linking…
-
Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra
3.14 MILES
Built in 1698, Bahia’s oldest fort is more commonly called the Farol da Barra for the lighthouse (South America’s oldest) within its walls. In addition to…
-
0.4 MILES
The original 1861 Customs House, where slaves were housed when they arrived in Salvador, was partly destroyed in a fire in 1986. After reconstruction, it…
-
0.02 MILES
Literary types shouldn't miss a quick visit to the Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado, offering an overview of the life of one of Brazil’s best-known writers. A…
-
0.18 MILES
The story of Salvador's world-famous Carnaval is told through wonderfully evocative archival video and photographs at this museum which opened in 2018…
Nearby Salvador attractions
1. Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado
0.02 MILES
Literary types shouldn't miss a quick visit to the Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado, offering an overview of the life of one of Brazil’s best-known writers. A…
2. Igreja NS do Rosário dos Pretos
0.04 MILES
The king of Portugal gave the Irmanidade dos Homens Pretos (Brotherhood of Black Men) the land for the periwinkle-blue Igreja NS do Rosário dos Pretos in…
0.13 MILES
Leading away from the Pelourinho, the steep Ladeira do Carmo provides access to the Escadas do Carmo, a wide set of steps that were the setting of O…
4. Faculdade de Medicina Building
0.13 MILES
A Portuguese prince, upon arrival in Salvador in 1808, founded a school of surgery here that was later named the Bahia School of Medicine.
5. Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia
0.14 MILES
Below the Museu Afro-Brasileiro (one admission ticket gets you into both), the Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia exhibits indigenous Brazilian pottery,…
0.14 MILES
Holding one of Bahia’s most important collections, the Museu Afro-Brasileiro exhibits wood carvings, baskets, pottery and other artwork and crafts linking…
0.16 MILES
A colorful intersection of vendors, tourists, capoeiristas and colorful locals, the Terreiro de Jesus is a historic site of religious celebrations, and is…
0.16 MILES
The Catedral Basílica dates from 1672 and is a marvelous example of Jesuit architecture. The interior is elegant and simple, with marble-covered walls and…