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 slave trade. It also offers superb views on the surrounds. All information is offered in both Portuguese and English – a rarity in Bahia. If you only have time for one museum in Salvador, this is the one.
Museu Náutico da Bahia
Top choice in Salvador
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
6.1 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…
2.98 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
Picture-perfect Largo do Pelourinho is a sloping, triangle-shaped square, once the site of the pelourinho (whipping post) – one of several nearby…
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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
0.01 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…
2.87 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…
3.12 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…
2.99 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. Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra
0.01 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…
0.56 MILES
It's worth the uphill hike to this 17th-century fort: from here, the views of the bay are fantastic.
1.11 MILES
This lovely two-story mansion houses some of Salvador’s finest decorative art, from the collection of the patrician couple Carlos de Aguiar Costa Pinto…
1.25 MILES
Museu de Arte da Bahia showcases works from Bahian artists, with paintings by José Teófilo de Jesus (1758–1817) and drawings by Argentine artist Carybé…
2.08 MILES
Museu de Arte Moderna has a changing display of avant-garde exhibits (and erratic opening times). The hillside sculpture garden is a pleasant place to…
2.09 MILES
This well-preserved, 18th-century complex served as a transfer point for sugar shipments: legend says it's haunted by the ghosts of murdered slaves. Today…
2.84 MILES
The beautifully restored, art deco Elevador Lacerda connects the Cidade Alta with Comércio via four elevators traveling 72m in 30 seconds. The Jesuits…