What to do in Salvador da Bahia with kids? Salvador da Bahia in Brazil is located in the east of the country on the coast and is a very lively city! We also found it to be one of the nicest cities we visited during our tour of Brazil. Even though there are not a huge number of children’s activities in the city, you can easily spend a few days there! In this blog, we list the best children’s activities in Salvador da Bahia.
Best travel time Salvador da Bahia with kids
You can basically visit Salvador da Bahia with kids all year round. Temperatures range from 25 to 30 degrees year round. However, it does rain a lot more in certain months than in others. The months when the least rain falls are May through September. Therefore, this is the best travel time for Salvador da Bahia.
The months of January and February are generally very busy in Salvador, due to Carnival. Then the prices of accommodations can also start to go up a lot. In addition, it can also rain quite a bit during this period.
Transportation to and in Salvador da Bahia
Brazil is a large country and the distances between different cities are enormous. Especially in the northeastern part of the country, you can spend entire days on the bus to travel from one city to another. Especially with kids, therefore, it may not be ideal to travel by bus, despite the buses being very luxurious in Brazil.
You can fly to the city of Salvador from almost any city in Brazil. Usually a domestic flight is not super expensive either. In the center of the city you can take a great walk. You really do have to stay on the tourist parts of the city, otherwise it can be dangerous. Anyway, make sure not to walk around town with a lot of valuables (but you shouldn’t do that in Brazil in most cities).
For destinations outside the center, you can take a cab with kids. The Uber cab runs in Salvador, which also allows you to see exactly what the cab ride will cost you in advance. Be sure to buy a Brazilian SIM card in advance at the airport, so you will have internet throughout Salvador and thus be able to order a cab anywhere.
Children’s activities Salvador da Bahia
#1 Old center of Salvador
Salvador’s old town is definitely worth a visit if you are visiting the city with kids. You have in the city center beautiful old colonial buildings and several beautiful churches to visit. This old center is also called Pelourinho. We found it very lively here and when we visited downtown it also seemed like it was a party everywhere. Lots of music and dancing everywhere.
You also have many nice restaurants and stores in the old town that you can visit with the family. One of the most beautiful churches in the center is São Francisco, where certainly the inside of the church is worth seeing. Besides this church, you also have the church Igreja da Terceira Ordem de Sao Francisco that you can visit.
The old center is high up and you also have a part of the city that is a lot lower down. You can take an elevator or cable car from the top to the bottom and vice versa. If you go down by elevator you will come out in the port of Salvador da Bahia. You pay a small fee to use the elevator.
#2 The beaches
You can also get to the beach in Salvador with kids just fine. Year-round temperatures are above 25 degrees, so you can go to the beach almost all year round. You have around Salvador da Bahia several beaches that you can visit. The beach closest to the city is Porto da Barra. This is a beach that is always crowded (partly because of its location) and you can also rent beds on the beach here.
Another beach you can visit in the Salvador area is the Stella Maris beach. This beach is a half-hour drive from downtown Salvador. It is a popular beach and there are also several resorts near the beach. The beach is also suitable for kids as it slopes slowly.
Another beautiful beach you can visit in Salvador is Flamengo beach. You have palm trees here by the beach and several sand dunes. The waves here can be high, which is why the beach is also hugely popular with surfers. Again, it is possible to rent a bed with umbrella on the beach.
#3 Salvador Beach Club
If you are visiting Salvador da Bahia with young kids, you might like to visit Salvador Beach club. This beach club is a 20-minute car ride from downtown Salvador on Praia do Corsário beach. You have a water playground at this beach club for the youngest kids with several small slides.
You can decide at the beach club if you want to pay to use the pool or if you just want to lie down at the beach club. For small kids, this water park is ideal and they can play here for a few hours. Meanwhile, parents can enjoy snacks and drinks at the beach club.
#4 Morro de São Paulo
You can take a fun day trip to Morro de São Paulo from Salvador da Bahia with kids. Morro de São Paulo is a quiet car-free village with beautiful beaches. You can go here from Salvador on an organized tour. You then go from Salvador to the island of Itaparica in about an hour. There you will travel on to the city of Valencia and from there you will take the speedboat to the village.
In Morro de São Paulo you have beautiful beaches with white sand and clear water. The various beaches here do not have Namur names but numbers. So you have beach 1, beach 2 and beach 3. For example, beach 1 is known to offer all kinds of activities in the water and also to offer good snorkeling at this beach. Beach 2 is the busiest beach and here are also most of the catering establishments and beach 3 is a bit quieter and here you can do just fine if you want to eat a pasta or a pizza at one of the Italian restaurants near the beach.
If you visit this village during the months of June through November, it is also possible to spot whales here. You can also do various activities with kids at these beaches, such as ziplining (from the lighthouse) and horseback riding. This organized tour lasts a full day. KIjk for more information about this organized tour to Morro de São Paulo just here.
Family-friendly hotel Salvador da Bahia
You can stay in Salvador da Bahia with kids just fine. You have several family-friendly hotels that you can book with the family. We list below some well-reviewed accommodations in each price range. Press the blue link for more information!
Budget hotel: Bed and breakfast Villa Carmo
Mid-range hotel: Hotel Pousada da Mangueira
Luxury hotel: Grande Hotel da Barra
Do the above 3 options not include suitable accommodation for you? Then check out the full list of family-friendly hotels in Salvador da Bahia.
