Barra

At the end of Corredor da Vitória [1]—bracketed by a McDonald’s on one side and the gleaming white Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Vitória—the descent from Avenida Sete de Setembro [2] begins a steep plunge towards the lively middle-class neighborhood and beach of Barra. This road (known as Ladeira da Barra) offers spectacular sea views that will surely whet your appetite for the beaches awaiting at the foot of the hill.

On your way down, you’ll pass Bahia [3]’s yacht club, with its swan-like array of sail boats, the Cimetério dos Ingleses, where Bahia’s Brit expat community encountered a terribly scenic resting place, and, perched upon a verdant hill, the 16th-century Igreja de Santo Antônio da Barra.