Porto Seguro sits on the southern coast of Bahia where the Portuguese first set foot in Brazil in April 1500 — a fact the city has not forgotten. The historic upper town, the Cidade Histórica, perched on a bluff above the sea, holds the oldest colonial monuments in the country: the Marco do Descobrimento, a stone cross marking the landing site, and a cluster of 16th-century churches. Down below, on the beach and along the waterfront, everything is oriented toward pleasure.
The coastline north and south of town is lined with long sandy beaches backed by coconut palms, and the water is warm year-round. The town becomes one of the loudest and most festive destinations in Brazil during the summer months (December through February) and Carnival, when forró and axé music spill from every beach bar — most loudly along the Passarela do Álcool and on Praia de Taperapuan. If that energy is what you want, Porto Seguro delivers it reliably.
Across the Rio Buranhem to the south, the village of Arraial d'Ajuda offers a quieter version of the same experience — cobbled lanes, a clifftop church, slightly less congested beaches — and is worth at least a day trip by the small car ferry.