The original colonial settlement sits on a flat-topped bluff above the sea, reached by a steep road or a long flight of steps from the modern town. The plateau holds the country's oldest surviving Portuguese buildings: three small whitewashed churches, a Jesuit college, and the Marco do Descobrimento — a stone cross brought from Portugal in the 16th century and re-erected here. The buildings are modest by colonial standards, with thick walls and tile roofs, but the historical weight is significant: this is where Portuguese Brazil began.
Walk the whole plateau. The Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Pena anchors the western end, the Igreja de São Benedito sits at the eastern tip with the best ocean view, and the small Museu de Porto Seguro occupies the former town hall. The whole circuit takes about an hour. Go in the late afternoon when the light is good and the wind off the sea cuts the heat.