Porto Seguro's appeal splits between two altitudes. Up on the bluff, the Cidade Histórica holds the oldest surviving Portuguese colonial buildings in Brazil — three small whitewashed churches and a cross marking the 1500 landing point, all clustered on a windy headland with a long view down the coast. It takes an hour to walk and is worth doing in the late afternoon, when the light is good and the heat has dropped.
Down on the sea, the day belongs to the beach. Long sandy strips run for kilometres north of town, most of them backed by barracas — open-sided beach bars that hire out chairs and umbrellas and serve grilled fish, cold beer, and caipirinhas. The most famous stretch is along the Passarela do Álcool strip at night, where the bars compete with live music and free shots of fruit cachaça. For something calmer, take the five-minute ferry across the river to Arraial d'Ajuda.