The four concrete towers of the Lacerda Elevator drop 72 metres between the Praça Municipal in the upper city and Praça Cairu in the lower city, and have been Salvador's most photographed piece of infrastructure since 1873. The current art deco housing dates from a 1930 rebuild; the operation is the same — four cabins, thirty seconds end to end, a small flat fare.
For visitors, it is the easiest and quickest way to descend to the Mercado Modelo and Cidade Baixa, with a view back across the Bay of All Saints from the top. Avoid the immediate exit at the bottom after dark — petty theft is a constant.