A 17th-century Portuguese fort at the tip of the Barra peninsula, where the entrance to the Bay of All Saints meets the Atlantic. The black-and-white striped lighthouse inside it, built in 1839, is the oldest in South America. There is a small nautical museum inside the fort walls, but the real reason to come is the view and the sunset — the whole city turns out here when the sky is good, and the broad promenade in front is lined with drink vendors and musicians. Walk down the seawall afterwards to the bars and restaurants of Porto da Barra beach.
Farol da Barra
Historic lighthouse fort with legendary sunsets
A story
The Farol da Barra is the oldest lighthouse in the Americas. The current black-and-white tower dates from 1839, but a lit warning fire was first installed on this point in 1698 — making it older than every lighthouse in the United States.