Itapuã is the northern end of Salvador's beach strip, about 20 kilometres from the centre and reachable by bus or taxi. The atmosphere is more relaxed than Barra or Ondina — a fishing village turned beach suburb, with palm trees, beach barracas, and the small Lagoa do Abaeté (a freshwater lagoon in black sand) just inland.
The neighbourhood was made famous by the Vinicius de Moraes song and is still recognisably the place he described: slow afternoons, surfboard rentals, and the local fishermen still beaching their boats at dawn. A worthwhile half-day trip from the centre.