Praia Grande is the historic heart of São Luís, a neighbourhood of azulejo-tiled mansions, steep cobblestone streets, and bars where reggae plays at all hours. This is where the city's colonial heritage is most concentrated, and where São Luís feels most distinctly itself — neither a European city nor a typical Brazilian one, but something in between.
The neighbourhood runs from the waterfront up into a tangle of narrow lanes lined with eighteenth-century townhouses. Some have been beautifully restored and house restaurants, galleries, and craft shops. Others stand in dramatic semi-ruin. Walking here in the late afternoon, when the light turns gold and the sound systems start warming up, is one of the city's essential experiences.