Arte popular na Riberira by Kátia C. Oliveira 04

Guide 74 / 79 · Salvador · 16 min · 3,470 words

Ribeira and the Itapagipe Peninsula Bonfim, Monte Serrat and the bay shore

Ribeira and the Itapagipe peninsula in one afternoon: getting there in 2026, the new VLT, Santa Dulce, the Monte Serrat fort, Humaitá sunset times and the Sorveteria da Ribeira.

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Ribeira and the Itapagipe peninsula are the low arm of the Cidade Baixa that holds the Bonfim church, the Monte Serrat fort and chapel, Boa Viagem beach and the old seafront of Ribeira. The area is roughly 8 km from the historic centre: about 20 minutes by Uber or 99 outside rush hour (around R$ 15-25, US$ 3-5), or a city bus for R$ 5.90. Visit the Santa Dulce sanctuary, eat tapioca ice cream at the Sorveteria da Ribeira (open since 1931), see the Bonfim, then walk to the Ponta de Humaitá for sunset, between about 17:15 in June and 18:05 in January. The new VLT tram has carried passengers from Calçada since June 2026 but does not yet run onto the peninsula.

The peninsula at a glance

Itapagipe is the flat tongue of land that runs out from the Calçada into the Bay of All Saints, north of the Comércio; the Tupi name is usually glossed as "in the river of the flat stone". Its west side, with Monte Serrat and Boa Viagem, faces the open bay and the setting sun; its east side wraps around the Enseada dos Tainheiros, the sheltered cove where Ribeira's seafront sits. Most visitors come for one church on a hill and leave. Stay a few hours and you get four centuries within a few kilometres: a point fortified since the 1580s, one of the only two 16th-century chapels left in Salvador, an archbishop's summer palace from 1742, the sanctuary of the first saint born in Brazil and an ice-cream parlour that opened in 1931. Everything below is pinned on our map of Salvador.

Getting there from the Cidade Alta

By ride app. Uber's own published average for a 12 km ride from Salvador to Lauro de Freitas was R$ 29 (about US$ 5.60) in 2026, so the shorter run from the Pelourinho to the Bonfim usually lands around R$ 15-25 (US$ 3-5) outside peak hours. Uber and 99 both show the price before you confirm. Allow about 20 minutes, longer in the evening rush.

Lift first, then a ride. The Elevador Lacerda is free in 2026 (Monday to Friday 6:30-21:30, Saturday 7:00-21:30, Sunday 7:00-21:00). From the Comércio the Bonfim is a straight run of about 8 km along the bay, the line the Lavagem procession walks every January.

By bus. City buses cost R$ 5.90 (about US$ 1.15) since 5 January 2026. Line 0201, Ribeira x Bonfim / Campo Grande, links Campo Grande with the peninsula by way of the Contorno, the avenue along the bay below the Cidade Alta; check the current route in Google Maps or Moovit, and see our getting around Salvador guide for cards and apps.

The old train and the new VLT. The Subúrbio train ran 13.5 km from Calçada to Paripe for more than 160 years and stopped on 15 February 2021. Its replacement, the VLT light rail, began assisted operation with passengers on 29 June 2026. By 22 October 2026 it served 13 stops from São Joaquim through Calçada to Ara Ketu, Monday to Friday 6:30-16:00 and weekends 9:00-12:00, and rides were free during this phase. It heads north up the Subúrbio, not onto the peninsula, so for this outing its only use is the hop from São Joaquim to Calçada. A 3 km loop through Ribeira and the Bonfim is planned but not built.

Option	Time from the Cidade Alta	Cost in 2026	Good for
Uber or 99 from the Pelourinho	About 20 min, more at rush hour	Around R$ 15-25 (US$ 3-5)	Almost everyone; the easiest way back after sunset
Elevador Lacerda, then a ride from the Comércio	A few minutes down, then about 15-20 min	Lift free; the app prices the ride	Combining the trip with the Mercado Modelo
City bus, line 0201 from Campo Grande	Depends on traffic	R$ 5.90 (about US$ 1.15)	Budget travellers who know the route
VLT, São Joaquim to Calçada	One short stop	Free during assisted operation	Curiosity, on weekdays before 16:00

Calçada and the São Joaquim market on the way

The Calçada is the hinge between the Comércio and the peninsula. Its railway station opened on 28 June 1860 as the terminus of Bahia's first railway, which ran inland to Alagoinhas, and reopened restored on 17 June 2026 as the first finished VLT station. Just before it, the road passes the Feira de São Joaquim, the city's big working market beside the ferry terminal. It deserves its own morning; how to shop it is in our shopping and souvenirs guide.

Santa Dulce dos Pobres on the Largo de Roma

Before the Bonfim, stop on the Largo de Roma. Irmã Dulce (1914-1992), known as the "anjo da Bahia", founded charity hospitals for the poor of Salvador and was canonized by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019 as Santa Dulce dos Pobres, the first saint born in Brazil. Her Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce are headquartered at Avenida Dendezeiros do Bonfim 161, on the road to the Bonfim, where her remains have been kept since 2000 and where the Santuário Santa Dulce dos Pobres stands.

Next door, the Memorial Santa Dulce dos Pobres reopened on 5 November 2024 after renovation. The route begins in the old chicken coop where she first sheltered sick people in 1949 and ends in her preserved bedroom, with the chair she slept in for nearly three decades. At reopening it was open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-18:00; check the Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce site before you go. Her feast day is 13 August.

The Bonfim, briefly

Up the avenue, the Basílica do Senhor do Bonfim crowns the Colina Sagrada. Its interior was finished in 1754 and its towers in 1772, and Pope Pius XI made it a basilica in 1927. The ribbons, the Room of Miracles and how to tie the fita properly are all in our Bonfim church guide, and the January washing of the steps in our Lavagem do Bonfim guide (the next one is on 14 January 2027). Half an hour on the hill is enough for this loop.

The Monte Serrat fort

The road from the Bonfim runs west to Monte Serrat, the last point of the peninsula, fortified since the 1580s, when the small fort of São Filipe stood here. The fort you see, officially the Fortaleza do Monte Serrat, was rebuilt in stone and lime on the orders of Governor-General João de Lencastre (1694-1702) and finished in 1742: an irregular hexagon fitted to the rock, with round domed sentry boxes at the corners, listed by IPHAN in 1957. A plaque records that the Dutch general Johan van Dorth was killed on this spot on 17 July 1624.

The Army's 6th Military Region runs it, and since a 1993 restoration it has housed the Museu da Armaria, a small arms collection, with old cannon still on the parade ground. In September 2025 the state tourism department and the Army put it on a new "Bahia de Todos os Fortes" route with São Diogo, Santa Maria and São Pedro. We found no posted 2026 visiting hours, so treat the inside as a bonus and the walk round the walls as the visit. The wider story is in our forts of Salvador guide.

The chapel of Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat

About 200 metres from the fort and lower down, the Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat sits on the tip of the point with water on three sides. With the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Escada, it is one of only two 16th-century chapels left in Salvador. Its exact date is disputed; the Benedictine order lists its monastery here as founded in 1602, and the design of chapel and fort is attributed to the Florentine architect Baccio da Filicaia (1565-1628). The walls were once lined entirely with 16th-century azulejo tiles, of which a single strip survives. Hours are not posted online, so if the door is shut, the setting is the visit; the city's other great churches are in our churches of Salvador guide.

Ponta de Humaitá at sunset

Beside the chapel, the paved Ponta de Humaitá with its small lighthouse is where the whole bay opens up. Our sunset spots guide explains why locals send visitors here; for planning, what matters is that Salvador's sunset moves by almost an hour across the year.

Month	Sunset at Humaitá (2026)	Be at the point by	Leave the Cidade Alta by
January	About 18:02-18:06	17:30	17:00
June	About 17:13-17:18	16:45	16:15
October	About 17:29-17:33	17:00	16:30

Good to know: arrive 30-45 minutes before sunset to find a spot on the point, and call your ride as the light fades rather than after dark.

Boa Viagem beach and its church

Between the Bonfim and Monte Serrat, the road passes Praia da Boa Viagem, a short bay beach right beside the point. On its square stands the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, a baroque church and convent inaugurated in the early 1740s by families who owned ships on the Brazil-Portugal route, and listed by IPHAN in 1938. In 2026 you see it from outside: IPHAN closed it on 12 February 2025, in the inspections that followed the São Francisco ceiling collapse, for structural damage going back to 2004. Restoration began in April 2025 with R$ 7.2 million from IPHAN and the federal Fundo de Direitos Difusos, including a guesthouse for pilgrims; in June 2026 the budget was raised to about R$ 10.4 million, not yet guaranteed, and no reopening date has been set.

The Festa de Boa Viagem and the 1 January sea procession

Every New Year the Boa Viagem parish and the devotion of Senhor Bom Jesus dos Navegantes hold a festival that has run for more than 200 years. In the 2025-26 programme, the galeota Gratidão do Povo, the brotherhood's traditional boat, went down to the sea at 9:00 on 31 December; after an open-air Mass on the Praça da Boa Viagem at 15:30, it carried the image of Bom Jesus by sea to the Conceição da Praia basilica in the Comércio at about 16:00.

On 1 January, after an 8:00 Mass at the Conceição da Praia, Navy sailors and parishioners carry the image aboard at the Capitania dos Portos pier around 10:00, and the galeota sails back past Porto da Barra, the port and the Ponta do Humaitá, followed by devotees on launches and schooners. Around noon it meets the image of Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem at the point, and both process through Boa Viagem's streets to the Largo da Boa Viagem. The days fall inside the Festival Virada (30 December 2026 to 3 January 2027); see our New Year in Salvador guide for where to stay.

Ribeira and the Sorveteria da Ribeira

Ribeira, at the northern end, is the peninsula's seafront along the Enseada dos Tainheiros, known for its sunsets and small bars. Its anchor is the Sorveteria da Ribeira at Rua da Penha 87, which opened in 1931 as a pizzeria that also served ice cream. In May 2026 TasteAtlas listed its tapioca ice cream among the world's 100 best, one of only two Brazilian entries, and not for the first time. Tapioca is the best-seller; in 2024 there were 65 other flavours, all from local or regional ingredients, many of them Brazilian fruits. That year a scoop cost R$ 12 (about US$ 2.30), two cost R$ 20 (about US$ 3.85), and the original shop opened daily 9:00-20:00. There are branches in the malls, but the original, with the bay across the road, is the one worth the trip.

The Penha church and the Tainheiros cove

Ribeira's other landmark is the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Penha, built in 1742 by Archbishop José Botelho de Matos as part of his summer palace, to which a covered gallery still joins it. Look for the rococo façade with azulejos and the tower with a pear-shaped top; IPHAN listed it in 1941. The cove in front has its own past: the old rowing clubs of Itapagipe, Vitória, São Salvador and Santa Cruz raced on the Enseada dos Tainheiros for many years, and before Salvador had an airport, seaplanes carrying politicians and famous performers landed on this water. The city's tourism portal singles out the Ribeira seafood stalls for seasoned crab, casquinha de siri (stuffed crab shell) and lambreta clams.

Pedra Furada and where to eat

Inside the Monte Serrat neighbourhood, the small community of Pedra Furada is known across the city for its moquecas and its view of the bay, and much of the fish on its tables is caught right there. It is the natural dinner stop after sunset. New to moqueca? Read our moqueca baiana guide first. The places below were all named in 2025 coverage by A Tarde or the city's tourism portal; hours shift, so check before you go.

Place	Where	What to order	Notes
Sorveteria da Ribeira	Rua da Penha 87, Ribeira	Tapioca ice cream, then a fruit flavour	Daily 9:00-20:00 in 2024
Recanto da Tia Maria	Av. Constelação 213, Pedra Furada, Monte Serrat	Moqueca; the house siriboia	Seafood only, much of it caught locally
Recanto da Lua Cheia	Rua Rio Negro 2, Pedra Furada	Moqueca de peixe; fried fish with salad and farofa	Long-running, with a view over the bay
Pietro's Bar	Pedra Furada, Monte Serrat	Drinks and petiscos	Named by A Tarde in October 2025
Encantos da Maré	Beside the Bonfim church	Moqueca de camarão, lobster, siri mole	Generous seafood plates
Acarajé da Jandira	Rua da Imperatriz 119, Bonfim	Acarajé	Frying since 1980
Sagratto Café Bar	Largo da Baixa do Bonfim	Cuscuz com filé; moela ao demi-glace; drinks	Opened November 2024; breakfast to late afternoon
Cantina do Julliu's	Rua da Galiléia de Cima 96, Roma	Octopus salami; seafood pasta	Tables on the street; Wednesday to Sunday, lunch to late afternoon

Best time of day

Go in the afternoon and finish at sunset: the midday sun on the open seafront is strong, the Sorveteria stays open into the evening, and the best light at Humaitá comes last. Pick Tuesday to Sunday for the Santa Dulce memorial, which at its reopening was closed on Mondays. On 31 December and 1 January the Boa Viagem festival fills Monte Serrat, and on Lavagem day (14 January 2027) buses are diverted and the crowds take over; both are great to join, but not the day for this quiet loop.

A suggested afternoon loop

Times below are for October, with sunset at about 17:30. In June start 15 minutes earlier; in January, 30 minutes later.

13:30 Leave the Cidade Alta by Uber or 99, or take the Elevador Lacerda down and call the car from the Comércio (about 20 minutes).
13:50 Largo de Roma: the Santa Dulce sanctuary and memorial (about 60 minutes).
14:50 Short ride to Ribeira (about 10 minutes).
15:00 Sorveteria da Ribeira, the seafront and the Penha church (about 50 minutes).
15:50 Ride up to the Bonfim (about 5 minutes) or walk it (roughly 25-30 minutes).
16:00 The Bonfim and its ribbons (about 30 minutes).
16:30 Walk down past Boa Viagem beach and the church to Monte Serrat (about 20-25 minutes).
16:55 The fort walls and the Monte Serrat chapel (about 20 minutes).
17:15 Settle in at the Ponta de Humaitá; sunset at about 17:30.
17:50 Moqueca in Pedra Furada, or a ride back to the Cidade Alta (about 25 minutes).

That is about four and a half hours door to door. On a Monday, swap the memorial for a longer stop at the Sorveteria.

Good to know: the peninsula is a residential, everyday part of the city. Walk between the stops in daylight with your phone in a pocket, and use a ride app to leave after dark; our Salvador safety guide has the rest.

Our four suites, booked on Airbnb, sit in the Cidade Alta a few minutes on foot from the Elevador Lacerda and the Pelourinho, so this outing starts at the lift; the Historic Loft, a studio, is right beside it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get from the Pelourinho to the Bonfim and Ribeira?

Take an Uber or 99: about 20 minutes and around R$ 15-25 (US$ 3-5) outside rush hour. You can also ride the free Elevador Lacerda down to the Comércio and call the car from there. City buses cost R$ 5.90 in 2026; line 0201 links Campo Grande with Ribeira and the Bonfim.

Can I take the train or the VLT to the Bonfim?

Not directly. The old Subúrbio train stopped in February 2021; the VLT that replaces it has run since 29 June 2026 from São Joaquim through Calçada and up the Subúrbio, free during its assisted phase. From Calçada you still need a short ride. A loop through Ribeira and the Bonfim is only planned.

Is the Sorveteria da Ribeira worth the trip, and which flavour should I order?

Yes, combined with the Bonfim and the sunset. Order tapioca, its best-seller and a TasteAtlas world top-100 pick in May 2026, then a Brazilian fruit flavour.

Can I go inside the Forte de Monte Serrat?

The Army runs it, with a small arms museum inside since 1993, but we found no posted 2026 hours. Go in daylight, enjoy the walls and the view, and count a look inside as a bonus.

Is the Igreja da Boa Viagem open?

No. IPHAN closed it in February 2025 for structural damage, and restoration has been under way since April 2025 with no reopening date announced. You can still see the façade from the square on your way to Monte Serrat.

When is the Festa de Boa Viagem sea procession?

On 1 January. The galeota carrying Bom Jesus dos Navegantes leaves the Comércio around 10:00 and meets the image of Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem at the Ponta do Humaitá around noon. On the afternoon of 31 December it makes the trip the other way.

How long do I need for the Itapagipe peninsula?

An afternoon. Four to five hours covers Santa Dulce, the Sorveteria, the Bonfim, Monte Serrat and the sunset at Humaitá. If you only have two hours, do the Bonfim, the walk to Monte Serrat and the sunset.

Where can I eat on the peninsula?

After sunset, go to Pedra Furada in Monte Serrat for moqueca at Recanto da Tia Maria or Recanto da Lua Cheia. Near the Bonfim, try Encantos da Maré for seafood or Acarajé da Jandira.