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City transport
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Conveniently, many of the museums, churches and historic buildings are concentrated within
walking
distance of each other in Cidade Alta. Failing that,
taxis
are plentiful, although all the beach areas except Barra are a long ride from the centre.
There are three local bus terminals , and the bus system is efficient and easy to use. From PraA§a da SAİ , there are local services to Barra and to Campo Grande , another central terminus with connections to the airport, RodoviA?ria and Itapoan (also spelt ItapoA?). The PraA§a da SAİ is also the place to catch the executivo ($2), a comfortable express bus service, well worth using instead of the crowded city buses. There are only two routes on this service: buses marked "Iguatemi" run through the city to Barra, head down the coast to Rio Vermelho, and stop at the glossy shopping centre at Iguatemi, from where a short walkway leads to the RodoviA?ria - the fastest way to reach it by public transport, though still count on at least 45 minutes; the "Aeroporto" service, meanwhile, follows the same route until Rio Vermelho, before continuing along past Pituba to Itapoan, and on to the airport - cutting journey times to any of the beach areas to at least half that of a regular city bus. The third city bus terminal is EstaA§A?o da Lapa , in Barris, which has connections to everywhere in the city; it's remarkably well laid out, with destinations clearly labelled. To reach the centre, any bus with "SAİ", "C. Grande" or "Lapa" on the route card will do. Salvador also has ferry services to islands in the bay and points on the mainland. There are two ferry terminals: the Terminal TurAstico , behind the Mercado Modelo, clearly visible from Cidade Alta, is for launch services - lanchas - and excursion boats to the island of Itaparica, across the bay; the Terminal da EstaA§A?o MarAtima (or Terminal SA?o Joaquim), to the north, past the the docks and PolAcia Federal offices, handles the full-size car ferries to Itaparica (every 30min during the day; 1hr).
The quickest way to get to the ferry terminals - and Cidade Baixa in general - is to take the
Lacerda elevator
or the
funicular railway
, both of which connect Cidade Alta with the heart of Cidade Baixa. They run every few minutes from early morning to late at night and cost only a few cents a ride. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Brazil,
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