Visitors to Sao Luiz fall in love and with good reason too! Sao Luiz's historic centre is an enchanting neighbourhood, defined by romantic cobbled streets and colonial mansions. Over 1100 of the colonial mansions in Sao Luiz are listed on the Unesco World Heritage list, with some handsomely repaired and others still in varying states of disrepair. Sao Luiz is peppered with museums, galleries and craft stores, waterfront restaurants and a variety of Sao Luiz hotels to cater to the ever increasing stream of visitors who visit the capital of Maranhão all year round. As the reggae capital of Brazil, Sao Luiz comes to life with vibrant colours and an electric atmosphere especially during the Bumba Meu Boi festival.
There are many reasons to add Sao Luiz to your travel itinerary, though the trip across Baía de São Marcos to Alcântara is certainly a highlight.
The Pindaré, Mearim, Itapecuru and other riverines flow into the Baía de São Marcos. Here, the island of Sao Luiz faces the Atlantic. Sao Luiz is the capital city of the sate of Maranhão. The city is bustling with a population of 986,826, and is well developed. There are many hotels in Sao Luiz of varying types to cater to its visiting population. If you just bumped into a ‘ludovicenses', you just met a native of Sao Luiz.
In a twist of history, the city founded by the French is today more recognisable for its Portuguese face. A city of history more than commerce, it's a sprawl of historic buildings. With an ancestry closer to the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the buildings still retain the Portuguese imprints of tiled facades painted by hand. Originally meant as a shelter against the searing afternoon heat, these tiles have given the city its distinct character. For those with a penchant for things with a history, the city offers an eyeful of delights. The Historic City Centre is a UN sponsored World Heritage Site, and the recognition is well deserved as Sao Luiz has the best preserved examples of Portuguese architecture among all Latin American nations. Cobbled streets laid out in a maze of rectangles, little alleyways, the well preserved mansions laced with belvederes, iron balconies, old churches, intricate fountains and archaic monuments all serve as a walking history lesson. Taking one of the great Sao Luiz tours that encompasses the city centre is a great way to get around while discovering the magic of Sao Luiz.
The city has earned its name ‘The Brazilian Athens' because it has been home to some of the famed litterateurs like Aluísio Azevedo, Gonçalves Dias and Ferreira Gullar. Of course, romantics refer to it as the ‘Island of Love'.
Sao Luiz is an estuarial island with a total area of 1300 km. It is flanked by the São Marcos Bay on the west, São José Bay to the east and the wide expanse of the Atlantic to the north. It is a sunny spot just two degrees south of the equatorm making it a perfect destination for tourists all year round, and with a number of Sao Luiz hotels on offer all you have to do is pick your favourite and book today! Two rivers, the Anil and Bacanga, crisscross the land and flow into the Sao Marcos Bay. The island is administratively divided into four districts - São Luís, Raposa, Paço do Lumiar and São José Do Ribamar. As in most old world cities, Sao Luiz retains the old with the new. It can be demarcated into two distinctive parts - Sao Luiz proper is the older part of the city. Dating from the days of its settlement, it comprises the central Old Town and the relatively recent industrial and working class areas. São Francisco and its outlying areas are the centres of modern commercial development. The business district, with new residential high rises and the much frequented beaches, makes this part the contrasting face of Sao Luiz. Check out our map of Sao Luiz to familiarise yourself with the city. It also shows the location of the Sao Luiz hotels that are able to be booked through our network in relation to the many great tourist attractions in Sao Luiz.
Sao Luiz has retained its own unique cultures. The cuisine, the street festivals and the abandon of reggae make this city a cultural hotspot.
The richness of the city's culture is due to its multi-ethnic nature. Conquered by the Portuguese after periods of French and Dutch domination, the city has manufactured its own blend of customs. The import of African slaves and the ‘assimilation' of the Tupinambá Indian tribes brought other changes. Today, we see this in the way art, religion and festivities are expressed. The months of May and June bring the religious march of the Divino Espírito Santo and the São João celebrations. Bumba-Meu-Boi, the Tambor de Criuola, Tambor de Mina, Cacuriá and the São Gonçalo dances all add to the local culture.
The almost comical but intensely animated Bumba-Meu-Boi dance, along with the annual Carnival, are among the biggest tourist attractions in Sao Luiz. It's a wild party on the streets, so chalk out your itinerary in advance. For the three days of the last weekend in June, it is a sight that enraptures. Book your Sao Luiz accommodation in advance to ensure you get a great view of the festivities!
The latter half of June would be the ideal date to step into Sao Luiz. Festa Junina is held at this time and is the most popular festival in Brazil.
Once you are done with the festivities you can visit Lençóis Maranhenses. A national park, it is just a three-hour hop away. Large expanses of sand dunes with basins of freshwater make this a truly rare phenomenon. A number of tours in Sao Luiz take in the sites of this spectacular national park.
From festivals to nature and finally to the architectural beauty of the city - the cobbled pathways, still as intricately preserved as in the days of the Portuguese, make it almost seem like the clock has been turned back. Just a walk down these streets bounded by equally old buildings like the Theatre Arthur Azevedo transports you into the past. Some of the great Sao Luiz hotels show the architectural beauty of the city.
Brazilian music always was, and still is, about free abandon. Perhaps its African roots play out in the streets in the form of joyous songs and dances. It is always a celebration - what the Latinos call fiesta. Music as an art form still continues to evolve in Brazil. New influences from cultures abroad are starting to create fresh trends. A new harmonious mix is being created.
Sao Luiz for the first time traveller would seem like a cradle of Latin culture. The building facades with their coloured tiles hark back to the 17th century. As Sao Luiz welcomes you, enjoy the reggae, the cuisine, the beauty and the city's share of nature's bounties.
Check out our Sao Luiz hotels listings for a full range of accommodation in Sao Luiz for travellers to this unique destination. We have a range from simple budget hotels and pousada's through to luxury resorts and hotels in Sao Luiz. You can book your Sao Luiz accommodation quickly and with confidence through our Sao Luiz hotels site. If you would like to be near to a particular Sao Luiz tourist attractions, you can check our our Sao Luiz map to see which Sao Luiz hotels are nearest before making your Sao Luiz hotel booking online.
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Meet your local connection in São Luiz , Sandra de Miranda Rodrigues and the hardworking team of Sacada Turismo! We offer an extensive range of eco-friendly excursions and programs and are proud to be a part of whl.travel and promote responsible tourism in our incredible destination.
