Salvador! and Brasilia?! or Curitiba!?

I am traveling to South America for the first time this summer.

I will be heading to Brazil with a friend in the end of May. We are flying into Salvador and she has 17 days until she flies back home (out of Salvador) and I will be traveling on until the end of July.

First, any tips about stuff to do around Salvador? We could venture away but just have to be back for her flight.

Second, I was planning on taking a bus (I know its long) from Salvador to Brasilia to check it out. I'm an urban planner and it's a totally planned city. Does anyone know if Brasilia is really worth visiting and for how long?!

Curitiba is also an award winning "planned" city, but it's looking harder to get to. Anyone have tips on flights from Salvador to Curitiba? I know I need an exit ticket from Brazil to enter so I DO need to make some plans before hand.

After Brazil I am heading to Peru. I want to be based around Cuzco and trek to Machu Picchu. I am also trying to figure out trips to do from there. Those I can figure out later.

I would greatly appreciate any tips as our timeline has been pushed up and my friend wants us to book out tickets ASAP!!

Thanks a million!

THERE ARE PLENTY OF OPTIONS AROUND SALVADOR... WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? CULTURE, FUN, BEACHES.....?

FOR AN URBAN PLANNER, PELOURINHO IS A MUST... THIS IS THE COLONIAL CITY.... THERE ARE PLENTY OF CULTURAL ACTIVTIES THERE...

SANTO ANTONIO, NEXT TO PELOURINHO IS ALSO BEAUTIFUL. I PERSONALLY LIKE IT MORE THAN PELOURINHO.

BARRA BEACH IS WHERE TOURIST GO. IT IS CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN. I ALSO LOVE THE SAO JOAQUIM MARKET.... THE POPULAR ONE. THE TOURISTS GO TO THE MODELO MARKET....

NICE MUSEUMS TOO. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE? YOU HAVE THAT INFO ON A GOOD GUIDE. BUY ONE, START READING AND THEN IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS WRITE BACK.

ARE YOU PLANNING TO VISIT NEAR BY BEACHES AND LOCAL TOWNS? HOW MANY DAYS? WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND?

BRASILIA IS JUST AMAZING. YES IT IS WORTH A VISIT. CAN TAKE A FLIGHT FROM SALVADOR TO BRASILIA, STAY THERE A NIGHT, SEE THE CITY AND GO NEXT TO FROM BRASILIA TO CURITIBA, PROBABLY THROUGH SAO PAULO.

BEST,

Outside of Salvador, the town of Lencois and national park Chapada Diamantina is nearby. Or, you can visit small, beach towns like Transcoso or Itacare.

Salvador is very touristy and full of the hustlers that come with it. We cut our visit short there and went about 1 hour north to Praia do Forte. It's a small modern town with beautiful beaches, nice bars and restaurants and friendly people. Perfect if you want to spend some time relaxing.
About 6 hours east of Salvador is Chapada Diamantina, a national park. If you like to hike in beautiful countryside with waterfalls, rivers, caves and mountains you will want to stay in Lencois for at least one week. Lencois is the central little town from where you can take lots of excursions by foot, mini-bus or horse. In town are plenty of nice restaurants and bars. We had a great time there.
South of Salvador are lot's of beaches as well. We have been to Porto Seguro which is 1 hour by plane or 12 hours by bus. Another popular place is the Island Morro do Sao Paulo, just south of Salvador. It's an island without cars and full of beautiful beaches.
pedropescador

Salvador is touristy but has real bahian culture..in Pelorinho..with music, capoeira, churches, and colonial architecture. Praia do Forte is very touristy and has a sterile, postacrd quality. The beaches are great, but this isn't the real Bahia. Avoid the hustlers, but don't miss Bahia..Praia do Forte is good for an overnight trip.

Brasilia would be good for an urban planner, though perhaps in the what-not-to-do category. I hate it. It reminded me of East Berlin, with dull concrete apartment structures and over-rigorous planning (e.g., an office sector, an apartment sector, a fun sector, etc.). Made for cars. Not very friendly for pedestrians. Lots of big government monuments and offices. Architect Oscar Niemeyer is an ardent socialist and seems to have gotten some of his ideas from the Soviet bloc. City was shaped to look like an airplane from above (someone told me it was for any UFOs that visited). Curitiba is a more eco-friendly city. Good model for urban planning that minimizes impact on the environment. Good German restaurants, as well. Salvador is colorful and interesting, but many of its historic buildings have gone to seed, and some areas are dangerous (ask locally for advice). Maintenance of infrastructure, including roads, in most Brazilian cities is bad. You may see where people have stuck boards or even tree branches in big pot holes to warn other motorists. Those pot holes may be there for a while.

2 hours from Salvador by boat have Morro de São paulo. you should to came here! I live here and if you need some tips, my e amil is adrianabordi@hotmail.com

Hi, close Salvador, You have Morro de Sao Paulo and Itacare, very small fischerman village, but with cool athmosphere, amazing beaches, water falls, rivers, trekkings, and a place to stay? Albergue o Pharol, that has since simple shared room till, complete room with terrace and view to sea.