The ride from the airport to the city of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, gives no hint of what lies ahead. The highway is flat, free of debris. Plush foliage mixed with colorful blossoms dot the landscape, and palm trees reach to the clear blue skies. No ocean is visible. No houses spotted. No people. Suddenly the driver turns off the paved street onto a dirt road that runs through the middle of a tiny village, clustered with discolored wooden houses. Pedestrians mill about. Children walk with backpacks and lunch boxes in hand. Vendors sell fruit. As quickly as we entered the village, we exit to the paved highway.

Where is this place shown so colorfully in the brochure that I hold? There are no skyscrapers, no buildings yet. There’s only sun and the smiling, deeply tanned driver who assures us in his limited English: “Soon. Salvador.”

After what seems like an endless trip, we finally arrive. Houses are getting denser. There are cars everywhere. I see traffic lights and beachfront hotels. Vendors are whacking tops off fresh coconuts with machetes for thirsty consumers. Bathers splash in the warm ocean waters while others sleep in the afternoon sun. As quickly as we checked into our hotel, our tour guide is waiting to welcome us to the city where no one is ever considered a stranger. In Salvador, all are welcomed.

Located on Brazil’s northeastern coast and 711 miles (1,145 km) from the capital Rio de Janeiro, Salvador beckons travelers year-round. The city is situated on a high cliff overlooking beautiful All Saints Bay. Temperatures in summer months (November to February in the Southern Hemisphere) range from highs of 82-86 F (28-30 C) to lows of 71-75 F (22-24 C). The hottest days can be up to 91 F (33 C). Winter months (March through October) find lows hovering around 71 F (22 C). Take a thinly layered shawl or sweater to block the gentle ocean breeze, which can feel chilly at times.

Salvador is the “black heart of Brazil.”

Salvador de Bahia is one of Brazil’s largest cities. It was the first capital from 1549 to 1763. Today, about 12 million people live here. The majority are descendants of African slaves brought here from 1549 on to work on the sugar plantations. In 1558, Salvador was the location of the first organized slave market in the New World and it was not until 1888 that Brazil outlawed slavery, the last country on the American continent to do so.

Salvador is the “black heart of Brazil.” But not only African origins are evident wherever you look. Here, culture is a colorful collage of European, Amerindian and African influences.

Take the food, for example. Most dishes are savory yet spicy. Try churrasco (Brazilian BBQ) and acaraje (pronounced: ah-car-Rah-jay), which is a bean patty with special sauce and shrimp. Or sample a delicious seafood stew called moqueca (mo-kay-kah) sold by street vendors known as Baianas. You can easily recognize them by their layers of white lace dresses, multi-strands of consecrated colorful beads, and white headscarves. Taste buds are teased and tempted, but never bored.

The enticing sounds of Samba, Djembe and Conga drums, mixed with shakare (gourd percussion) and tambourine fill the streets as tourist and musicians dip and sway and swing from night till dawn on the ancient cobblestone streets of Pelhourinho, the most important historical center of colonial architecture in Latin America.

There’s something for everybody in this 450-year-old reservoir of historical and cultural charm. Salvador de Bahia, the capital of the state of Bahia, was declared a UNESCO Heritage City in 1985. The city has managed to preserve many outstanding Renaissance buildings. A special feature of the old town is the brightly colored houses, often embellished with fine stucco work. The restored cathedrals and convents of St. Francis, St. Dominic, Carmel and St. Anthony retain their original splendor, ornamentation and décor. The same is obvious in the Municipal Palace, and The House of Mercy. The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas also contributes to the architectural integrity of Salvador’s history. This Franciscan monastery displays original Spanish tiles, and the largest collection of baroque religious paintings in the country.