Walking up and down the cobblestone streets of São Luis’ historical district is like stepping back in time. Beautiful 17th and 18th century Portuguese colonial buildings line the hilly streets. Located on an elevated prominence between two rivers, this Old Town has a unique and wonderful setting.
The port city of São Luis is steeped in history. It is located on an island between St. Mark’s and St. Joseph’s Bays (Baías de São Marcos and São José) whose waters spill out into the Atlantic Ocean. This strategic location was first used by the French who established a fort in 1612. Only three years later though, it was taken over by the Portuguese.
Old Town São Luis was established on the cliffs between the rivers Anil and Bacanga. Being on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean meant it was a great location for shipping goods to Europe and was originally used for transporting agricultural products. During the American Revolution it replaced US ports to become the primary port for shipping cotton to Europe. This new industry brought a lot of wealth to the city resulting in a population growth which led to the building of new homes, stores, warehouses and roads.
After the American Revolution ended, so did São Luis’ prominence in cotton. It lost a lot of wealth and many people moved out. Even though São Luis was a large centre for shipping, there weren’t many roads leading to towns in Brazil. This resulted in the city being mostly abandoned rather than destroyed or modified.
Since the city was left vacant for so long the cobblestone streets and many of the buildings are in their original condition. In fact, it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is still laid out in a typical 17th century grid street plan.
Recently, the government and locals have begun slowly restoring this historical area. Before arriving in São Luis we read that only one or two streets had been restored, but were pleasantly surprised when we found the restored area to be much larger. We walked from block to block, up and down hills, passing many renovated colonial homes and buildings. Most were built in traditional Portuguese style with a few modification to reflect building supplies and the layout of the city. Even the ones that haven’t yet been renovated still show their beauty.
Many of the old buildings are covered in the original Portuguese azulejos. These colourful tiles make the buildings look very different from the Spanish colonial buildings we have seen throughout the rest of South America.
Elegant government buildings were built near the edge of Old Town on a cliff high above the bay. Palácio dos Leõe used to be the residence of the state Governor and is still used as government offices. Immediately beside it is Palácio de la Ravardière which is used today as City Hall. Across the street is the equally lovely Law Courts Building.
At the end of the street a lookout lets you see the meeting of the two rivers. Across the Anil River modern high-rises poke above the horizon. The newer part of the city is popular with Brazilian tourists because it has a string of beaches on its coast. We didn’t have time to explore the beaches, I guess we’ve left something for our next trip.
After visiting the beautiful theatres in Manaus and Belém (read our stories here Manaus, Belém) we were excited to see the theatre in São Luis. It was a nice building, but nothing in comparison to the other theatres we had seen. It was disappointing and didn’t even seem to be open.
Old Town is a hilly area and the cobblestone streets and stairs climb up and down the small hills. Some of the streets were so steep, it was difficult to walk downhill, especially in flipflops.
It wouldn’t be a Portuguese colonial city without a few churches. There are several in the area, but many were being restored at the time and were covered in scaffolding, but we managed to see a couple.
There is no shortage of places to eat in the historical centre. Many of the buildings are now home to cafés and restaurants. Even though they were restored inside, it was nice to sit in one of the outdoor patios set up on the cobblestone streets.
On the edge of Old Town a lookout from the top of a new building provides another perspective of the historical centre. The view from Mirante da Cidade lets you see Baia de Sao Marcus, both rivers, the rooftops of Old Town and even toward the new section of the city.
Admission is free but you have to book a spot in advance on-line. We didn’t have any problems getting a spot even though it was the weekend.
Getting to São Luis
São Luis has a domestic airport with flights arriving from across the country. There are also buses operating between São Luis and major centres near by.
Where to stay
Although there are a lot of hotels in the new part of the city, if you are going to São Luis to see the historical centre, we recommend staying in one of the smaller hotels in Old Town. At night there are many choices for eating in the historic centre.
Coming Next – Dreamlike Views in Lençóis Maranhenses
For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
If you like what you read, please comment or share (with credit) using the links below.
Monkey's Tale 
Looks another very interesting place to stop and wander!
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It is! Thanks Colin, Maggie
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🙂 🙂
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That was an absolutely fascinating post. I loved the photos and the descriptions!
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Thank you Luisa! Maggie
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The tiled exteriors are reminiscent of Moorish influence. They look quite exotic and lovely.
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I think the Moors actually brought tiles to Portugal so that makes sense. I just love the look of a building covered in colourful tiles.
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So many Juliette balconies! And that palace almost looks Moorish. What an interesting and pretty historical city.
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And not one of those balconies had a young Juliette!
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São Luis looks like one of those places that have what it takes to be great destinations. But clearly a lot needs to be done before this city can see its streets lively and full of energy. I really love those azulejos — they always add a distinctively Portuguese character to a place.
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It really does have a lot of potential, but you’re right a lot of work still needs to be done. I love the azulejos too, São Luis was the first city in Brazil that had quite a few buildings with them. It really let us know we were in a Portuguese colonial town. Maggie
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What gorgeous architecture Maggie. The place looks pretty sleepy. Did the population come back or are there still a lot of vacant buildings. Definitely worth preserving. Thanks for sharing. Allan
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I think most of the population lives in the new part of the city, there weren’t a lot of people out on the streets, but many of the patios were full. The street that our guest house was on was filled with lived in homes, but I ‘m not sure that every street is occupied yet.
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It’s such a pretty city! I love the colors and the many plants lining the walkways.
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It was nice that they put planters on the sidewalks because there was no room to grow trees other than the parks. Maggie
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I kind of see myself living in a place like this very happily. Love the architecture!
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I agree, it would be a great place to stay for a while. The old Portuguese style buildings are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Maggie
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Great looking city with an interesting history. How gorgeous are those buildings with the tiled facades that the Portuguese are so fond of – they look really spectacular. Sounds like a great place to explore for a few days.
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Those tiles really let us know we weren’t in Spanish South America anymore. They really make the buildings look great, even the run down ones! Maggie
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Such an interesting place. I think I could spend hours walking around there. Ot sitting at one of those lovely little tables on the stairs.
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They’ve done a great job with their patios. I loved the ones set up on the stone steps too:) Maggie
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What a beautiful old town! The Portuguese influence is clear to see in those azulejos 🙂
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Yes, it was the first Brazilian city that had so many of the azulejos, I just love them 🙂 Maggie
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Me too!
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I love the colours and those beautiful tiles. I even rather like that it is a bit run down, it looks like a place with atmosphere and a past. Thank you for sharing!
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Some cities just look great, even if a bit run down. Other places I’d avoid those buildings, but you’re right here it has the right atmosphere. Maggie
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The colonial buildings in Sán Luis look so attractive and well kept. Thank you for the introduction.
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It’s a wonderful city to see how these old colonial towns may have looked at the time. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment 🙂 Maggie
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Thank you for this wonderful post. I have now put Sao Luis on my list!
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You should, it doesn’t get much attention even within Brazil. Maggie
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I enjoyed the panoramic view of the red/orange rooftops. Awesome. The architecture is fabulous. I like the vibrant color facades. Were the insides as colorful, I wonder?
Love all your photos where I could just catch a glimpse of the door…my thing as you know.
An enjoyable read and share as always. Thank you, Maggie.
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Thanks, there were a few good doors, but many were covered by metal gates which we learned from our guesthouse is similar to our screen doors (without the screen). Used to keep the door open, but still have a solid locked door.
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Ah interesting! Thanks. Happy Tuesday!!
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This city is lovely, what an absolute treat for architecture lovers. The tiled facades are fabulous and the city appears to have a lot of character.
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It does have a lot of character, between the cobblestone hilly streets and the huge amount of colonial homes covered in colourful tiles it was a real treat for the eyes. Thanks Leighton 🙂 Maggie
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Lots and lots of clay roofs! They look great.
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I love a clay tiled roof. Too bad we don’t have those up here, they would look nice with a bit of snow on them:)
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So many places I’ve never heard of, Maggie. Looking across the water at the modern high-rise I know where I’d rather be. Lovely photos, hon ❤️
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Me too! Thanks for reading Jo!
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I absolutely love colonial buildings! These ones with the added azulejos are really lovely!
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I know the colourful tiles really add a lot to the buildings. I love them!
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Even though I wouldn’t want to live in a neighborhood in which so many houses stand so close to one another, the sum of the different buildings with their different colors and shapes create a very artistic impression. I particularly like the various tiles that adorn the walls.
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That’s true, I wouldn’t like to live so close together and what always gets me is the lack of a yard, but they do make a picturesque Old Town. Thanks for taking the time to comment Tanja 🙂
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This brings back memories of our time there. Very historic and bright buildings. Such an amazing site you visited. Anita
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Sao Luis is a great historical city, thanks for reading! Maggie
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Such vibrant colors for tile facades. Truly, it deserves to be on the UNESCO list.
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It really does deserve it. Thank-you for taking the time to read and comment, Maggie
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some are a little run down, but it adds to the charm. the sun appears to be beating down hard!
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It’s not far from the equator so the sun was very strong. Somehow the run down buildings added character in Sao Luis vs bringing it down.
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Thanks for sharing this, Maggie. It’s such a beautiful place full of charming, colourful architecture, and there’s obviously a lot of history here. It looks like a really interesting place to visit.
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Thanks Nat, it’s a pretty cute Old Town. Maggie
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Somehow I did not expect a bigger, more modern part of the city across the river! The older part is definitely more charming, and I hope they have the stamina and money to keep restoring it.
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I hope so too, the whole area is quite large, it would be amazing if it were all restored! I’d much rather be there than the modern side too😊 Maggie
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I love the tiled inlays on the buildings, and your rooftop photos. Looks like another beautiful place to visit!
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Thanks, it was a great colonial town to spend a couple of days! Maggie
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Looks such an interesting place to visit – I feel like packing a suitcase right now.
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Haha it’s a great colonial town 🙂 Maggie
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Ok, another area to add to our list. Looks so charming. Reminds us of Montevideo, Uruguay, with Old, dilapidated, and renovated buildings side by side. Do you recommend the place you stayed at? Cheers fellow travelers!
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It’s a much better Old Town than we expected. Richard has been to Montevideo and didn’t think they were much alike, but I’m not sure the differences. We stayed in a really nice apartment that was reasonably priced and walking distance to the main Old Town core. The owner was very helpful and lives across the street. The problem for us was finding a good cup of coffee in the morning because we didn’t have any groceries. I can send you the Booking link on email if you like.
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Yes, thank you, Sent you an em. Cheers!
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The imprint of colonialism really is in every corner of the world…..at least the buildings left behind are beautiful, it looks like a great place to explore 🙂
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Yes, the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and British seemed to get everywhere, but you’re right at least we have these lovely old buildings. Maggie
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Just love the Portuguese styled buildings and the azulejos! The colours and the intricate designs are so beautiful. The city looks so quaint and you can certainly see where they have renovated some buildings and where some could use some tlc…hopefully over time they will be able to restore more of them.
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I love azulejos too! There were more in São Luís than any other city we had seen yet in Brazil. The Old Town is in transition, I hope they can restore more buildings. It could be an amazing place if they do.
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Looks very interesting
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It’s pretty neat how many of the buildings in Sao Luis are original and that the government and locals are starting to restore the historical area. The old buildings look like they have so much character and colour. Love the views overlooking the old town.
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Its such a large area and could be an amazing historical centre if they restore more buildings. 😊
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Charming place, Maggie ! Thank you for this wonderful journey ! Diana
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Thank you Diana, it is a great Old Town 😊 Maggie
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I just love those rows of colorful houses. It is an effortlessly and graceful beauty to the city 🙂
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Yes it’s a great Old Town to begin with and they’ve done a great job with some of the restoring. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Maggie
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Looks like Brazil has a large number of colonial-built heritage in many cities. I guess some of these buildings despite borrowing the design language from Portugal must have added a unique aspect specific to Brazil. Are you aware of this, Maggie? I have never been to Brazil but I guess it has many cities and must be large in size.
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I’m not really sure of a lot of the differences, but my understanding is the buildings were initially very utilitarian, because they needed them to be built quickly to establish cities. They also made changes because of the hot climate in Brazil such as allowing a breeze for cooling etc. Later I think there was indigenous artwork included in the designs. Brazil is huge, it’s sized between US and Australia with over 200 million people, and many large cities with populations over 2 and 3 million. We spent almost 3 months and still had to skip a lot of places.
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Great. Thanks for the additional inputs, Maggie
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I love the azulejos on the buildings, they’re so charming and characterful. It’s a beautiful city.
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I love the azulejos too! São Luís was the first city we visited that had so many of them. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Maggie
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Even though I don’t approve of the atrocities of colonization, I have to admit, I am fascinated by how they leave their mark on local architecture, or even how the locals adapted to it. One of those cross-cultural things that works!
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I know, it’s difficult to love Old Towns sometimes because you know what was done to build them, but the architecture in many are so fabulous, I can’t help it. 🙂 Maggie
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So true! I personally don’t see anything wrong with that
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Great travel info here.
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Thank you!
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You’ve filled me with nostalgia for Brazil.
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Glad to do it 🙂
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Lovely feel of Spain, the tiles and arched doorways. Glad to know more restoration is underway.
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The tiles in São Luís were some of the best we saw in Brazil. It will be amazing if and when it is all restored.
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Oh wow, I love the Portuguese azulejos – they really make the buildings stand out. The cobbled pathways and steep hills almost remind me of Lisbon 🙂 … I think it’s a Portuguese thing! Beautiful views from the lookout – São Luis looks like a great place to wander around.
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São Luís had the best display of azulejos. It really made us know we were in a Portuguese-made city. Even the homes that were not renovated looked pretty good with the colourful tiles! Thanks again for catching up!! Maggie
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Another beautiful colonial town! Despite the aging and neglected buildings, there is a lot to admire, especially the colourful tiles and the rooftops🙂
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How beautiful! The colors and colonial style remind me a little of Cartagena, Colombia (past Spanish rule). Even reminds me a little of Suriname (past Dutch rule). Amazing how these buildings are still with us hundreds of years later.
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Oh yes it is a little like Catagena with so many streets lined by buildings of the same age. São Luís still has a few buildings that aren’t in great shape but I think the plans are to restore most of them. Thanks for taking the time to comment Jonah! Maggie
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