São Luís
Historic Centre Of SãO LuíS, UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed 1997; The Only Brazilian State Capital Founded By The French (1612) · São Luís, Maranhão
São Luís, the capital of Maranhão, is an island city on Brazil's north coast and the only state capital in the country founded by the French, in 1612, before the Portuguese took it three years later. Its historic centre, known as the Praia Grande or Reviver, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: street after street of colonial townhouses faced with Portuguese azulejo tiles, among the largest ensembles of their kind in the Americas, many handsome, many crumbling, some restored as museums and cultural centres. The city has a culture all its own. In June the Bumba-meu-boi festival, with its drums, costumes and a story of a bull that dies and is brought back to life, fills the streets; it is recognised by UNESCO as intangible heritage. São Luís also calls itself the reggae capital of Brazil, with dance halls and a reggae museum. For most visitors it is the gateway to the Lençóis Maranhenses, four hours away, and they give it one day. It deserves two. The centre is empty and unsafe at night, and the tides here are among the largest in Brazil.
Centro Histórico (Praia Grande), São Luís, MA, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil
The historic centre is a working city district, so the streets themselves are always open, but it behaves like two different places. By day on weekdays it is busy with offices, shops, the Casa das Tulhas market and museum visitors; in the evening and on Sunday afternoons the Praia Grande empties fast and becomes a place to leave rather than wander. Museums and cultural centres in the old town keep daytime hours, many close on Mondays, and several shut for a long lunch or close early on weekends, so a Monday arrival can leave you looking at locked doors. Some restored buildings close for months for repairs with little notice. The Bumba-meu-boi season peaks in June around the São João festivals, when performances run late at night in neighbourhood arraial grounds rather than in the old centre. Reggae nights run mainly from Thursday to Sunday. The boat to Alcântara runs on a tide-driven timetable that changes daily, so the day you go is set by the sea, not by you. Confirm museum days and boat times locally.