Trancoso
Former Jesuit Village On The Discovery Coast Of Southern Bahia, Known For The Quadrado Square And Long Beaches Below The Cliffs · Porto Seguro, Bahia
Trancoso is a small village on the cliffs of southern Bahia, on the Discovery Coast where the Portuguese first landed in Brazil in 1500, and it has become one of the most fashionable beach destinations in the country. Its heart is the Quadrado, a long grassy square laid out by Jesuits in the sixteenth century, lined with small, brightly painted houses and ending in the white Church of São João Batista at the cliff edge, with the ocean below. The houses are now boutiques, restaurants and pousadas, lit by lanterns at night. Below the cliff, long beaches backed by palms run north and south, and further south the Praia do Espelho, with its reef pools at low tide, is one of the best-known beaches in Brazil. Trancoso draws wealthy Brazilians, foreign visitors and celebrities, and prices match: it is one of the most expensive places to stay in the country. Arraial d'Ajuda, livelier, and Caraíva, reached only by canoe, are nearby. Porto Seguro's airport is about an hour away by road.
Quadrado, Trancoso, Porto Seguro, BA, Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil
Trancoso is a village and never closes, but its rhythm matters. The Quadrado is quiet in the heat of the day and comes alive from late afternoon, when the lanterns go on and the restaurants open; many shops and restaurants close for a break in the afternoon or shut completely on one weekday in low season. High season runs from December to Carnival and again in July, and the New Year week is the most expensive and crowded time of the whole year, with minimum-stay rules at most pousadas. From April to June many places reduce hours or close for holidays. The trap at the Praia do Espelho is the tide: its famous reef pools only appear at low tide, so a trip on the wrong day means a nice beach but none of the pools. Check a tide table before booking the drive.