Salvador, Brazil

“Sort your caipirinhas from your capoeira in Salvador, a Brazilian firecracker that’s got rhythm in its soul. Move over Rio – this culture-loving hipster’s hot on your heels…”

Brazilian clichés really stack up in Salvador, the capital of the Bahia region. You’ve got nut-brown lovelies baking in their itsy bitsy bikinis. Impossibly toned torsos diving for equally impossible volleys. And lime-loaded cocktails being knocked back like Evian on a desert trek. But Salvador’s more than your standard sandy hub. Determined not to be regarded as Rio’s poor relation, Salvador’s grown into a city with edge. It’s a hip urbanite with a soul – and an African soul at that. Most of the people that live here have African origins so what you get is an Afro-Brazilian cocktail that packs quite a punch. Stalls selling spicy African snacks sit a dollar’s toss from carts cashing in on caipirinhas. Capoeira circles practise beside artists bent over tribal-inspired art. And hypnotic drum beats mingle with sensuous samba rhythms. Talking of music, it’s the city’s trump card. Salvador is the pulsing heart of Brazil’s music scene and wherever you go there’s a new rhythm to walk in time to. If you’d rather dance in time to it, however, it’s worth investing in a few lessons while you’re here, because these people know how to move. For dance schools and a whole lot more, the place to be is Pelourinho. The heart of the old quarter known as Cidade Alta, it’s an enormous labyrinth of cobblestone streets. Colonial palaces have that worn-around-the-edges, Havana-esque appeal. Crowded Baroque churches point to Salvador’s spiritual side, and bars and restaurants clink, fizz and buzz with that inimitable Brazilian zest. When you’re done exploring this writhing mass of music, dance, culture and food, do as the locals do and hit the beach. Lap up the energy of crowded city stretches or choose a tropical strip that promises peaceful seclusion. Whichever you choose, rest assured Salvador does beaches like Ronaldinho does goal-scoring – like a pro.