Sao Luis, Brazil

Sao Luis is a municipality in the eastern part of the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is the capital of Maranhão and is the latest town to be listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Beaches surround the town, such as those at Calhau, Ponta D'Areia and São Marcos, where there are the ruins of the eighteenth century São Marcos Fort. It has a well-preserved historic center with cobblestone streets and over 3,500 colonial buildings featuring beautiful azulejo (tiles) walls.

São Luís is known as "capital of reggae" in Brazil. In no other Brazilian city is this Jamaican rythm so commonly found; many bars and dance clubs play reggae.

Things to see and do

* Old town area
* Beaches - Ponta d'Areia is the most popular
* Colonial architecture
* Sao Marcos Fort ruins

Cruise Season - Jan - Dec
Currency - Real (R$) (BRL)
Language - Portuguese
Population -900,000 approx
Land Area -831km²
Electricity - 2 perpendicular flat pins USA style
Time - GMT minus three hours
International Country Telephone Code - + 55

Transport Links - The bus station is some 8 km southeast of the center, close to the airport in Avenida dos Franceses 5073 - right north of the intersection with Rua Tres. The bus takes you straight to/from the waterfront of the Old Town.

There are train services three times a week to Parauapebas via Santa Inês, Açailândia, Marabá and others. The train station is located in a street named: Companhia Vale do Rio Doce - next to Avenida dos Portugueses - some kilometers south west of the center. Companhia Vale do Rio Doce is the name of the company that operates the train.

The Airport is some 13 km from the centre. Domestic flights by Gol, TAM, Oceanair, TAF (also flies to French Guiana) and Litorânea. The bus 901 São Cristovão / Alemanha leaves from right outside the terminal (follow the signs) every 25 minutes or so, and takes about 45 minutes to reach Praça Deodouro in the city center (where you can hop on to get to the airport). Get off one stop after, on Rua do Passeio and walk down the pedestrian Rua Grande for 10 minutes to get to the eastern edge of Old Town.