Castelo da Torre de Garcia D'Avila
Castelo da Torre de Garcia D'Avila
Castelo da Torre de Garcia D'Avila
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4.0
824 reviews
Excellent
359
Very good
332
Average
110
Poor
17
Terrible
6
Daniel-SSA
Salvador, BA141 contributions
Feb 2012 • Couples
Went there for the third time with my wife and her grandma, and I was really sorry to see that only one family, besides us, was touring around the place, that hosts a good visiting center and a parking lot for at least thirty cars.
It's a little far from the beach - you need to go through a 2km red dirt road, in good conditions - but that alone can't be the reason for its emptiness.
The ruins are very impressive for anyone interested in the Americas history. The building is reportedly the only "medieval castle in America" and from there Garcia D'Avila - its owner - ran an absurdly large property, spanning more than 1000km from Bahia to Maranhão. The construction began in 1551 and it is one of the oldest structures still standing in Brazil.
The chapel was restored and the rest was preserved but kept as a ruin. The result is a beautiful contrast. The place is on top of a hill, surrounded by palm trees and allows great views from the upper floor, that covers a few kilometers of beaches.
Since nobody was there, the bar was closed and the guides were available. The entrance is expensive, but I think it's a fair price to preserve the structure. Probably the insufficient adiversiting is responsible for the lack of visitors - But don't be afraid, the place is perfectly safe and well kept by its staff. I definitely recommend it as a glimpse a history in an otherwise "beaches-and-sun-and-relaxation" destination.
I'm pretty sure it deserves to be at least in a tentative list to became a World Heritage Site, because of its importance to the colonization of northeastern Brazil in the mid 16th century.
It's a little far from the beach - you need to go through a 2km red dirt road, in good conditions - but that alone can't be the reason for its emptiness.
The ruins are very impressive for anyone interested in the Americas history. The building is reportedly the only "medieval castle in America" and from there Garcia D'Avila - its owner - ran an absurdly large property, spanning more than 1000km from Bahia to Maranhão. The construction began in 1551 and it is one of the oldest structures still standing in Brazil.
The chapel was restored and the rest was preserved but kept as a ruin. The result is a beautiful contrast. The place is on top of a hill, surrounded by palm trees and allows great views from the upper floor, that covers a few kilometers of beaches.
Since nobody was there, the bar was closed and the guides were available. The entrance is expensive, but I think it's a fair price to preserve the structure. Probably the insufficient adiversiting is responsible for the lack of visitors - But don't be afraid, the place is perfectly safe and well kept by its staff. I definitely recommend it as a glimpse a history in an otherwise "beaches-and-sun-and-relaxation" destination.
I'm pretty sure it deserves to be at least in a tentative list to became a World Heritage Site, because of its importance to the colonization of northeastern Brazil in the mid 16th century.
Written 17 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FOSheye
Estepona, Spain173 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
They initiated the castle in 1551 and there is very good explanation about the history at the castle, just only in Portuguese! Not easy to be foreign tourist in Brazil, very few places you get info in other languages than Portuguese! Anyway the castle can be recommended also due to its fantastic location with a beautiful view to the beach and the Pojuca river!
Written 27 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tgamb
13 contributions
June 2015 • Couples
The Castle was fascinating and a great place to visit but make sure you have a guide who speaks your language. Our hotel, Tivoli, offered tours only for the price of the bus ride and also provided us a guide who spoke English. Without her, the trip would not have been nearly as interesting since the visitor center signs are in Portuguese and didn't provide nearly as much information as our guide. The overall trip takes about 1.5 hours and you get to walk through the house. It is so neat the way they have it set up. Only the chapel is restored but you can walk through the ruins of the house which seems pretty rare to me. They have also put in stairs and platforms so you can go up to the second floor. Only a 10 minute bus ride from our hotel, this is definitely a historic gem of Praia do Forte.
Written 17 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PRS
Europe113 contributions
Jan 2014 • Family
The castle is very interesting. However, there were no guides, no brochures, no guards... There was nobady that could explain to us what those ruins were one, who lived there and what happened!
Written 1 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hague-expat124
Reading, UK47 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
As one of the first surviving Portuguese buildings it has lots of historic relevance. We stayed at the Eco hotel nearby and they provided a guide. There seemed to be no English info without this.
A few facts that struck me. Highest point for long way, hence used as observation point to warn Salvador of approaching attacks.
Built by a soldier who was given land to farm/ develop as long as paid taxes to Portugal. Continued to develop and gain more land, until at peak controlled 10% of what is now Brazil. Family kept it close over 10 generations. Was key centre for whaling trade, whales landed at the ruins at beach below, in the Eco hotel grounds.....
A few facts that struck me. Highest point for long way, hence used as observation point to warn Salvador of approaching attacks.
Built by a soldier who was given land to farm/ develop as long as paid taxes to Portugal. Continued to develop and gain more land, until at peak controlled 10% of what is now Brazil. Family kept it close over 10 generations. Was key centre for whaling trade, whales landed at the ruins at beach below, in the Eco hotel grounds.....
Written 5 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Molnar71
Toronto, Canada80 contributions
Oct 2012 • Couples
Good site to visit. Recently renewed tourist infrastructure. It is really worth the visit. It's located outside town at 2-3 Km from village entrance. Area is well preserved and the visit is also informative.
Written 25 February 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mconstantino
Rio de Janeiro, RJ4,251 contributions
Feb 2012 • Couples
If you go to Praia do Forte and if you like ruins, do not miss this.
It's not actually a castle, it's the ruins of what was once a castle. We're talking about a castle built in the 16/17th century (initiated in 1551 and concluded in 1624) in the brazilian coast -- how about that!
Still, there is no information in the ruins themselves. You'll only find some information about the place in the visitor's area, before the ruins.
I got there in the end of an afternoon, which made the visit even more interesting due to the sunset light. Very few people there -- I think it's usually like this.
Getting there:
By car - as you pass by the city's portico (while entering Praia do Forte), take your right.
If you're at the beach area without a car you may negotiate some kind of transportation. It's a long distance if you decide to walk from there.
Cost was R$ 10 pp in feb/12.
It's not actually a castle, it's the ruins of what was once a castle. We're talking about a castle built in the 16/17th century (initiated in 1551 and concluded in 1624) in the brazilian coast -- how about that!
Still, there is no information in the ruins themselves. You'll only find some information about the place in the visitor's area, before the ruins.
I got there in the end of an afternoon, which made the visit even more interesting due to the sunset light. Very few people there -- I think it's usually like this.
Getting there:
By car - as you pass by the city's portico (while entering Praia do Forte), take your right.
If you're at the beach area without a car you may negotiate some kind of transportation. It's a long distance if you decide to walk from there.
Cost was R$ 10 pp in feb/12.
Written 16 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Silvio P
Sao Paulo, SP48 contributions
Dec 2019
These ruins of a former castle stand on the top of a hill overlooking the sea. It worth a visit, especially late afternoon, when you can appreciate the sunset. It is pretty well preserved, with sidewalks in the first floor where you can take pictures of the castle having the sea as background. If the store is opened, buy the book which tells the history of the castle, with also beautiful pictures.
Written 22 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rafael G
Sao Paulo, SP53 contributions
Oct 2018 • Family
This is a nice place to visit if you are at Praia do Forte or around. The ruins of a medieval castle that commanded a huge state in the 16 and 17th centuries.
Written 13 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jason S
Frederick, MD474 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
We were not going to visit here at first because of the lack of English speaking people on the property. But we did stop here with our ATV Tour Guide. So we employed Google Translate and are so glad we did.
We would have missed a wonderful artifact of the past and a glimpse of how Bahia was discovered by the Portuguese how settlements began.
We would have missed a wonderful artifact of the past and a glimpse of how Bahia was discovered by the Portuguese how settlements began.
Written 30 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ola ! Infelizmente não posso lhe informar isso, pois na condição de turista, não especulei esse fato quando visitei essa atração. Mas pela lógica, acredito que, sendo um local de arrecadação institucional e de pesquisa, algum valor deve ser cobrado mesmo para quem mora perto. Abraços !
Written 25 November 2016
Acredito que sim, mas como estava incluso no nosso passeio de quadriciclo, já estava tudo acertado quando chegamos lá. O passeio compensa muito. Agendamos com a agência de turismo da Vila.
Written 17 February 2016
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