Salvador eSIM
In Salvador you connect to Vivo or Claro, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 49 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Vivo and Claro
- Typical speed in Brazil
- 49 Mbps typical, 12 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Salvador
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $7.89 | $7.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $4.96 | $14.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $4.38 | $21.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $3.39 | $33.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $2.99 | $59.89 |
How Brazil compares across South America
- Regional typical speed
- 33.5 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Vivo, Claro
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Chile, 52 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Uruguay, 48 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Salvador, Florianopolis
Landing at Deputado Luis Eduardo Magalhaes International Airport (Salvador Bahia Airport) (SSA)
- Airport
- SSA / SBSV
- Distance
- 28 km from the centre of Salvador
Getting into Salvador
- Salvador Metro Line 2 to Aeroporto station, reached from the terminal by a free shuttle bus every 15 minutes from 05:00 to 01:00 (SSA)
- Ferry-boat from Sao Joaquim terminal to Bom Despacho on Itaparica island
Underground and on the metro
Salvador Metro runs 2 lines. It opened in 2014. The operator does not publish whether the tunnels carry a mobile signal, so we do not claim either way.
Worth knowing about Salvador
- The Salvador Metro is barely underground: only about 1.4 km of Line 1 runs in tunnel, with 5.8 km elevated and the rest at grade.
- Line 2 reaches the airport at Aeroporto station, opened in April 2018, and a free shuttle bus runs between the terminal and the station every 15 minutes from 05:00 to 01:00.
- The airport is 28 km north of downtown Salvador and has been run under concession by Vinci since 2017.
- Salvador is split into an upper and a lower city, still linked by the Elevador Lacerda, a public hydraulic lift built in 1873 and in use today.
- Salvador Bahia Airport offers free, unlimited Wi-Fi in every area of the terminal, handy while you wait for the metro operator's shuttle to Aeroporto station.
- The Salvador metro runs every day from 5am to midnight, holidays included. Riders aged 65 and over travel free on showing official photo ID, as do children up to 5.
- To switch between Line 1 and Line 2, get off at Acesso Norte and walk to the other platforms. The change is free unless you leave the paid area of the station.
- Paying one fare covers the metro plus a city bus if you transfer within 2 hours. Metropolitan bus transfers allow up to 3 hours but need a card: Integracao, SalvadorCARD or Metropasse.
- A single-journey Unitario ticket is valid for two days, counting the day you buy it. For more trips, the rechargeable Integracao card works on both the metro and connecting buses.
- The Integracao card can be topped up in the PicPay, RecargaPay, Cittamobi and Kim apps, at more than 2,000 shops across greater Salvador, or at self-service machines in the stations.
- The metro operator's WhatsApp service, the Zap do Metro on (71) 99688-0714, answers questions and sells card credit paid by Pix. That credit must then be activated at a machine in a metro station, not on a bus or at a bus terminal.
- When your card holds less than two fares, the turnstile display shows Recarregue o seu cartao, a prompt to top up before your next trip.
- Bikes may ride the metro on weekdays from 8pm, on Saturdays from 2pm and all day on Sundays and holidays, with no more than two in the last car. Folding bikes are allowed in any car at any time on weekdays.
- The airport's arrivals area has a bus stop served by several lines into the city, and Aeroporto metro station is a short walk from the arrivals hall.
- The ferry-boat to Itaparica island crosses from Sao Joaquim terminal in Salvador to Bom Despacho, carrying cars and foot passengers. Crossing times vary with tides and weather, and an online queue meter shows how busy each terminal is.
Sources for this page
Other cities in Brazil we cover
- Rio de Janeiro
- 1210 km from Salvador, nearest airport SDU
- Sao Paulo
- 1456 km from Salvador, nearest airport CGH
- Florianopolis
- 1933 km from Salvador, nearest airport FLN