Although it was founded by the French in 1612 and has also been occupied by the Dutch in the past, São Luis remained a markedly Portuguese colonial city. The buildings with beautiful azulejo (tiles) walls and the cobblestone streets of its well-preserved historic center have been listed a World heritage site by UNESCO.

In 1997, São Luís was awarded the title of Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in recognition for the preservation of its magnificent and homogenous Latin American colonial architectonic complex from the 18th and 19th Centuries. There are more than 3,500 buildings of incomparable historic and artistic value that portray the way of life of the city"s ancient well-to-do families.

São Luís is bathed by the warm waters of the São Marcos Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and permanently heated by the sun.

Climate
It is hot all year round, with average temperatures ranging from 26°C to 28°C.

How to get there:
By Air: Airport 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.