Officially founded in 1612 by French naval officer Daniel de la Touche de la Ravardière, São Luís is the state capital of Maranhão and known as the reggae capital of Brazil . Samba, forro and frevo might hold sway in other parts of the North East, but here in São Luís the good times are soundtracked by more Caribbean sounds.

I loved this place. I expected it to feel edgy after all I’d read, after Belem and Manaus. But on a Sunday afternoon the old city was fizzing with energy, people crowding the worn steps tumbling down to the water, spilling out of bars playing old and new reggae. Grab a caipirinha, find a wall to lean against and enjoy a weekend in one of the oldest cities in the North East. If you’re lucky you might find a goat tied up outside a bar to keep you company!

Head to Avenida Dom Pedro III and then down any of the surrounding streets to the right to find the party. The Sunday festivities draw a mixed crowd of families and groups of friends and tourists looking for a good time, dancing to the latest sounds with a caipirinha or a coconut in hand. At the Praça dos Poetas a beautiful tiled mural sits alongside walls covered with the words of the city’s most famous poets. Enjoy a delicious local ice cream while admiring the view out across the water.

The homes in the old quarter are tiled and painted to various degrees of colour and wear; pristine homes next to others which had seen better days. In fact these tiles or azulejos are just one more thing that São Luís is known for. You could spend hours searching for all the different designs of tiles as well as some great windows and doors – as Notes on Slow Travel describes.

São Luís is also the home to the unique cultural festival of Bumba Meu Boi every June – beautifully-painted ceramic miniatures of the ox are available as souvenirs in a number of shops around the quarter if your trip doesn’t coincide with the Bumba Meu Boi.

São Luís ended up being probably my favourite city on this trip which began in the Amazon and ended in the Lençóis Maranhenses, but more on those soon.