• Bumba-meu-boi - From 13 to 30 June - This beautiful folklore manifestation of Iberian origin is one of the highlights of the city's culture. It has been kept alive by the black people of São Luis and is performed by groups in costumes, telling a tale of a certain Bull through music, dance and theater throughout the city.

Cinema

There is an art cinema in the Old Town, with a mix of Brazilian and weird imports.

The largest and most modern movie theatre[9], with 10 showrooms, is at the São Luís Shopping, mostly showing Hollywood fare.

• Beaches. These all suffer from an enormous tidal variation, -reportedly more than ten metres on spring. On high tide there is no dry sand left. The most popular beach is Ponta d'Areia, -far nicer if you continue a couple of kilometers: The beach of São Marcos continues into the beach of Calhau covering a stretch of some 5 kilometers with plenty of simple bars and restaurants and a broad pavement by the road.
• Old Town is the main attraction of the city. Plenty of colonial architecture, but still quite needing of more refurbishing.

By bus

Bus station some 8 km southeast of the center, telephone +55 98 3249 2488. The bus Socorrão 2 / Rodoviária takes you pretty straight to/from the waterfront of Old Town. Taxi about R$ 20. To Belem, 3 daily, 12 hours, R$ 75-90, by Boa Esperança and Transbrasiliana[1] An exhausting 20 hours to Fortaleza by Guanabara[2]

By train

Train three times a week to Serra dos Carajás via Santa Inês and others.

By air

Airport some 13 km from the centre. Domestic flights by Gol[3], TAM[4], Oceanair[5], TAF[6] (also flies to French Guiana), BRA[7] and Litorânea[8].

• 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.
• If the above bus is not about to leave, a faster way is walking for 10 minutes along the main exit from the airport. Keeping to the right you will see a Shell gas station. From here you take the bus Socorrão 2 / Rodoviária, pretty straight to the Old down, about 30 minutes.
• Taxis run at fixed prices, displayed at a table just as you exit fromluggage pick up: To Old Town R$ 30, to the beaches R$ 40.

Distance to other important cities:

• Fortaleza: 1.070 km
• Recife: 1.600 km
• Brasília: 2.160 km
• Rio de Janeiro (city): 3.060 km

Staying in the Old Town, most is walkable. There is a big bus terminal, Praia Grande by the sea side:

• T065 São Raimundo / Band Tribuzzi takes you to São Luís Shopping in about 15 minutes.
• There are separate buses going to ech of the beaches, -sometimes rather infrequent.

Many buses pass by the Praça Dedouro.

There are three malls in the city with one of them being in the historic part of town. There are numerous shops that sell souvenirs. The city center´s main pedestrian mall is Rua Grande, which has most shops but hardware and foodstuffs.

Local dishes include Peixada(fish) and shrimp pie, and Arroz de cuxá -rice with herbs.

In Old Town:

• La Pizzeria. Real Italian style. Pizza for 2 R$ 10-25.  edit
• Toca da Amizade, Rua João Victal, Old Town. Serves late lunch. Set meals R$ 5-10.  edit

Maranhão has its own version of the guaraná[10] soft drink, called Guaraná Jesus (nothing religious, it was the inventor´s name). It is pink and rather sweeter than the others. Many small bars around Old Town, but quite dead on Sundays, when most action goes along the beaches. Another area is along the Lagoa da Jansen, near the beach Ponta d'Areia. A third is on the beach of Calhau.

• Kabão, (On the seafront 2 km west of old town). Big open air  edit
• Chez Moi, (Heart of old town). Bar come club, thursday to saturday  edit
• Bar do Porto. Reggea spot by the boat terminal  edit