Vitoria - Vitoria visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Vitoria' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Espírito Santo.

Vitória is the capital city of the Espírito Santo state in Brazil. It is one of three island state capitals in Brazil, and is surrounded by the estuaries of the Santa Maria, Bubu, Marinho and Aribiri rivers in Vitória Bay, linked to the mainland by 6 bridges.

Vitória was founded by Portuguese in 1535 as a safer place to colonize than the mainland due to attack by natives as well as Dutch and French traders from the sea. By the 19th century the commercial heart of Espírito Santo was Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, about 160km south of Vitoria, which became something of a backwater. By the end of the 19th century, roads connected the indusrty of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim with the ports of Vitoria, which once again began to prosper.

The port still plays an important role in the economy of Vitoria, with oil also contributing in recent years, bringing in an increasing amount of business tourism.

Vitória - Tourist Attractions

While Vitória is not high on the tourist route, the city has a number of attractions worth visiting as you pass through. Among the top tourist attractions in and around Vitória are:

• Ilha do Boi (Island of the Ox) - attractive island with beaches and an old fortress.
• Igreja do Rosário (Church of the Rosary) - listed, late 18th century church built by the Brotherhood of Black Men (Irmandade dos Homens Pretos).
• Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo - 17th century Carmelite convent located in the upper city.
• Santuário de Santo Antônio (Shrine of St. Anthony) - dedicated to the patron saint of Vitoria, it's shape was inspired by a 16th century church in the town of Todi in Italy.
• Igreja São Gonçalo (St Gonçalo Church) - 18th century church declared a national heritage site in 1948.
• Catedral Metropolitana de Vitória (Metropolitan Cathedral of Vitoria) - massive cathedral inspired by the German Cathedral of Cologne, with a mixture of Gothic and Byzantine styles, built between 1920 and 1970.
• Beaches - Vitoria has a number of popular beaches, including the beaches on the Ilha do Boi, Camburi Beach, Praia de Meaípe, Geribá Beach and Curva da Jurema beach.
• Museu Solar Monjardim - museum housed in a late 18th century farm house, the only rural-style building in Vitoria.
• Museu de Artes do Espírito Santo - art museum showing various changing exhibitions of modern art.
• Santa Luzia - built in 1551, the chapel of St Luzia is the oldest building in Vitori and now houses an art gallery and a research center of the University of Espírito Santo.
• City Parks - Vitoria has a number of popular parks, including the Praça do Papa, Parque da Fonte Grande and Moscoso Park.
• Palácio Domingos Martins - palace built in 1606 now housing the Espírito Santo Parliament.
• Morro da Fonte Grande (Hill of the Great Spring) - 312m high hill 5km from the city center with good panoramic views over the city and surrounding areas.

Road: Vitoria is connected via the BR-101 both north and south along the coast and BR-262 motorway inland to the west. The city is 1,000km south of Salvador and 511km north of Rio de Janeiro.
Flight: Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport (Goiabeiras)
Sea: Port of Vitória and the Port of Tubarão
Train: Vitória-Minas Railway carries passengers from Vitória to Belo Horizonte.