
Beaches
Santos and the coast
Santos, Sao Vicente, Guaruja
- Length12 hours
- GroupUp to 7
- PickupIncluded
Spot your stop
Sao Paulo main sights in 7 hours
★ 4.9 · From 674 reviews
Map of 31 stops
Select a route, then press a pin or stop to read its note and open Google Maps.

Start of every day trip; Santos lies 72 km away.
Google MapsThe old coffee exchange, temporarily free while exhibitions change.
Google MapsArts fair on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 30 minutes from central Sao Paulo.
Google MapsThe railway village 30 km from central Santo Andre.
Google MapsCapivari, the centre of a town at 1628 m, 173 km from Sao Paulo.
Google Maps83% state park, reached by ferry from Sao Sebastiao.
Google Maps175 km away on the Dutra highway; it holds 30,000 to 45,000 people.
Google Maps
Opened in 1933; Monday to Saturday 6 AM to 6 PM, Sundays and holidays until 4 PM.
Google MapsThe metro exit opens straight onto the square; nearby streets go car-free on Sundays and holidays.
Google MapsChefs' stalls, among them one selling produce from 5 Brazilian biomes.
Google MapsOn Rua Treze de Maio, the street of the Bixiga cantinas; its festival fills every August weekend.
Google Maps
Where a Jesuit college was founded on 25 January 1554; its museum opened in 1979.
Google MapsGothic, 111 m long; begun in 1912 and inaugurated in 1954.
Google MapsA baroque landmark in the middle of the modern centre, in the city's own words.
Google MapsOpened in September 1911; free guided visits are released the day before.
Google MapsThe viaduct the 7-hour tour crosses on its way through the centre.
Google MapsOscar Niemeyer's wave, designed in 1951: 140 m, 37 floors, 1,160 apartments.
Google Maps165 m tall, with a viewpoint and a restaurant at the top.
Google MapsPina Luz, in the city's oldest art museum, founded in 1905; free on Saturdays.
Google MapsHome of the Museum of the Portuguese Language, reopened in July 2021.
Google Maps
On Paulista Avenue since 1968; free for everyone on Tuesdays.
Google MapsA photo stop on the 7-hour tour, near the Bandeiras Monument.
Google MapsAt the gateway of Ibirapuera Park, which opened on 21 August 1954.
Google MapsA palace built as a monument to the independence of 1822; free on Wednesdays.
Google Maps15 themed rooms under the stands of the Pacaembu stadium.
Google MapsAt Rua Visconde de Parnaiba, 1316, with a studio for old-style portraits.
Google Maps
Murals that change constantly, and a craft fair at weekends from 9 AM to 6 PM.
Google Maps350 m and 96 steps covered in tiles with art and poetry.
Google MapsLuxury shopping in the Jardins, planted with purple ipe trees.
Google MapsFloors 7, 8 and 9 of the Bunkyo building, with more than 97,000 objects.
Google MapsCar-free at weekends from 7 AM to 9:45 PM, with graffiti panels on the buildings.
Google Maps© OpenStreetMap contributors · map data
A port city with a coffee exchange, an arts fair in a colonial town, a railway village in the fog, an alpine-style resort, an island of waterfalls and the national shrine, all within reach of the city.
Editorial team, saopaulocitytour.com · Updated November 11, 2026 · ~7 min read
The essentials
Of all the day trips from Sao Paulo, Santos is the classic. The city government puts it 72 km from the capital, down the Serra do Mar on the Anchieta and Imigrantes highways.1,7 Its port, which the city calls the largest in Latin America, still dominates the skyline of cranes and ships.8 Start at the Museu do Cafe, the old coffee exchange, where the daily price of coffee used to be fixed in the grand trading hall.9
The museum opened in 1998 in an eclectic building of 6,000 m² with more than 200 doors and windows.10 It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM and on Sundays from 10 AM, and entry is free for now while the exhibitions change.11,12 Outside, a heritage tram leaves from the Valongo station, built in 1867 for the state's first railway, and loops the old centre with an audio guide.13 A ride costs BRL 7 and lasts about 15 minutes.14,15
Look out for tram 32, built in 1911 and said to be the oldest electric tram still running in Brazil.16 The Museu Pele tells the story of the King of Football; it is free and open from 10 AM until 5:30 PM, Tuesday through Sunday.17,18 For the view, a funicular climbs Monte Serrat from 8 AM to 8 PM for BRL 33 from Monday to Thursday, or you can take its 402 steps.19,20 Finish on the seafront, where Guinness World Records registered the beach garden in 2002.21
Compare the trips
| Destination | Highlights | Best day |
|---|---|---|
| Santos | Coffee museum, tram, beach garden | Tuesday to Sunday |
| Embu das Artes | Arts fair, colonial church | Saturday or Sunday |
| Paranapiacaba | Railway village, guided trails | Tuesday to Sunday |
| Campos do Jordao | Mountain town, palace museum | Wednesday to Sunday |
| Ilhabela | Beaches, waterfalls, ferry | Any day, by car |
| Aparecida | National shrine, walkway | Any day |
Days follow the opening days each official source lists.11,2,30,31,32,33
For a short Sao Paulo day trip, Embu das Artes is the easy win: the town says it lies 30 minutes from central Sao Paulo, off the Regis Bittencourt highway.3 Its arts and crafts fair fills 4 blocks of the historic centre with about 500 exhibitors on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.2 On a busy weekend it draws 30,000 to 40,000 visitors, so arrive early for the best choice of furniture, ceramics and paintings.26
The fair was born in 1969 in front of the Museu de Arte Sacra, and in 2021 the state assembly declared it part of Sao Paulo state's intangible heritage.24,27 The museum itself occupies the church of Nossa Senhora do Rosario, built by Jesuits and indigenous workers between 1690 and 1740.28 Its whitewashed facade and the cobbled square around it are the heart of the colonial town, and the museum's collection of religious art is worth half an hour between browsing the stalls.
Embu charges no visitor fee of any kind, whether you arrive by car or on a tour bus.29 Weekdays are calmer but most stalls are only set up for the fair, so a Saturday or Sunday visit gives you the full picture. Combine it with a lunch of country food in one of the restaurants around the square, and still reach your hotel before the evening rush. Bring cash for small purchases, and leave room in your bag: the furniture and pottery stalls make it hard to come home empty-handed.
Paranapiacaba feels like a corner of England dropped onto a Brazilian mountain. The village sits 30 km from central Santo Andre, high in the Serra do Mar, and was built by the Sao Paulo Railway in the 19th century to house its workers.37 Its railway yard is the entrance to the Museu do Funicular, which the city describes as the largest open-air railway museum in Brazil.34 Mist often rolls over the timber houses, so bring a jacket.
Football fans have a reason to come too. The city's tourism office notes that Charles William Miller introduced the game to Brazil in 1894, and that the railway workers' Serrano Athletic Club pitch opened the same year.23 The tourist information centre on Rua Direita opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM.30 Pick up a village map there and walk the lanes between the clock tower and the engine sheds.
The forest around the village is protected. Altitudes in the Parque Nascentes de Paranapiacaba run from 850 to 1174 m, and its trails may only be walked with environmental guides accredited by Santo Andre.38,39 By public transport, bus 040 leaves the Santo Andre bus terminal, and other buses run from Rio Grande da Serra station on CPTM's Diamond line.40 Drivers follow the Anchieta highway and then smaller state roads.41
Pick your escape
Match your interest to the right place.
If I want the sea and history
Santos
If I love crafts and markets
Embu das Artes
About 500 exhibitors at the weekend fair.2
If I like trains and mist
Paranapiacaba
A railway village and an open-air railway museum.34
If I want cool mountain air
Campos do Jordao
The town sits at 1628 m.4
If I want a spiritual day
Aparecida
The shrine holds up to 45,000 people.35
Guided day trips

Beaches
Santos, Sao Vicente, Guaruja

Mountains
Mountain resort

Pilgrimage
National sanctuary
Campos do Jordao trades heat for pine trees and fondue. The town hall puts it at 1628 m, which it calls the highest municipal seat in Brazil, and 173 km from Sao Paulo.4,5 Its half-timbered centre in Capivari looks more like the Alps than the tropics, and on cool winter nights chocolate shops and fireplaces do brisk business. Pack a warm layer even for a summer visit: evenings at that altitude turn chilly quickly, and the mountain roads up from the Paraiba valley twist for the last stretch.
The Palacio Boa Vista has been a palace museum open to visitors since 1970.86 Walk-in visits run Wednesday and Friday to Sunday, from 10 AM to 12 noon and 2 PM to 5 PM, and on Thursday afternoons, in groups of up to 20 with numbered tickets.31,87 In July the town hosts its Winter Festival, created in 1970 and described by its organisers as the largest classical music festival in Latin America.25,88
The 2026 edition ran from 4 July to 2 August, and concerts in the Claudio Santoro auditorium are free, with tickets released online 3 days ahead.89,90 Because of the distance, a guided day is the easy option: a 10-hour tour with pickup in Sao Paulo starts from $121. Winter weekends book up early, so reserve ahead if you travel in July. The festival programme is published online, and free concert tickets go quickly, so set a reminder for the release time.
Price a day trip
Choose a destination and how many are travelling.
Review 4 options
Choose a destination and how many are travelling.
≈
View≈
View≈
View≈
ViewStarting prices on GetYourGuide, exchanged at the ECB reference rate. The booking page gives the exact price.
History on the road
1717
Fishermen find the figure of Aparecida.22
1867
Santos gets the state's first railway terminus.13
1894
Charles Miller brings the game; Paranapiacaba gets a pitch.23
1911
The car now known as tram 32 is built.16
1969
Artists set up in front of Embu's church.24
1970
Campos do Jordao launches its Winter Festival.25
Ilhabela is a green island off the north coast, and 83% of it is protected as a state park full of Atlantic Forest and waterfalls.84 It has more than 40 beaches, reached by land or by sea.91 The ferry from Sao Sebastiao runs from 5:30 AM to 11:30 PM, foot passengers ride free and a car costs BRL 19 on weekdays.32,92,93 Tour buses and vans need prior permission and proof of a hotel booking on the island, so a day-trip coach cannot drive onto it.85
Aparecida lies 175 km away on the Presidente Dutra highway.6 Its Santuario Nacional, which the town calls the largest Marian church in the world, holds 30,000 to 45,000 people.35 The shrine keeps the small image of Nossa Senhora Aparecida that 3 fishermen found in the Paraiba do Sul river in October 1717.22 The Passarela da Fe, a walkway 392.20 m long, links the new basilica with the old one.94
From the 16th-floor viewpoint of the Torre Brasilia you see the whole shrine and the river.95 Visitors from across Brazil arrive in October, above all on the 12th, the feast day, so expect crowds then.96 A 10-hour guided trip from Sao Paulo, with pickup, starts from $112. If you prefer wine to pilgrimage, a 9-hour tour of the Sao Roque wineries with tastings starts from $129.
Video

Living Life on a Cruise on YouTube · The video waits until you tap play to load.
The garden is also an open-air art gallery, as it holds no fewer than 38 monuments and sculpture groups
Before you go
Santos, Embu and Paranapiacaba are close enough to reach on your own, by car or by public transport, and their sights cluster in walkable centres. For things to do in Santos you hardly need a car once you arrive: the tram, the coffee museum and the Pele museum all sit in the old centre.13,18 The mountain and pilgrimage trips are a different story: Campos do Jordao is 173 km away and Aparecida 175 km.5,6
A guided day takes care of the driving and the timing. The coast tour covers Santos, Sao Vicente and Guaruja in 12 hours with pickup, in a group of up to 7, and has 202 reviews. The Campos do Jordao and Aparecida tours each last 10 hours with pickup included and groups of up to 12. Each can be cancelled free of charge until 24 hours ahead. On a long guided day, much of the time goes to the road; pick the trip whose destination you most want to explore and keep the evening free for rest.
Prefer to stay within the city limits? There is rainforest there too, and a day in it feels a world away from Paulista Avenue. An 8-hour Atlantic Forest day with a biologist visits the municipal nature parks of Bororé and Varginha, for groups of up to 4, from $127. Before any trip, spend your first day on the 7-hour city tour featured on this site: it gives you the shape of Sao Paulo before you leave it behind.
FAQ
About 500 exhibitors fill the historic centre.2
Entry is temporarily free while the exhibitions change.12
Park trails need an accredited environmental guide.39
The 2026 edition ran from 4 July to 2 August.89
Capacity is 30,000 to 45,000 people.35
It has 202 reviews and lasts 12 hours.
Sources
More to read
Planning a day in Sao Paulo? Ask a real person.