Making the most of Santos
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Concais Passenger Terminal is 1.5km from city center and historical sites (Santos), 70km from Sao Paulo and 120km from Guarulhos International Airport (two hours by bus). Santos has a bus station connected with different cities in Brazil.
In Santos the cruise ships dock alongside the port, in front and near the cruise terminal. Passengers are taken to their ships by buses. At some dates up to 6 ships will be in the port.
The port is part of the largest dock area in South America. Taxi's are about the only option to get from or to port. Check with your cruise line if they provide other transportation. The cruise terminal is approximately 2 kilometers (about 1.2 miles) from the downtown area of Santos.
A new cruise terminal is being planned.
Printable map to take along.
Santos is a municipality in the São Paulo state of Brazil, founded in 1546 by the Portuguese nobleman Brás Cubas.
The city also displays the Coffee Museum, where, once, coffee prices were negotiated; and a football memorial, dedicated to the city's greatest players, amongst which is Pelé. Its beach's garden, 5.335 km length, figures in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest beach front garden. Santos is home for the famous football club Santos FC, where Pelé has played.
Getting around
Generally excursions are offered to Sao Paulo, Guaruja or Santos itself. Journey to Sao Paulo takes about an hour each way. It is South America largest city and impresses by its size but there is little to see as far as tourism is concerned.
Guarujá has beautiful beaches but it is quite a modern town with not that many tourist attractions either.
Santos itself has a historic city center but it is not that large. Either way, it is always safer to do the excursions. The port area in Santos is not a place to go walk around and taxi drivers are not always reliable. There are vans which take passengers to local shopping centers which is also an option.
"Centro"-the downtown area of Santos has been renovated and you can take a tram tour and/or Monte Serrat- an opportunity to get a great view of the city-go up by funicular.
Santos beaches are only nice due to the long, beautiful garden that borders them.
Nearby places
São Paulo, with 11 million inhabitants, or Sampa as it is also often called, is also probably one of the most underrated cities tourism-wise, often shaded by other places in the Brazilian sun & beach circuit such as Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. It is in fact a great city to explore, with its own idiosyncrasies, the exquisite way of living of its inhabitants, not to mention the world-class restaurants and diverse regional and international cuisine available to all tastes. If there is a major attraction to this city, it is the excellent quality of its restaurants and the variety of cultural activities on display.
Visit nearby Guarajá..a chicer beach area with upscale shops and restaurants.
Food and shopping
There is a small outdoor mall next to the ship's docking area. (coffee and handicrafts)
Money
Brazilian Real
Staying connected
Portuguese spoken.
Cafes which offer free WiFi for customers are sparse. Internet available in the terminal.
Opening Hours and
Basic hours for most stores and businesses are from 9am to 6pm, with an extended lunch hour from around noon to 2pm.
Many museums are closed on monday.