Santos / Brazil

Santos is located in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, partly on the island of Saint Vincent, partly on the mainland, and is only 79 kilometers away from the capital city of Sao Paulo.  While its mainland part is largely protected and retains its natural character, the island part is densely populated (most of the city's inhabitants live here) and not much of the original landscape remains: even local rivers were enclosed between canal walls more than a hundred years ago.

The climate of Santos is quite atypical – it is a tropical rainforest climate, where there is essentially no dry season and it rains (a lot) all year round.

Santos was founded in 1546 by Portuguese nobleman Brás Cubas. The city is home to the Brazilian Coffee Museum, where the prices of this excellent beverage were negotiated in the past. It was also coffee and its export from the port of Santos that spurred the city's growth and at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries accounted for most of its wealth.

Today, Santos has just under half a million inhabitants and is the largest seaport in Latin America. Among the goods passing through here, coffee is the most significant, but also steel, oil, cars, or oranges, bananas, and cotton.

Despite the urbanization of Santos having advanced really far since its founding in the mid-16th century, you can also find a piece of nature here where you can take a break from the city. Around the sea, you can walk along a promenade with a garden, which was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest beach garden in the world with its 5.3 kilometers. In 1993, Laje de Santos, the first state-established marine park, was created in the territory of Santos. The species living here underwater can be most easily recognized in the small Municipal Aquarium, where you can meet sharks, turtles, and even penguins.

The 7-kilometer sandy beach that stretches along the edge of the city offers more than enough opportunities for sunbathing, swimming, and (not only) water activities. If you are a sports fan, you might be interested in the football memorial, which celebrates the city's best players, including the fabulous Pelé.

Places worth seeing

Museu do Café Brasileiro – In the Brazilian Coffee Museum, get acquainted with the beverage that largely shaped the city's history and brought it prosperity.

Coastal Garden – Take a walk along the 5.3-kilometer-long garden promenade recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest garden promenade in the world.

Aquário Municipal – Get acquainted with underwater life in the small but well-maintained Municipal Aquarium.  

Orquidário Municipal – Admire countless species of orchids and other plants along with a mini zoo with turtles, monkeys, and alligators.

Igreja de Santo Antonio – Be enchanted by the beautiful neo-Gothic cathedral from 1907, which you will find just a short distance from the beach.

Parque Estadual Marinho da Laje de Santos – Go snorkeling or diving and discover what lies beneath the surface of the first state-established marine park.

Memorial das Conquistadas – If you are a sports fan, don't miss the football memorial celebrating stars like Pelé.