WORLD ▫ SOUTH AMERICA ▫ BRAZIL
▫ SANTOS
Santos is a city in the south of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It's by the seaside, and the most important port in South America.
Understand
Santos is a municipality in the São Paulo state of Brazil, founded in 1546. It is partially located on the island of São Vicente which harbors both the city of Santos and the city of São Vicente, and partially on the mainland. It is the main city in Paulista Coast. As of 2006, its population was estimated at 418,375. Santos has the biggest seaport in Latin America; is a significant tourist center; has large industrial complexes and shipping centers, which handle a large portion of the world's coffee exports; as well as a number of other Brazilian exports including oranges, bananas and cotton. 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.
Get in
From Sao PauloBy air - Arriving the airports in Sao Paulo (Congonhas / CGH) or (Guarulhos / GRU), packtours can arrange convenient TAXI service to Santos, it may take slightly more than one hour to go.By bus - Take a taxi or the subway to Jabaquara Bus Station. There you can take a bus directly to Santos. Estimated travel time: 1 hour. More information: 11 50113421.By car - From São Paulo, first it catches the Anchieta Highway (SP-160) until the city of Cubatão. There it has a bifurcation, follow the sign saying Santos.
Get around
By taxi
A good way to move around to not-so-close places. They are not very expensive and drivers are mostly friendly, although small cheats are not uncommon. To avoid it, after getting into a taxi, check if the taximeter has been started . If not, ask the taxi driver to do so.
By bus
Buses are a cheap and nice way to get around by day although by night they are more scarce. The fare is payed on cash to a controller or the driver only inside the bus, by passing through a roulette. There are no tickets. Keep an eye out for pickpockets when the bus is crowded. Many people get still wet from the sea into the bus, so have a good look if your seat is dry before you sit.
By bicycle
Bicycles are by far the best way to move around the town, but unfortunately there are not many places where you can rent one (but plenty where you can buy). It's not allowed to ride on most of the beaches during the day. There are some "ciclovias" (bikelanes), specially a well-signed one in front of the beach. Better safe than sorry: buy a lock as well.
See
Docks
Dock Museum. Av. Rodrigues Alves with Rua João Alfredo, Phone 3233-6565. This museum tells the story of what was during the 19th century the greatest coffee dock in the world. From Mon to Fry 7:00 to 11:00 and 3:00 to 17:00. No admission fee.Statue of the dock worker. Silvério de Souza square. 12 meters high statue in homage to the labor force that endured carrying tons of coffee everyday back in times.
CenterCoffee Stock Exchange. Rua XV de Novembro, 95, Phone: 3219-5585. From Tue to Sun, 9:00 to 18:00 - Once an active and important institution, nowadays it houses a Museum of Coffee where it can be seen the history of Coffee in Brazil, some old machineries and different kinds of coffee. The building has renascentist inspiration and was reopen to the public in 1997. R$4,00; R$2,00 (students and over 65 year-olds).Monte Serrat Hill. Praça Correia de Melo, 33, Phone: 3221-5665. Right in the center of the city. On the top of the hill (157m) one can have a 360 degrees view of all Santos and adjacent cities (like Guaruja). Full of restaurants and coffee bars. If climbing is not your sport, you can take the tram (R$12,50).
Beach area
Beach front garden. The longest beach front garden in the world according to the Guinness with 5335 meters long. Just go to the beach and you will find it.Aquarium. Av. Bartolomeu de Gusmão, Ponta da Praia, Phone: 3236-9996. The first public aquarium in Brazil featuring hundreds of sea creatures of the Brazilian seas. Tue to Sat, 9:00 to 18:00. R$ 5,00, students pay R$ 2,50 and free for children under 12.Church of Embare. Av. Bartolomeu de Gusmão, 32, Phone: 3227-5977. Gothic church built in 1946. Everyday from 8:00 to 20:00. No admission fee.
Northwest areaSantos Futebol Club. Rua Princesa Isabel, Phone: 3239-4000. The famous club where Pele played most of his career exhibits some glories and trophies of the past and present. Interesting only for football fanatics. From 9:00 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 18:00. No admission fee.
Do
People from Sao Paulo often go to Santos to lie down under the sun and enjoy the beach. Santos beaches are not the most beautiful in the Paulista Coast, but they are still popular and a good place for a walk. Once there, you may try some coconuts (R$ 3.00) or buy handicrafts. If you can't find the vendors, don't worry, they will find you.Walk on the XV de Novembro Street. Located in the center of Santos, the street used to be where the office s of Coffee Lords were located. The interesting colonial architecture and the many bars and Cafes around make it a pleasant walk in the ending afternoon.Trams in Santos date back to 1861. You can still ride them and take a peek in all main attractions of the center. Tours costs R$1,00 and leaves from Maua Square (Praca Maua).
Buy
The handicraft market is the place to buy a nice souvenir from Santos. There you can find paintings, earrings, clothes, candies, esoteric stuff, flowers and the like. It's located at the end of Avenida Conselheiro Nébias, every Saturday from 14:00 to around 23:00.Some tourists like to check the Fish Market, close to the ferry boat, where one can buy fresh fish with a very cheap price. Be aware: when you leave there you will smell like fish.
Eat
BudgetBeduíno - Av. Ana Costa, 466 or Av. Marechal Floriano Peixoto, 44, Phone 32841702 - Brazilian burgers and other finger foods.Gotissô - Av. Saldanha da Gama, 159, Phone: 3261188O - Japanese cuisine with affordable prices, self-service system.
Mid-rangeVista ao Mar - Av. Bartolomeu de Gusmão, 68, Phone: 3273-4411 - This seafood restaurant serves, among others, a tasty paella. The portion is huge, so it's better to come with a big group.Mar Del Plata - Av. Saldanha da Gama, 137, Phone: 3261-4253 - Traditional seafood restaurant.Piccola Forneria - Av. Almirante Cochrane, 62, Phone: 32736699/32711200 - Charming Italian restaurant with a great variety of pizzas and pasta. Good selection of wines.Último Gole - Rua Carlos Afonseca, 214, Phone: 32840508 - Traditional Portuguese cuisine. A nice dish of codfish, try the bacalhau Zé do Pipo.
UpscaleLa Recoleta - Av. Washington Luiz, 422, Phone: 3232-2803 - Argentinian restaurant inspired on La Recoleta area in Buenos Aires. Mainly meat. There's a Tango performance on Tuesday nights.
Drink
Bars
Bars in Santos are usually crowded and lively during the weekends. Many bars offer live MPB music (Popular Brazilian Music). Beer, caipirinha and batidas are found everywhere.Armazém 29 - Rua Pindorama, 29, phone: 32894629 - Close to the beach, a very informal bar where people go after a day at the beach. Santistas say they serve the best caipirinha in town.Barão do Café - Av. Ana Costa, 547, Phone: 32861603 - Thematic bar that celebrates the glorious times of the coffee in Brazil. Old photos of the city on the walls. Live music from Wednesday to Sunday at nights.Chop Santista - Av. Vicente de Carvalho, 54, Phone: 32845428 - Huge bar with two separated rooms, one with live music, that stays very crowded in the weekends. A lot of flirting.Heinz - Rua Lincoln Feliciano, 54, Phone: 32861875 - A more traditional option with a not-so-young crowd. They serve good German food and appetizers to go with the beer.
Sleep
Budget
Mid-rangePlaza Hotel, av. Floriano Peixoto, 42, Phone (13) 3208-6400Atlântico Inn, rua Jorge Tibiriçá, 4, Phone (13) 3289-4700Panorama, rua Euclides da Cunha, 15, Phone (13) 3208-6400Atlântico Hotel, av. Presidente Wilson, 1, Phone (13) 3289-4500Avenida Palace, av. Presidente Wilson, 10, Phone (13) 3289-3555Indaiá, av. Ana Costa, 431, Phone (13) 3289-5559Ritz, av. Marechal Deodoro, 24, Phone (13) 3284-1171Paulista, av. Presidente Wilson, 134, Phone (13) 3237-0198Fenícia, av. Presidente Wilson, 184, Phone (13) 3237-1955
UpscaleParque Balneário, av. Ana Costa, 555, Phone (13) 3289-5700 - Awesome hotel for those willing to spend a little (lot) more.
Santos, originally Portuguese or Spanish for Saints (singular Santo), may mean a great number of different things:
People
Santos is a common surname in Spanish, as well as Portuguese. Sometimes it can be the final part of a given name, generally preceded by the particle dos or de los (of the, meaning of the Saints, as in Miguel dos Santos, Michael of the Saints). It is a name associated with a great number of different people:Santos (Sante Pucello), Italian DJÁlvaro Santos, Brazilian footballerAhmed Santos, Mexican newspaper columnist and former boxerAhmed Santos, Phillipino convert to Islam and militant.Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian aviation pioneerAlessandro dos Santos, Brazilian-Japanese footballerAntonio da Costa Santos, Brazilian architect and politicianAntónio dos Santos Ramalho Eanes, Portuguese general and politicianAry dos Santos, Portuguese poetConrad Santos, Canadian politicianCristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, Portuguese footballerDaniel Santos a Puerto Rican boxerDaniel Santos a Puerto Rican singer and composerDjalma Santos, Brazilian footballer.Domingo Santos, Spanish writer.Domitila, Marchioness of Santos, Brazilian noblewoman and the long-term mistress and favorite of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil.Enrique Santos Discépolo, Argentinian musician.Erik Ramos Santos, Filipino singer.Fausto dos Santos, Brazilian footballer.Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia, heir to the Spanish throneFernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, Angolan politicianHélio de Oliveira Santos, Brazilian physician and politicianJoe Santos, American actorJoly Braga Santos, Portuguese composer and conductorJonny Santos, American musicianJosé Eduardo dos Santos, Angolan politicianJosé Santos Guardiola, Honduran politicianJosé Santos Zelaya, Nicaraguan politicianJosé dos Santos Ferreira, Portuguese-Macanese writerJovino Santos-Neto, Brazilian musicianKenn Santos, Filipino HeartthrobLeslie George Santos, Hong Kong footballerLucélia Santos, Brazilian actress, director and producerLúcia dos Santos, known as Sister Lúcia of Jesus, Portuguese Roman Catholic Carmelite nun and seer of Our Lady of FatimaManuel António dos Santos, Portuguese politicianMatt Santos, fictional character of the American series The West WingMayra Santos-Febres, Puerto-Rican writerNelson Pereira dos Santos, Brazilian movie directorNílton Santos, Brazilian football (soccer) playerPablo Santos, Mexican actorPaulo Jorge dos Santos Futre, Portuguese football (soccer) playerArtur Carlos Maurício Pestana dos Santos, known as Pepetela, Angolan writerRicardo Santos, Brazilian beach volleyball player Roberto Santos, Brazilian film directorRufino Jiao Santos, Filipino Archbishop of ManilaSantos Acosta, Colombian general and political figureSantos Benavides, American militarySantos Ortega, American actorVicente Abad Santos, Justice of the Supreme Court of the PhilippinesVictor Irving Santos, American baseball playerVilma Santos, Filipino actressJosé Manuel Cerqueira Afonso dos Santos, known as Zeca Afonso, Portuguese singer, composer and poet
Places
Santos, São Paulo, Brazil.General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines.Santos Michelena, Aragua State, Venezuela.Santos Lugares, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.Los Santos Province, Panama.Los Santos, San Andreas, a fictional city within the video game .Santos Dumont Regional Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Baía de Todos os Santos, Bahia, Brazil.Santos Dumont, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Santos-Dumont, small lunar impact crater.Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.Rodovia Santos Dumont, highway in São Paulo, Brazil.Estrada de Ferro Santos-Jundiaí, railway line in São Paulo, Brazil.Sántos, a village in Hungary
Football teams
Pro Santos FC, English Football ClubSantos Futebol Clube, Brazilian football team.Club Santos Laguna, Mexican football team.Santos de Guápiles Fútbol Club, Costa Rican football club.Santos F.C. (England), English football clubSantos Football Club (Belfast), Northern Ireland football club Santos Football Club (South Africa)Santos Futebol Clube de Angola, Angolan football team.Santos Football Club (Burkina), Burkinabé football teamSantos, Jamaican football club
Other
Santos Limited, a large Australian oil company.Santos House, the tallest building in Adelaide, South Australia and current HQ of Santos Ltd.Santos-Dumont 14-bis, known as Oiseau de proie, early airplane designed and built by Brazilian inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont.Santos, A wooden carving tradition begun by Jesuit priests in Spain in the 16th century, then imported to the New World and still made in Northern New Mexico.
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