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

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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

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From Sao Paulo

By 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

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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

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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...