Santos - Brazil

If anybody needs any information on this specific South America port just ask as I know it quite well. Thanks

I'm so glad you offered. We will b in Santos Jan. 5, 2010 and aren't sure whether to go to Sao Paulo or explore some of the coastal forest and Ilha do Cardoso. I don't know if that is feasable or if guides do that. I'm looking at a DK eyewitness guide of Brazil and am confused as to what to see.

Any info would be appreciated.

Dani Wong

Dear Dani,

Options from santos tend to be limited. 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 attranctions either. Santos itself has a historic city centre 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 abouts and taxi drivers are not always reliable. There are vans which take passengers to local shopping centres which is also an option.

Thank you for the info. It sounds like we may want to stay on the ship when we port in Santos.

Well, wait and see which tours they offer on board. You may find that an excursion to Guarujá may not be too expensive and at least would give you a taste of the region. São Paulo as I mentioned is impressive by its size but nothing amazing as far as tourism is concerned. If you looking for History and Art, the region around santos is not the best. Nature can be impressive too as it is some of the landscape. As far as beaches are concerned they are ok in Guaruja and the north. Santos beaches are only nice due to the long, beautiful garden that borders them

If anybody needs any information on this specific South America port just ask as I know it quite well. Thanks

I appreciate your kind offer. Can you tell me which pier Royal Caribbean uses? If it is more than one, specifically the Vision of the Seas?

Thank you. Susan

I appreciate your kind offer. Can you tell me which pier Royal Caribbean uses? If it is more than one, specifically the Vision of the Seas?

 

Thank you. Susan

In Santos the cruise ships dock alongside the port, in front and near the cruise ship terminal. Passengers are taken to their ships by buses. In same dates up to 6 ships will be in the port.

Thank you very much. Susan

Some of them (mainly Costa ships) tend to dock in front of the cruise terminal. You can have an idea of the area by searching for Concais on Google or similar. They have a web site with info, etc and some images, including a video

Thank you for the info. It sounds like we may want to stay on the ship when we port in Santos.

To bad, that someone gave you the wrong impression about Santos.

I was born in Santos and I live in Florida for the past 25 years.

In a recent trip to Santos I wake up at 3:00 AM and me and my wife went for a walk on the beach and have a snack in a food shop.I believe that Santos is safer than Palm Beach County. Santos is an Island so if you commit a crime you have only 3 roads to get out, and the police closes it very fast. Criminals don't feel that Santos is a good deal.

Of course, crime do exist everywhere but, Santos is different.

Also not know by people living in other country is that the income in Santos is way above Brazil average. (1000sf apartmente goes for around $200k, yes dollars and if you want to go ocean front will be aroun $500k up

Downtown is beautifull and have excelent restaurants. Anywhere you go you will smell coffee. A short drive from downtown you can go up the hill in a train. The view is fantastic. Also, make sure you visit the "orquidario" with hundreds of diferent types of orchids.

I include a link togive you a better idea of Santos.

Feel free to ask me any question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWvy24S40wA&feature=related

sjpo,

We will be on the Vision of the Seas, with stops in Recife, Salvador, Rio, and disembarking in Santos. Looking for any info I can find regarding private tours, or hiring a taxi for a few hours in these cities. We've booked a ship excursion in Santos, ending at the airport in Sao Paulo, and really enjoy touring on our own, but are worried about safety. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Trish

In Rio it would be safer to take the ship excursions too. Unfortunately I do not know Salvador or Recife but if the ship's excursion are not expensive, I would suggest to stick to them. You are bound to find taxi drivers offering to take you on a tour of those cities but as everywhere else in the world you would never know if the driver is really going to give you value for money, etc. If you post a tread on Salvador and Recife, I am quite sure you will receive some response

That "you tube" link to the travel video was great. Now I have more questions...

The beaches look lovely - what are the temps in March?

Any details on how to get to the "orquidario" and is that where the peacocks were?

Where do the funiculars go?

We have a long stop here 7am to 11pm and would like to make the most of it.

That "you tube" link to the travel video was great. Now I have more questions...

The beaches look lovely - what are the temps in March?

 

Any details on how to get to the "orquidario" and is that where the peacocks were?

 

Where do the funiculars go?

 

We have a long stop here 7am to 11pm and would like to make the most of it.

I don't know if you will be there in a weekend or week day.

Assuming that is a weekend I would start downtown and stay till 2 pm.

March is the end of summer and the start of the rainy season (the weather is so crazy lately that I'm not sure it will apply).

I'm including a set of pics I found online, in the first pic you can figure out where you are.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=437983

In the afternoon I would go to the beach.

Santos is entirely cut by canals, going from 1 to 7. The Orchidario is close to the # 7. Relax walking on the beach, people are friendly.

I just would like to make a remark:

Doesn't matter what city or country I'm, I NEVER wear jewlery, watches or wedding rings.

I lived in Marina Del Rey for 10 years. Where are you in CA?

Feel free to ask any questions.

The funiculars just go up the hill, but you can see all the Island that include the city of Santos and Sao Vicente.

It looks like we will be there on a Sunday. Is the orchidario open on that day? Also in reviewing the pictures (over 100 wow) from your link they kept showing a building " bolsa official de cafe"? What does it mean as official cafe?

Is there another link to get a walking map of the city and other ideas of what to do? Since we are there till 11 pm are there some nearby side trips?

It looks like we will be there on a Sunday. Is the orchidario open on that day? Also in reviewing the pictures (over 100 wow) from your link they kept showing a building " bolsa official de cafe"? What does it mean as official cafe?

 

Is there another link to get a walking map of the city and other ideas of what to do? Since we are there till 11 pm are there some nearby side trips?

About the orchidario been open on Sundays, I believe so but, I will email a couple of friends to make sure it's open on Sundays.

Bolsa Oficial do cafe is a building where in the past all coffee was bought and sold, like a stock market. Santos is the biggest export port in South America, at one point 100% of all coffee was exported thru Santos.

I will see if I can find a walking map of Santos. I gave you ideas up to 8:00 pm, What do you like to do? What's the average age of your group?

Hi We are thinking of staying in Santos for a few days. Any suggestions for a good hotel or should we go to the beaches further out and stay there?

Hi We are thinking of staying in Santos for a few days. Any suggestions for a good hotel or should we go to the beaches further out and stay there?

Autumncruiser, you can stay at Parque Balneário (http://www.parquebalneario.com.br/br/home/default.aspx), which is a very good hotel located in Gonzaga, which is the best part of Santos.

Hope I helped. If you need any further information, please let me know.

Bolsa Oficial do cafe is a building where in the past all coffee was bought and sold

Is the building in use now for something else? Is it a museum?

Things we like to see or do...museums, parks, outdoor markets, historic locations, local food markets to get an idea of the economy, try some good local food -especially desserts and appetizers.

We will be in Santos on December 18 and fly back to Europe on Dec 20 from Salvador de Bahia. I noticed that domestic flights are not particularly cheap, although there are a few carriers similar to Ryanair or Easyjet.

However, I understand the Sao Paulo is about 80km away from Santos. But according to google, there is a (small?) domestic airport in the Santos area, but I can not find any details.... Is it still in use? Any flights to Salvador from there? If not, which of the Sao Paulo airports would be the best to fly to S.? I think there are 2 or 3, and all have domestic flights to Salvador, so just wondering...

Thanks!

We will be in Santos on December 18 and fly back to Europe on Dec 20 from Salvador de Bahia. I noticed that domestic flights are not particularly cheap, although there are a few carriers similar to Ryanair or Easyjet.

 

However, I understand the Sao Paulo is about 80km away from Santos. But according to google, there is a (small?) domestic airport in the Santos area, but I can not find any details.... Is it still in use? Any flights to Salvador from there? If not, which of the Sao Paulo airports would be the best to fly to S.? I think there are 2 or 3, and all have domestic flights to Salvador, so just wondering...

 

Thanks!

Santos does not have a commercial airport! Small private planes land in Santos Air Force base!

Hi DirkHK,

Santos indeed has no airport. There are talks of one being built nearby but, having lived there for a long time, I know from experience that this can take longer than any pessimistic guess.

Sao Paulo has two airports: one (domestic) in the South of the city (Congonhas) which is closer to santos and another one (international)in the North-East (Guarulhos-Cumbica). Both offer flights to Salvador, I think although Congonhas was supposed to have some restrictions on long domestic flights).Both airports are served by a confortable bus route which leaves santos from a gas station at Francisco Glicerio avenue. The bus stops first at Congonhas and then proceeds to Guarulhos. Journey to Guarulhos should take about 2 hours. Journey to Congonhas last one hour something.

It looks like we will be there on a Sunday. Is the orchidario open on that day? Also in reviewing the pictures (over 100 wow) from your link they kept showing a building " bolsa official de cafe"? What does it mean as official cafe?

 

Is there another link to get a walking map of the city and other ideas of what to do? Since we are there till 11 pm are there some nearby side trips?

Just noticed today that the orchidario is closed for refurbishement and will not be open again till November 2010

If I understand the previous posts, the port is not in a location where we can walk to the beach, town, etc.and taxis are not reliable. If we don't take a ship's tour are there any other alternatives that are safe? Any public transportation available from the port? We will be there in March for the day and are looking for info to help us decide how to spend the time.

It is not that taxis are not reliable but, on days when cruise ships are in port, they are keen on sometimes putting their prices up a bit but nothing that cannot be decided with a bit of negotiation before boarding the taxi. There is public transport nearby but one needs to know where to go, which bus to take and master a bit of portuguese to pay the fare, etc. I understand that some shopping centres send vans to the cruise terminal and take passengers for free to their shops. Some of these shopping centres are located near the beach and in some one can take a taxi to go further. The shopping centres themselves are quite safe and offer quite afew good options for eating, etc. The decor is of dubious taste but that is another matter altogether :-)