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Why so little tour info on Santos/Sao Paolo?


chrismch

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This is one of our longest 1 day stops on the cruise, yet I find very little info for booking tours either on the ports section or in the roll calls (for HAL only didn't check all roll calls).

 

Ship's excursions don't seem to offer much either - mostly consisting of drive bys and very little stopping or a day at the beach. Does this stop really offer so little that no one books independent day tours?

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We just returned from a cruise that went from BA to Rio with a 12 hour stop in Santos. Like you, I had difficulty finding what to do in this port so we did not book a private guide.

 

Once off the ship, we talked to the representative about what to do in Santos and she gives you a very detailed map. She recommended getting a taxi and seeing the Coffee Museum and then the Aquarium that is by a very nice beach. I would recommend the Coffee Museum, but pass on the Aquarium. The Coffee Museum had a great history of the area and 30 min. to one hour is enough time. We had the taxi wait for us while we were in the museum.

 

The taxi dropped us off at the Aquarium and we were on our own. After the Aquarium (this only took 30 min.) we walked along the beach which is in the Guinness Book for longest beach side park. When we got tired or hot we stopped at one of the beach bars for a beer or cocktail and went in the water. About 2 miles from the Aquarium is a shopping district where we shopped and then hailed a cab back to the port.

 

Very easy port to do on your own. Many people went to Sao Paolo for the day and reported it was a long drive to see a big city.

 

Enjoy your trip,

Janette

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There is a whole about Santos here on the SA boards. There are several suggestions on what to do (I myself made several ). I wouldn´t visit São Paolo , as it is a bit far , the traffic is bad (and very unpredictable). If you had time to visit SP itself , I ´m sure you´d be surprised by the diversity and quality available as far as art , theater , and culinary delights.

 

Santos is a very nice area...if you have any questions , I´d be happy to answer. Read through the thread and see if anything appeals to you. I f not , we´ll find something else!

 

Kim

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Santos is a very nice area...if you have any questions , I´d be happy to answer. Kim

 

Hi, Kim...

My upcoming cruise STARTS in Santos, so I need to get from the airport in Sao Paulo (GRU) to Santos. So far, I do not see that RCCL offers a transfer for this cruise. Do you have any suggestions?

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On the shore ex for the cruise, it says it is 2 hrs each way to Sao Paolo. I really don't want to be on a bus for that long. I'd rather be walking around. So what would a good way to spend the day in Santos? What are the must sees? I have seen my share of Aquariums so I would pass on that. Do I just go to the coffee museum and then hang out at the beach?

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On the shore ex for the cruise, it says it is 2 hrs each way to Sao Paolo. I really don't want to be on a bus for that long. I'd rather be walking around. So what would a good way to spend the day in Santos? What are the must sees? I have seen my share of Aquariums so I would pass on that. Do I just go to the coffee museum and then hang out at the beach?

 

Do you enjoy the beach? If so, go to the Coffee Museum to get a historical perspective on how this are developed. Then go to the beach by the Aquarium (skip the Aquarium) and start walking along the beach. When you get hot stop at a beach bar or go in the water. There are fresh water showers to rinse off after the beach. It is easy to hail a cab along this beach and go back to the port when you are ready.

 

There was a rumor on our ship that Santos was unsafe and many people heeded this advice and stayed on the ship. We did not wear any jewelery and had a great time at the beach. Brazil is a great country, enjoy yourself!

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To get a feel for Brazilian beach culture , spend some time on a beach , then hang out in a kiosk , have a caipirinha or two , eat some yummy food and people watch. You ´ll get an "authentic" and relaxing experience.

 

Tenngal-

 

I have never used transport from from GRU to Santos. I looked up some companies which are posted on the "santos " thread.

 

Kim

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This is one of our longest 1 day stops on the cruise, yet I find very little info for booking tours either on the ports section or in the roll calls (for HAL only didn't check all roll calls).

 

Ship's excursions don't seem to offer much either - mostly consisting of drive bys and very little stopping or a day at the beach. Does this stop really offer so little that no one books independent day tours?

 

Haven't checked myself as yet, but I find www.city-discovery.com is a useful site for all over the world - and their prices, as opposed to ship excursions, are unbelieveable

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If you choose to go to São Paulo, here are my suggestions:

 

- The road up the mountains to the highlands plateau is breathtaking. In a clear day, you can see Santos and the coast below as your bus makes its way up the modern, fast road to São Paulo.

 

- São Paulo traffic is really unpredictable, but with a 12 hour port stay, you should have plenty of time to go to São Paulo and come back to Santos.

 

- MASP - Museu de Arte de São Paulo has a very good collection, displayed in an unusual way - not by style, but by subject matter. Unusual and interesting. Their temporary exhibits tend to be very good as well. About 1 1/2 hour should be enough, 1/2 hour more if you want to read the captions or visit temporary exhibits. It is located in the middle of the main business district (Avenida Paulista), where most of the banks are headquartered. This is also next to Metro, the São Paulo subway system.

 

- If you like soccer, the Soccer Museum opened a few years ago in the historic Pacaembu Stadium. This should also be a 1 1/2 hour to 2 hour visit.

 

- Butantã Institute is where they study snakes and produce antivenin. They have a museum and outdoor snake pits. It has gotten a little old, but it is still a nice place to visit. Schedule about 1 hour to 1 1/2.

 

- São Paulo also has excellent shopping, but prices are not cheap for high-end items. Oscar Freire street and its environs will have most of the luxury worldwide brands. Moderately priced items can be bought at the shopping malls. Some of the best centrally located malls are Paulista, Eldorado, and Iguatemi. Malls are called "shopping" in Brazil.

 

- You can have a fantastic lunch in São Paulo. Just pick the cuisine that you like best. For more Brazilian flavors: if you want meat, head to one of the Churrascarias. If you want a typical Brazilian meal, try feijoada.

 

- There are plenty of other attractions in São Paulo if you have specific interests.

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I went to there site to check out Ushuaia and their tours show a start time of 8am. Our ship arrives at 2pm. I did try calling them but the voice said they were not available to take calls at this time.

 

Yes I want to tour the park and lakes. Just trying to discover the best way to do it for the 2 of us.

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From the comments here I think we'll try to do Santos without a guided tour. There are four of us traveling together. How much should we expect to pay for a taxi from the port to the beach? Is the coffee museum worth the time to go there? How far is it from the Coffee Museum to the Aquarium? Walking distance or do we need to have the taxi wait for us if we decide to go there first? Any other suggestions of how to spend time in Santo will be appreciated. Our ship is in port 12 hours so we have plenty of time, but don't think we want to make the trip into Sao Paulo.

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From the cruise terminal to the aquarium, the fishing museum, or the ferry boat to Guarujá it should be about 2 miles. The coffee museum is also about 2 miles away, but in the opposite direction.

 

If you don't want to go to São Paulo, you can visit the aquarium, the coffee museum, and have a leisurely stroll along the beach.

 

Santos is the only city along São Paulo state coast that is not driven by tourism. I believe that the majority of its economy is not based on tourism. It is a city where most people live and work nearby.

 

Close to Santos is Guarujá, where almost all the economy revolves around weekend and summer apartments for people from São Paulo and the interior. If you go to Guarujá in the off season during the week, you will not see many people. If you go in January or February, Guarujá is a huge city with more than one million people.

 

The beaches in Santos and Guarujá are mostly very urban, with tall buildings lining the oceanfront avenue. If you go beyond the main beaches in Guarujá, there will be more houses and low-rise buildings. If you want a very nice beach, head over to Pernambuco beach in Guarujá, where some millionaires have their summer houses. All beaches are public in Brazil, so you can stretch your towel and buy drinks from the vendors, or just sit at the kiosks at the more urbanized ones.

 

If you go to Pernambuco beach, you can also extend your trip to have lunch at Perequê beach, which is more like a fisherman's port than a bathing beach.

Or you can have lunch at the Sofitel restaurant Les Épices right at Pernambuco beach. A great restaurant for seafood is Rufino's at Enseada beach. These last two are highly regarded and expensive.

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Its Guaruja we will be staying in. The hotel is quite modest but will allow 3 of us in a room. Your info has been great. I am now looking forward to seeing these places. Thank you.

 

Mcgorr,

 

I read on the other topic that you will be at Il Faro hotel. The hotel has its own restaurant. I recall eating there back in the early 1970's. Rufino's is right across the street. I ate there in 1999 and it was fantastic. Another nearby restaurant is Dalmo Barbaro. I have never eaten there but heard that it is really good.

 

If you want to enjoy the beach the day before the cruise, you can go right in front of the hotel. If it is in the off season and not a weekend, it will be very calm. Even if it is during the summer season, that area should not be crowded. Certainly not as crowded as Pitangueiras beach (the downtown beach).

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  • 4 weeks later...
From the comments here I think we'll try to do Santos without a guided tour. There are four of us traveling together. How much should we expect to pay for a taxi from the port to the beach? Is the coffee museum worth the time to go there? How far is it from the Coffee Museum to the Aquarium? Walking distance or do we need to have the taxi wait for us if we decide to go there first? Any other suggestions of how to spend time in Santo will be appreciated. Our ship is in port 12 hours so we have plenty of time, but don't think we want to make the trip into Sao Paulo.

 

4 of us got a cab at the Santos dock for 50 reals/hour. Told him to take us to Coffee Museum, Santos Football Club Museum, and to show us the beach. He waited outside each place for us, had the A/C running, took us to a beautiful promentory overlooking the entire beach. It truly is a spectacular beach, with all the plantings, and the view up there was remarkable.

 

3 hours to do the above, and we didn't feel rushed.

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Thanks for the information. Santos beach sounds wonderful; we'll be sure to go there. We leave this Friday for Rio and will be in Santos on the 18th. Looking forward to an exciting trip! I'll be checking back if anyone else has some suggestions for us.

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