Jundiai
Introduction
Jundiaí is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, in Brazil's Southeast Region. It sits about 57 kilometres north of the city of São Paulo, which makes it a straightforward stop for travellers moving through the state.
Before you go
Jundiaí began as a settlement in the early 17th century and grew into an agricultural centre, first through mining and later through fruit cultivation that still defines the surrounding region. European immigrants arrived after the railway station opened in the 19th century, and industry has developed steadily since. Keep in mind that the city's rapid growth has brought social and crime problems that are significant for a place of its size, so take the usual precautions you would in any large Brazilian city.
Most visitors come to relax in the charming countryside or to explore the Serra do Japi. As the only large city in the state outside the São Paulo metro area with a fully operational passenger train station, urban Jundiaí also holds important reminders of the heyday of rail travel in Brazil. Plan around the weather rather than a fixed itinerary: the region is warm and humid for much of the year, with a wetter season that can make outdoor excursions muddy and slow.
Getting there
By car, Jundiaí is easily accessible from either São Paulo (50 minutes) or Campinas (40 minutes) via Rod. Anhanguera (SP-330). From São Paulo, a frequently used alternative is to take Rod. dos Bandeirantes (SP-348) and change to Rod. Anhanguera shortly before arriving in Jundiaí. Jundiaí is one of the few places outside the São Paulo metro area where you can arrive by train. The CPTM Line 7-Ruby departs from Luz station in São Paulo and is ridiculously cheap, but since it is a stop train it is very slow, taking at least 1½ hours plus transfer time at Francisco Morato station, which can add a further 20 minutes on occasion. The train can get overcrowded at peak hours, so keep track of your valuables if people are brushing up against you. It passes through some rough-ish neighbourhoods, though security at every stop does a good job of keeping everything under control, and you get views from the rail route that you simply don't see from the motorway, such as favelas on the sides of hills and dirt football pitches humming with activity, not to mention the occasional buskers and serenaders wandering up and down the carriage. The Jundiaí railway station sits about 1.7 km from the city center proper, and roughly the same distance from Museu da Companhia Paulista. Getting there by bus is a far more comfortable option than the CPTM train. The intercity bus terminal is Terminal Rodoviário José Alves, at Av. 9 de Julho, 4000, and you'll need a local bus or a taxi to reach the city center from there. Buses from São Paulo depart from the Tietê terminal and are provided by Viação Cometa; buses from Campinas are provided by LiraBus or VB Transportes. Services from both cities are quite frequent and seldom require reservation.Getting around
If your plans stay in the center, you can leave the car behind and walk between the attractions. Beyond the center, walking becomes impractical, so to reach the countryside and the nature around the city you will need an Uber lift, a shared BlaBlaCar ride, or one of the tour agencies that operate in the city. Taxis are a practical option for short connections, such as between the intercity bus terminal and the city center, or between the railway station and the center.
Jundiaí has a public transport network organized around terminais, which connect the lines and make journeys faster and cheaper: circulation within the terminals to the linhas alimentadoras is free, and those feeding lines carry passengers from the terminals to their destinations. Most buses have wheelchair lifts. Reloadable electronic cards are available on registration — yellow for regular users, blue for students, and grey or green for the elderly or disabled. The city is also one of the few places outside the São Paulo metro area you can arrive by train: CPTM Line 7-Ruby runs from Luz station in São Paulo and terminates at Jundiaí station on Praça Mauá, a stop train that is slow and can get overcrowded at peak hours, so keep track of your valuables if people are brushing up against you. The station sits a short distance from the city center proper and from the Museu da Companhia Paulista, so plan on a walk, a local bus, or a taxi at either end. If you intend to visit the Serra do Japi or other natural areas, arrange a ride-hailing trip, a shared ride, or a tour agency in advance, as these destinations are not walkable from the center.
Where to stay
In the Centro, you can stay at the Graffiti Palace Hotel on Rua do Rosário. The Anhangabaú area is another option, with the Hotel Center Park on Avenida Jundiaí offering a fitness center, restaurant, bar, and travel center, and the Travel Inn Saint Charles on Rua Vital Brasil providing singles.Food & drink
For rural Italian cooking, head to Adega Beraldo di Cale on Estrada Municipal de Jarinu in Caxambu, where the winery's restaurant serves its food on weekends. Another option is Fazenda Montanhas do Japi on Estrada de Santa Clara in Santa Clara, where meals are cooked in wood stoves and made with locally produced ingredients and wines.What to see and do
In the centre, the Catedral da Nossa Senhora do Desterro is one of the city's main landmarks, a Neogothic building remodelled from its earlier Baroque form in 1886 on the site of the original 1651 chapel. Nearby, the Solar do Barão occupies an 1862 mansion once used by the local aristocrat known as the "Jundiaí Baron", and now holds a permanent exhibition on him and other figures from the city's past alongside temporary shows and cultural activities. The Companhia Paulista Museum, despite its century-old appearance, was built in 1979 as a homage to the railway history of São Paulo state, and displays artefacts from the coffee-farming era of the rails along with replicas of trains and station interiors. The Jundiaí Station has been operating since its inauguration in 1867 and has passed through the hands of four different railway companies, while the colourful workers' houses of the railroad village face it across Praça Mauá and form a national heritage site. For theatre, the Theatro Polytheama dates to 1911 and was reformed and reactivated in 1996; check the municipality's cultural agenda for what's on. Outdoors, the Serra do Japi state park just south of town holds the largest forest preserve in the state and offers opportunities for extreme sports, and there are many trails through preserved mata atlântica with several waterfalls to see. Within the city you can spend time at the Botanical Gardens, at Parque da Cidade — where there's a spot to fly remote-control aeroplanes and bicycles can be rented by the hour — or at Parque de Currupira. As part of the Circuito das Frutas, several farms open their doors to visitors so you can experience the Paulista countryside and taste and buy wine, fruit and other produce: Adega Beraldo di Cale is an Italian winery producing wines, vinegars, cold cuts, cheeses and sweets, Adega Castanho specialises in red wines, and Fazenda Montanhas do Japi, a former Italian grape farm from 1915, offers gardens, forest trails in the Serra do Japi and horse riding.Three days in Jundiai
Day one: Arrive from São Paulo and settle into the city before exploring the centre on foot. The CPTM Line Ruby connects Luz to Jundiaí, and buses from the Terminal Rodoviário José Alves run via the Rodovia Anhanguera and Rodovia dos Bandeirantes. Start with the Museu da Companhia Paulista to understand the city's railway heritage, then walk the central streets and get your bearings.
Day two: Head out toward the Serra do Japi, the green backdrop that shapes the region's character. The European influence in the city's architecture and the Brazilian rhythm of daily life sit side by side, so spend the afternoon drifting between the two. Keep the evening simple: a meal in the centre and an early night.
Day three: Use the morning for anything you missed, then plan your onward move. Campinas is close by, and the CPTM and bus links make returning to São Paulo straightforward. If you have time before departure, revisit the Museu da Companhia Paulista or take one last walk through the centre.