Stand at the top of Monte Serrat Hill and the whole city opens below you: the curve of the beachfront garden, the channel, and the hills of neighbouring Guarujá across the water. It is the quickest way to understand how Santos is laid out before you start walking it.
Santos suits travellers who want a coastal city with a working port and a coffee-trade past rather than a resort strip. The centre rewards a slow morning on foot, the beachfront fills an afternoon, and the trams and tours tie the two together.
This guide covers the sights named in the source material, grouped so you can plan a route through the centre, the docks and the beach area, plus a one-day plan if your time is short.
Top things to do in Santos
1. Monte Serrat Hill
Monte Serrat Hill sits right in the centre of the city, and from the top you get a 360-degree view of Santos and the adjacent cities, including Guarujá. The hilltop is full of restaurants and coffee bars, so it works as a stop rather than just a viewpoint.
If climbing is not your sport, take the tram up. Note that the source records the tram at R$12,50, with a later note that as of June 2017 it was R$40 and there was only one coffee bar, so check the current fare and facilities when you arrive.
2. Coffee Stock Exchange
On Rua XV de Novembro, the Coffee Stock Exchange was once an active and important institution and now houses a Museum of Coffee, where you can see the history of coffee in Brazil along with old machinery and different kinds of coffee. The building has renascentist inspiration and was reopened to the public in 1997.
It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 18:00. Adults pay R$4, students and seniors R$2. Pair it with a walk along the same street afterwards.
3. Beachfront garden
The beachfront garden runs along the sand and is the longest beachfront garden in the world according to the Guinness Book, stretching 5,335 m (17,503 ft). You do not need to look for an entrance: just go to the beach and you will find it.
Use it as your walking route between the beach area sights rather than as a single stop, and combine it with the beach itself, where vendors sell coconuts and handicrafts.
4. Dock Museum
On Av. Rodrigues Alves with Rua João Alfredo, the Dock Museum tells the story of what was during the 19th century the greatest coffee dock in the world. Admission is free.
It opens Monday to Friday, 07:00-11:00 and 15:00-17:00, so plan it as a morning or late-afternoon stop rather than a midday one. The Statue of the dock worker at Praça Silvério de Souza, a 12-metre-high homage to the labour force that carried tons of coffee every day, is a natural companion stop in the same dock area.
5. Aquarium
The Aquarium on Av. Bartolomeu de Gusmão in Ponta da Praia was the first public aquarium in Brazil and features hundreds of sea creatures of the Brazilian seas. It opens Tuesday to Saturday, 09:00 to 18:00.
Tickets are R$5,00, students pay R$2,50, and children under 12 go free. The Double Deck tour departs from near the Aquarium, so the two combine well.
6. XV de Novembro Street
This street in the centre of Santos used to be where the offices of the Coffee Lords were located. The colonial architecture and the many bars and cafés around make it a pleasant walk in the late afternoon.
Go in the ending afternoon, when the light and the café trade are at their best, and treat it as a stroll rather than a checklist.
7. Trams in Santos
Trams in Santos date back to 1861, and you can still ride them to take a peek at all the main attractions of the centre. Tours cost R$5,00 and leave from Maua Square (Praca Maua).
This is the easiest way to cover the centre sights without walking between them, and it starts from a square you can find without difficulty.
8. Orchid Garden and Zoobotanic garden
At Praça Washington Luis, at the end of Avenida General Francisco Glicério, the Orchid Garden and Zoobotanic garden holds several greenhouses full of orchids. There is a small entrance fee.
Small local animals such as turtles and pacas roam loose in the garden, and there is a fenced walk with loose large birds including tucanos and macaws. It sits 200 metres from the beach and 300 metres from the São Vicente border, so it fits into a beach-area day.
9. Benedicto Calixto Art Collection
On Bartolomeu de Gusmão Avenue, near a touristic guide place, the Benedicto Calixto Art Collection is a mansion house with a permanent exhibition of paintings by Benedicto Calixto and an art library. The indoor garden alone is worth the visit.
It is close to the beachfront, so slot it in on the same outing as the garden and the Aquarium.
10. Church of Embaré
The Church of Embaré on Av. Bartolomeu de Gusmão is a Gothic church built in 1946. It is open every day from 08:00 to 20:00 and there is no admission fee.
Because it stays open into the evening, it works as a quiet stop at either end of a beachfront walk.
11. Santos Futebol Club
On Rua Princesa Isabel, the Santos Futebol Club is the club where Pelé played most of his career, and it exhibits glories and trophies of the past and present. There is no admission fee.
It opens from 09:00 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 18:00. The source notes it is interesting mainly for football fanatics, so treat it as an optional stop rather than a centrepiece.
12. Double Deck tour
The Double Deck tour travels along the beachfront on Saturdays and Sundays in summer, and during the rest of the year on long holiday weekends. Departure point is near the Aquarium, and a guide points out the main attractions along the route.
Tickets cost R$4. Because it runs only on those days, check the calendar before you build a beach day around it.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Coffee Stock Exchange on Rua XV de Novembro when it opens at 09:00, then walk XV de Novembro Street while the centre is still quiet. If you are there on a weekday, the Dock Museum is open 07:00-11:00 and is free, so it can come before or after the museum depending on your start.
Afternoon: Take the tram from Maua Square to Monte Serrat Hill for the 360-degree view and lunch at one of the hilltop restaurants or coffee bars. Come down and head to the beach area for the Beachfront garden, then the Aquarium in Ponta da Praia before it closes at 18:00.
Evening: Walk the beachfront garden as the light drops, stopping at the Church of Embaré, which stays open until 20:00. Finish with a coconut from a beach vendor, or return to the bars and cafés around XV de Novembro Street.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to walk XV de Novembro Street?
The source suggests the ending afternoon, when the colonial architecture and the bars and cafés around it make for a pleasant walk.
Do I need to climb Monte Serrat Hill?
No. If climbing is not your sport, you can take the tram up instead. Check the current fare, as the source records both R$12,50 and a later R$40.
When does the Double Deck tour run?
It travels along the beachfront on Saturdays and Sundays in summer, and during the rest of the year on long holiday weekends. It departs near the Aquarium and tickets cost R$4.
Is the Dock Museum open in the afternoon?
Yes, on weekdays it opens Monday to Friday, 07:00-11:00 and 15:00-17:00, and admission is free.
Pick your dates around the beachfront and the centre, check the tram fare and the Double Deck schedule, and you can plan a full day in Santos from this list alone.