Getting Around Santos
Santos is a compact coastal city, and most visitors find it easy to navigate using a combination of walking, buses, taxis, and ride-hailing. The city also has a small heritage tramway that runs tourist routes, but it is a sightseeing attraction rather than a practical way to commute. There is no metro or suburban rail network within Santos itself; for longer regional trips, buses and the road links to São Paulo do the heavy lifting.
Walking
Walking is a realistic option for much of the central and beachfront area, where the main visitor draws — the waterfront gardens, the beach, and the historic centre — sit within reasonable reach of one another. Distances are modest and the terrain is flat, so a visitor based near the beach can cover a lot of ground on foot without needing transport at all.
Buses
Local buses are the workhorse of Santos public transport. They are cheap and a pleasant way to get around during the day, though services thin out at night, so plan evening trips with that in mind.
- Paying: You can pay either with tickets, which are sold at most bus stops, or in cash directly to the driver or conductor, passing through a turnstile as you board.
- Safety: Keep an eye out for pickpockets when the bus is crowded.
- Practical tip: Many passengers board while still wet from the sea, so check that your seat is dry before sitting down.
- Planning your route: The easiest approach is to use Moovit, Google Maps, or a bus schedule app. In Moovit, select the metro area "Santos e Região" to get local connections.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are a good way to reach places that are not so close together, and regular taxis are not very expensive. Drivers are mostly friendly, though small cheats are not unheard of. To protect yourself, check after getting in that the taximeter has been started — if it has not, ask the driver to switch it on. Uber is also available in the city, giving you a convenient alternative to street taxis.
Bicycles
Bicycles are by far the best way to move around town, and there are many places where you can rent one. Note that riding on most of the beaches is not allowed during the day. There are some ciclovias (bike lanes), including a well-signed one in front of the beach. As a precaution, buy a padlock as well.
Streetcar (Tramway)
Santos has a couple of tourist routes served by early twentieth-century streetcars. These are a heritage experience rather than a transport solution, so treat them as an attraction to enjoy rather than a way to get across the city.
Getting from the Airport into Santos
Santos itself does not have a major commercial airport serving these routes, so most visitors arrive via São Paulo's airports — Congonhas (CGH) or Guarulhos (GRU).
- Taxi from São Paulo airports: Package tour operators can arrange a convenient taxi service to Santos, which may take slightly more than an hour.
- Bus from Guarulhos: There are also about eight bus services a day from Guarulhos.
- Via Jabaquara Bus Station: Take a taxi or the subway to Jabaquara Bus Station, where you can catch a bus directly to Santos. Buses leave every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. The bus stops at the Centro Rodoviário, and some services continue on to São Vicente (Santos' twin city), some to Gonzaga (the beach area), and some to Ponta da Praia (on the channel, handy for taking a boat on to Guarujá). You can get off at many other stops along the busway, but only if you do not have luggage in the luggage trunk of the bus.
- Direct service from Guarulhos Terminal 1: There is also a direct service operated by Cometta, costing around US$12 and arriving into Santos in about 2 hours 20 minutes.
Arriving by Car
If you are driving from São Paulo, take either the Rodovia Padre Anchieta ("Anchieta", SP-160) or the Rodovia dos Imigrantes ("Imigrantes", SP-160). Both roads have a "planalto" (plateau) section and a "serra" (mountain) section that descends the Serra do Mar to sea level. The Anchieta is older, and its mountain section is winding and narrow, while the Imigrantes' is wider and mostly straight thanks to extensive use of tunnels and bridges. The two roads are linked by a high and a low interlink. Trucks and buses are prohibited in the mountain section of the Imigrantes and are forced to take the interlink and use the Anchieta instead. Both roads charge a toll of about R$ 20,00, paid only in one direction (when leaving São Paulo). Traffic is frequently diverted from one road to the other for traffic regulation or road works, so follow the dynamic signs.