After the São Paulo City Marathon: Santos

The Route: São Paulo → Jabaquara → Santos → São Paulo Logistics: Metro to Jabaquara, then a coach to Santos. The example timetable shows about 65 minutes. Check the current operator and the day's departures before you travel. Marathon Month: July Duration: 1 night

São Paulo hotel ──(Metro Line 1)──> Jabaquara ──(coach, about 65 min)──> Santos
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                                         Museu do Café, seafront gardens, dinner
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São Paulo ◄──(coach next day)───────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Santos is where São Paulo's coffee went to sea, and the city still has the exchange building to prove it. For a marathoner the draw is simpler: a long, flat seafront garden where you can walk off the race with no hill in sight, after a coach ride that does the climbing down the Serra do Mar for you.

July in Santos: July is cool for the coast. Daytime temperatures are mild, the sea is too cold for most people, and there can be drizzle or a grey sky. Pack a light layer.

Getting There

Take the Metro to Jabaquara, the southern end of Line 1 Blue, and board a coach to Santos. The example timetable gives about 65 minutes. Buy the ticket at the terminal and check the final departure for your return, because Monday evening services are not as frequent as weekend ones.

The Day

The Museu do Café occupies the former coffee exchange in the old centre. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 09:00 to 18:00 and on Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, and it is closed on Monday. That decides your timing: arrive on the Monday after the race, rest, and visit on the Tuesday morning before the coach back.

On the Monday afternoon, the flat seafront gardens along the beach are the sensible walk. The surface is level paving and the distance is as long or as short as your legs allow. Stop for a coffee in the old centre rather than pushing on.

Where to Stay

Parque Balneário Hotel is a seafront-district hotel rated 4.5 from over 3,000 reviews on Tripadvisor, and a safe choice.
Novotel Santos Gonzaga is rated 4.0, in the Gonzaga district near the beach and the main shopping streets.

An alternative at the budget end is the ibis Santos Valongo, rated 4.0, which sits in the centre close to the museum.

Where to Eat

Santos is a port city and seafood is the natural order. Ask your hotel for a restaurant in the Gonzaga or Boqueirão area, and book if it is a Monday, since smaller places are quieter midweek and some close.

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