By road, Araruama and Guaratinguetá are about 226 miles (364 km) apart, or roughly 4 h 51 min of driving.
- Level 4: Do Not Travel in Brazil: informal housing developments (favelas, vilas, comunidades or conglomerados).
Full advisory: Brazil. Advisory issued: Brazil August 31, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Brazil: “Road maintenance is inadequate in many areas.”
| Total distance | 226 mi (364 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 4 h 51 min |
| Main roads, in order | RJ-124 → BR-101 → BR-040 → BR-116 |
| States on the route | Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 9.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Araruama to Guaratinguetá drive plays out
BR-116 (144 mi) and BR-101 (46 mi) carry about 84% of the 226 miles. It runs through 2 states: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Which roads connect Araruama and Guaratinguetá
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–6 | 6 | Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-124 | 6–24 | 18 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-101 | 24–70 | 46 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-040 | 70–79 | 9 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 79–81 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 81–225 | 144 | Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo |
| local roads | 225–226 | 1 | São Paulo |
- Mile 185 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → São Paulo (state line)
Stops between Araruama and Guaratinguetá
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Itatiaia National Park (mile 175)
- Nature and outdoors: Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park (mile 33), Praia do Buraco (mile 56), Itatiaia National Park (mile 175)
- Museums and history: Solar do Jambeiro (mile 62), Museu da Imagem e do Som do Rio de Janeiro (mile 65), Cemitério dos Pretos Novos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) (mile 69), Museu Casa de Benjamin Constant (mile 70), Museum Dom João VI (mile 73)
Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park
Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park is a protected area in Rio de Janeiro state, set aside by the municipality to safeguard a stretch of Atlantic Forest.
Praia do Buraco
About four kilometers from Praia Central in Balneário Camboriú, Praia do Buraco borders Praia do Canto; strong waves make it unsafe for swimming, so it draws mostly fishermen and photographers.
Solar do Jambeiro
Solar do Jambeiro, also called Palacete Bartholdy, is a manor house in São Domingos, Niterói, now a cultural center for art exhibitions, restoration courses, theater and music.
Museu da Imagem e do Som do Rio de Janeiro
Opened on September 3, 1965, for Rio's fourth centenary, the Museu da Imagem e do Som do Rio de Janeiro is a state museum dedicated to carioca culture.
Convent of Santo Antônio
Atop Morro de Santo Antônio and facing Largo da Carioca, this Franciscan convent in central Rio forms, with the neighboring Church of the Third Order of St. Francis of Penance, one of the city's surviving colonial ensembles.
Cemitério dos Pretos Novos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
An archaeological site and cultural center in Rio's Gamboa neighborhood, the Cemitério dos Pretos Novos stands over a cemetery for enslaved Africans used between 1769 and 1830, in an 18th-century house.
Museu Casa de Benjamin Constant
Run by the Brazilian Institute of Museums, the Museu Casa de Benjamin Constant opened in 1982 in the Santa Teresa house where the teacher, engineer and soldier lived.
Museum Dom João VI
Museu Dom João VI is an art and history museum linked to the School of Fine Arts at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, on Ilha do Fundão.
Itatiaia National Park
Straddling the line between Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais states, Itatiaia National Park dates to 1937, when it became the first national park Brazil ever created.
Arriving in Guaratinguetá
Museu Histórico Pedagógico Conselheiro Rodrigues Alves
Guaratinguetá's history museum honors Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, Brazil's president from 1902 to 1906, who lived in the town. São Paulo state created it in 1956 along with museums for other presidents born in the state.
Museu Frei Galvão
Guaratinguetá's city government and a local association of museum friends jointly maintain the Museu Frei Galvão, a municipal cultural institution in São Paulo state.
Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida
In 1717, fishermen on the Paraíba do Sul River pulled up an image of Our Lady Aparecida. Today it rests in Brazil's National Shrine in Aparecida, a basilica consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1980.
More drives to Guaratinguetá
- Jacareí to Guaratinguetá
- São Paulo to Guaratinguetá
- Jundiaí to Guaratinguetá
- Sorocaba to Guaratinguetá
- Itu to Guaratinguetá
- Limeira to Guaratinguetá
From Araruama to other places in Brazil
- Araruama to Itaguaí
- Araruama to Resende
- Araruama to Penedo
- Araruama to Fumaça
- Araruama to Historic Village of Mambucaba
- Araruama to Trindade
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Araruama to Guaratinguetá?
About 4 h 51 min of driving without stops, over 226 miles.
How far is Guaratinguetá from Araruama by car?
About 226 miles (364 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
Is it safe to drive from Araruama to Guaratinguetá?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Araruama to Guaratinguetá use?
In order: RJ-124, BR-101, BR-040 and BR-116. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Araruama to Guaratinguetá?
Closest to the road: Serra do Barbosão Municipal Nature Park (protected area, mile 33, 1 mi from the route); Museum Dom João VI (museum, mile 73, 1 mi from the route); Itatiaia National Park (national park, mile 175, 0.2 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.