Plan on about 10 h 6 min of driving for the 370-mile (596 km) trip from Barra Mansa to Santa Leopoldina, before any stops.
- 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: “Drivers must have their daytime running lights on during the day and headlights on at night on Federal Highways.”
| Distance by road | 370 mi (596 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 10 h 6 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-393 → CMG-393 → RJ-186 → ES-297 → BR-101 → ES-080 |
| States on the route | Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 14.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Barra Mansa to Santa Leopoldina drive plays out
BR-101 (102 mi) and BR-393 (78 mi) carry about 49% of the 370 miles. It runs through 3 states: Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Barra Mansa to Santa Leopoldina
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 4–76 | 72 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 76–81 | 5 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 81–82 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 82–88 | 6 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 88–121 | 33 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 121–123 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais |
| CMG-393 | 123–150 | 27 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 150–151 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| RJ-186 | 151–214 | 63 | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 214–215 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| ES-297 | 215–243 | 28 | Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo |
| BR-101 | 243–345 | 102 | Espírito Santo |
| connecting roads | 345–348 | 3 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-080 | 348–370 | 22 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 122 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Minas Gerais (state line)
- Mile 157 of this route: Minas Gerais → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 240 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
Places worth a stop between Barra Mansa and Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Santana Cathedral (mile 27), Museu Casa da Hera (mile 40), Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte (mile 54)
- Nature and outdoors: Itabira Natural Monument (mile 274), Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (mile 279), Paulo César Vinha State Park (mile 326), Morro do Penedo Natural Monument (mile 346), Fonte Grande State Park (mile 348)
- Museums and history: Santana Cathedral (mile 27), Museu Casa da Hera (mile 40), Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte (mile 54), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 274), Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado (mile 355)
Santana Cathedral
Dedicated to St. Anne, this cathedral in Barra do Piraí is the seat of the Diocese of Barra do Piraí–Volta Redonda; Emperor Pedro II attended the laying of its cornerstone during a visit to the parish.
Museu Casa da Hera
Also known as Chácara da Hera, this house museum in central Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro state, shows how a wealthy family lived at the height of the Paraíba Valley coffee boom.
Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte
Dating from the coffee era in Rio de Janeiro state's Paraíba Valley, Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte is a historic estate listed by the state heritage institute.
Itabira Natural Monument
Itabira Natural Monument is a protected area in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, listed in the natural monument category.
Frade e a Freira Natural Monument
Created by state decree in 2007, the Frade e a Freira Natural Monument is a state-run protected area in Espírito Santo spanning parts of Itapemirim, Cachoeiro de Itapemirim and Vargem Alta.
Paulo César Vinha State Park
Along the Atlantic shore in Guarapari, Paulo César Vinha State Park protects dunes, lagoons and marshes. Its trails lead to the beach and to Lagoa de Caraís.
Morro do Penedo Natural Monument
Morro do Penedo Natural Monument protects a small sugarloaf-shaped hill on the shore of the bay south of Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo state.
Fonte Grande State Park
Fonte Grande State Park is a state-protected park in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo.
Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado
In the Queimado district of Serra, Espírito Santo, these church ruins stand as a historic reminder of the Queimado Insurrection, an 1849 slave uprising.
Arriving in Santa Leopoldina
Museu do Colono
Opened in April 1969, the Museu do Colono is a museum in Santa Leopoldina, Espírito Santo, and is run today by the state's Department of Culture.
Historic Center of Santa Leopoldina
Squeezed between hills and the Santa Maria River, the Historic Center of Santa Leopoldina (Núcleo Histórico de Santa Leopoldina) keeps buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Espírito Santo listed it as a State Historic Site in 1983.
Igreja Sagrada Família
Igreja Sagrada Família, the mother church of Santa Leopoldina, Espírito Santo, was built in 1911 on top of a hill above the Santa Maria River valley.
More drives to Santa Leopoldina
- Guarapari to Santa Leopoldina
- Cachoeiro de Itapemirim to Santa Leopoldina
- Campos dos Goytacazes to Santa Leopoldina
- Itaperuna to Santa Leopoldina
- Muriaé to Santa Leopoldina
- Ipatinga to Santa Leopoldina
From Barra Mansa to other places in Brazil
- Barra Mansa to Trindade
- Barra Mansa to Caraguatatuba
- Barra Mansa to Paranapiacaba
- Barra Mansa to Itu
- Barra Mansa to Itanhaém
- Barra Mansa to Mogi Guaçu
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Barra Mansa to Santa Leopoldina?
About 10 h 6 min of driving without stops, over 370 miles.
What is the driving distance from Barra Mansa to Santa Leopoldina?
About 370 miles (596 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.
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Barra Mansa to Santa Leopoldina drive?
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 Barra Mansa to Santa Leopoldina use?
In order: BR-393, CMG-393, RJ-186, ES-297, BR-101 and ES-080. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Barra Mansa and Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: Santana Cathedral (cathedral, mile 27, 0.7 mi from the route); Museu Casa da Hera (museum, mile 40, 0.6 mi from the route); Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte (historic estate, mile 54, 0.3 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.