Itabira to Passos is about 280 road miles (451 km): roughly 6 h 30 min at the wheel if you don't stop.
- 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.”
| Distance by road | 280 mi (451 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 6 h 30 min |
| Main roads, in order | AMG-1210 → MG-434 → BR-381 → BR-262 → MG-050 |
| States on the route | Minas Gerais |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 11.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
The Itabira–Passos drive in a few lines
MG-050 (184 mi) and BR-381 (57 mi) carry about 86% of the 280 miles. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
Itabira to Passos: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| AMG-1210 | 1–11 | 10 | Minas Gerais |
| MG-434 | 11–22 | 11 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 22–23 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-381 | 23–80 | 57 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-262 | 80–94 | 14 | Minas Gerais |
| MG-050 | 94–278 | 184 | Minas Gerais |
| local roads | 278–280 | 2 | Minas Gerais |
Places worth a stop between Itabira and Passos
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (mile 67), Museu Municipal Francisco Manoel Franco (mile 112)
- Nature and outdoors: Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (mile 61), Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (mile 67), Cachoeira da Capivara (mile 254)
- Museums and history: Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (mile 61), Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (mile 67), Nair Mendes Moreira House of Culture (mile 76), Museu Municipal Francisco Manoel Franco (mile 112), Holy Spirit Cathedral, Divinópolis (mile 135)
- With kids: Guanabara Park (mile 63), Belo Horizonte Aquarium (mile 65), Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (mile 67)
Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
The Federal University of Minas Gerais runs this natural history museum and botanical garden in Belo Horizonte, with an auditorium, a plant nursery, a lagoon, an ecological amphitheater and a sensory garden.
Guanabara Park
On the shore of Lagoa da Pampulha in Belo Horizonte, Parque Guanabara is an amusement park that began as a traveling fair in 1951 and settled at its current site in 1970.
Belo Horizonte Aquarium
Opened in 2010 in Belo Horizonte's Pampulha area, the Belo Horizonte Aquarium shows more than fifty species collected along the 2,800-km São Francisco River.
Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais
On the PUC Minas campus in Belo Horizonte, this natural sciences museum shows Brazilian fauna, largely from the cerrado, alongside fossil South American mammals and an 'Age of Reptiles' hall with dinosaurs, pterosaurs and a large crocodile.
Nair Mendes Moreira House of Culture
Known locally as Casa do Registro, the Casa da Cultura Nair Mendes Moreira is an 18th-century house in Contagem. Local tradition links it to a Portuguese Crown post that counted goods and checked tax payments.
Vale Verde
Vale Verde Parque Ecológico sits in the municipality of Betim, Minas Gerais, on a farm with a still where Cachaça Vale Verde is produced.
Museu Municipal Francisco Manoel Franco
In Itaúna, Minas Gerais, this municipal museum occupies the old railway station, which served trains from its opening in 1917 until passenger service through the town ended in 1986.
Holy Spirit Cathedral, Divinópolis
The Holy Spirit Cathedral in Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, is the Roman Catholic church that serves as seat of the Diocese of Divinópolis.
Cachoeira da Capivara
In Capitólio, the Ribeirão da Capivara spills over this waterfall on its way into Furnas Lake. A trail of about 900 meters leads to the falls, which drop into a pool roughly 16 meters deep.
More drives to Passos
- Uberaba to Passos
- Mogi Guaçu to Passos
- Limeira to Passos
- Campinas to Passos
- Piracicaba to Passos
- Jundiaí to Passos
From Itabira to other places in Brazil
- Itabira to Barra do Piraí
- Itabira to Fumaça
- Itabira to Historic Village of Mambucaba
- Itabira to Trindade
- Itabira to Paranapiacaba
- Itabira to Catalão
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Itabira to Passos?
About 6 h 30 min of driving without stops, over 280 miles.
How far is Passos from Itabira by car?
About 280 miles (451 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 Itabira to Passos?
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 Itabira to Passos use?
In order: AMG-1210, MG-434, BR-381, BR-262 and MG-050. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Itabira to Passos?
Closest to the road: Natural Sciences Museum of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (museum, mile 67, 0.6 mi from the route); Vale Verde (distillery, mile 89, 2 mi from the route); Museu Municipal Francisco Manoel Franco (museum, mile 112, 0.4 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.