Juiz de Fora to Santa Leopoldina is about 304 road miles (490 km): roughly 8 h 40 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: “Driving on Brazil’s roads poses significant risks.”
| Distance by road | 304 mi (490 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 8 h 40 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-267 → BR-116 → MG-285 → RJ-200 → RJ-186 → ES-297 → BR-101 → ES-080 |
| States on the route | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 12.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
What the drive from Juiz de Fora to Santa Leopoldina is like
BR-101 (102 mi) and BR-267 (51 mi) carry about 50% of the 304 miles. It runs through 3 states: Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Juiz de Fora to Santa Leopoldina
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–5 | 5 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-267 | 5–56 | 51 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 56–61 | 5 | Minas Gerais |
| BR-116 | 61–78 | 17 | Minas Gerais |
| MG-285 | 78–94 | 16 | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-200 | 94–112 | 18 | Rio de Janeiro |
| RJ-186 | 112–149 | 37 | Rio de Janeiro |
| ES-297 | 149–177 | 28 | Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo |
| BR-101 | 177–279 | 102 | Espírito Santo |
| connecting roads | 279–282 | 3 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-080 | 282–304 | 22 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 93 of this route: Minas Gerais → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 155 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
- Mile 158 of this route: Espírito Santo → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 174 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
Places worth a stop between Juiz de Fora and Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): St. Sebastian Cathedral, Leopoldina (mile 60), Museu Espaço dos Anjos (mile 60), Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 281)
- Nature and outdoors: Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 190), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 208), Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (mile 213), Paulo César Vinha State Park (mile 260), Fonte Grande State Park (mile 282)
- Museums and history: St. Sebastian Cathedral, Leopoldina (mile 60), Museu Espaço dos Anjos (mile 60), Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 190), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 208), Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (mile 281), Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado (mile 290)
St. Sebastian Cathedral, Leopoldina
Seat of the Diocese of Leopoldina, St. Sebastian Cathedral is a Catholic parish church in Leopoldina, Minas Gerais.
Museu Espaço dos Anjos
Leopoldina's Museu Espaço dos Anjos occupies the house where poet Augusto dos Anjos lived, with a covered outdoor space that hosts music, theater and literary gatherings throughout the year.
Serra das Torres Natural Monument
Covering about 10,459 hectares of Atlantic Forest in Atílio Vivácqua, Mimoso do Sul and Muqui, the Serra das Torres Natural Monument was created in 2010 to protect the peaks of a mountain range in southern Espírito Santo.
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.
Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo
In Cariacica, the Espírito Santo Military Police Museum holds more than 600 objects and 900 photographs on the force's history, in a building that closely resembles the state's first barracks, Quartel do Moscoso.
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.
In Santa Leopoldina itself
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 Juiz de Fora to other places in Brazil
- Juiz de Fora to Niterói
- Juiz de Fora to Nova Friburgo
- Juiz de Fora to Araruama
- Juiz de Fora to Cabo Frio
- Juiz de Fora to Rio das Ostras
- Juiz de Fora to Macaé
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Juiz de Fora to Santa Leopoldina?
About 8 h 40 min of driving without stops, over 304 miles.
How far is Santa Leopoldina from Juiz de Fora by car?
About 304 miles (490 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 Juiz de Fora 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 Juiz de Fora to Santa Leopoldina use?
In order: BR-267, BR-116, MG-285, RJ-200, 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 Juiz de Fora and Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: St. Sebastian Cathedral, Leopoldina (cathedral, mile 60, 0.4 mi from the route); Museu Espaço dos Anjos (museum, mile 60, 0.5 mi from the route); Museu da Polícia Militar do Espírito Santo (police museum, mile 281, 0.1 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.