Poços de Caldas to Nova Serrana Road Trip: Stops Along the Way

By admin, 13 October, 2026

By road, Poços de Caldas and Nova Serrana are about 265 miles (426 km) apart, or roughly 6 h 3 min of driving.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Brazil — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution

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: “Flooding makes some roads through the Amazon impassable for much of the year.”

Route from Poços de Caldas to Nova Serrana with the 3 stops listed below (blue dots).

Distance	265 mi (426 km)
Time at the wheel, no stops	6 h 3 min
Main roads, in order	AMG-1545 → SP-344 → SP-253 → SP-350 → MG-450 → BR-146 → BR-265 → MG-446 → MG-050 → BR-494 → BR-262
States on the route	Minas Gerais, São Paulo
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)	about 10.6 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below	3

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What the drive from Poços de Caldas to Nova Serrana is like

MG-050 (127 mi) and BR-146 (30 mi) carry about 59% of the 265 miles. It runs through 2 states: Minas Gerais, São Paulo. Of the 3 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

Roads you'll take from Poços de Caldas to Nova Serrana

Road	Route miles (from–to)	Length, mi	State
local roads	0–4	4	Minas Gerais
connecting roads	4–5	1	Minas Gerais
AMG-1545	5–14	9	Minas Gerais, São Paulo
local roads	14–18	4	São Paulo
SP-344	18–31	13	São Paulo
connecting roads	31–34	3	São Paulo
SP-253	34–40	6	São Paulo
connecting roads	40–42	2	São Paulo
SP-350	42–47	5	São Paulo
MG-450	47–52	5	São Paulo, Minas Gerais
connecting roads	52–55	3	Minas Gerais
BR-146	55–85	30	Minas Gerais
BR-265	85–100	15	Minas Gerais
connecting roads	100–102	2	Minas Gerais
MG-446	102–113	11	Minas Gerais
MG-050	113–240	127	Minas Gerais
BR-494	240–259	19	Minas Gerais
BR-262	259–263	4	Minas Gerais
local roads	263–265	2	Minas Gerais

Mile 6 of this route: Minas Gerais → São Paulo (state line)
Mile 48 of this route: São Paulo → Minas Gerais (state line)

Discover stops along your route

Breaking up the drive: stops between Poços de Caldas and Nova Serrana

Right off the route (under 1 mile): Catedral de Nossa Senhora das Dores (mile 54)
Nature and outdoors: Cachoeira da Capivara (mile 123)
Museums and history: Catedral de Nossa Senhora das Dores (mile 54), Holy Spirit Cathedral, Divinópolis (mile 239)

Catedral de Nossa Senhora das Dores

Mile 54 · Cathedral · 0.3 mi from the route

Guaxupé's Catholic cathedral (Catedral de Nossa Senhora das Dores) opened in 1960 and has served since then as the seat of the Diocese of Guaxupé.

Cachoeira da Capivara

Mile 123 · Waterfall · 1 mi from the route

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.

Holy Spirit Cathedral, Divinópolis

Mile 239 · Cathedral · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

The Holy Spirit Cathedral in Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, is the Roman Catholic church that serves as seat of the Diocese of Divinópolis.

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More drives to Nova Serrana

From Poços de Caldas to other places in Brazil

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive from Poços de Caldas to Nova Serrana?

About 6 h 3 min of driving without stops, over 265 miles.

How far is Nova Serrana from Poços de Caldas by car?

About 265 miles (426 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 Poços de Caldas to Nova Serrana drive?

The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.

Which highways go from Poços de Caldas to Nova Serrana?

In order: AMG-1545, SP-344, SP-253, SP-350, MG-450, BR-146, BR-265, MG-446, MG-050, BR-494 and BR-262. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

What are good stops between Poços de Caldas and Nova Serrana?

Closest to the road: Catedral de Nossa Senhora das Dores (cathedral, mile 54, 0.3 mi from the route); Cachoeira da Capivara (waterfall, mile 123, 1 mi from the route); Holy Spirit Cathedral, Divinópolis (cathedral, mile 239, 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.