Ribeirão Preto to Petrópolis is about 455 road miles (732 km): roughly 9 h 12 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.”
| Total distance | 455 mi (732 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 9 h 12 min |
| Main roads, in order | SP-330 → SP-065 → SP-060 → BR-116 → BR-493 → BR-040 |
| States on the route | São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
What the drive from Ribeirão Preto to Petrópolis is like
SP-060 (136 mi) and SP-330 (123 mi) carry about 57% of the 455 miles. It runs through 2 states: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Ribeirão Preto to Petrópolis: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–7 | 7 | São Paulo |
| SP-330 | 7–130 | 123 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 130–131 | 1 | São Paulo |
| SP-065 | 131–219 | 88 | São Paulo |
| SP-060 | 219–355 | 136 | São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 355–403 | 48 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 403–405 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-493 | 405–434 | 29 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-040 | 434–450 | 16 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 450–455 | 5 | Rio de Janeiro |
- Mile 324 of this route: São Paulo → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
Where to stop on the way to Petrópolis
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Vassununga State Park (mile 43), Museu Paulista de Antiguidades Mecânicas (mile 245), Itatiaia National Park (mile 333)
- Nature and outdoors: Vassununga State Park (mile 43), Porto Ferreira State Park (mile 55), Museu de História Natural (mile 142), Itapetinga State Park (mile 186), Itatiaia National Park (mile 333), Taquara Municipal Nature Park (mile 441)
- Museums and history: Museu de História Natural (mile 142), Museu Paulista de Antiguidades Mecânicas (mile 245), Museu Monteiro Lobato (mile 256), Valongo Wharf (mile 434)
Vassununga State Park
Vassununga State Park, beside the Anhanguera highway in Santa Rita do Passa Quatro, protects Atlantic Forest and cerrado and shelters the Patriarca, a jequitibá-rosa about 42 meters tall estimated at roughly 600 years old.
Porto Ferreira State Park
Porto Ferreira State Park covers about 611 hectares in São Paulo state, where vegetation shifts from cerrado savanna to forest with jequitibá trees, and is set aside for recreation and environmental education.
Museu de História Natural
In Campinas' Bosque dos Jequitibás, the Natural History Museum (Museu de História Natural) has displayed about 5,000 pieces since 1939, from taxidermied mammals, birds and reptiles to fossils and specimens from Brazil's biomes.
Itapetinga State Park
Created in 2010, Itapetinga State Park (Parque Estadual de Itapetinga) protects an area of São Paulo state shared by Atibaia, Bom Jesus dos Perdões, Mairiporã and Nazaré Paulista.
Museu Paulista de Antiguidades Mecânicas
Founded in 1963 and moved to Caçapava a year later, the Museu Paulista de Antiguidades Mecânicas reopened after renovation in 2023, showing vintage vehicles and engines including a rare Tucker Torpedo and a 1973 Ford Maverick.
Museu Monteiro Lobato
Taubaté's tribute to children's author Monteiro Lobato dates to 1958. The museum occupies the grounds known as the Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, with a historic main house and exhibitions.
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.
Valongo Wharf
Built in 1811 in Rio's old port, the Valongo Wharf was where up to 900,000 enslaved Africans landed. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017, its excavated stone paving is left open to view.
Taquara Municipal Nature Park
Taquara Municipal Nature Park is a municipal nature park in Rio de Janeiro state that protects an area of Atlantic Forest.
In Petrópolis itself
Casa Stefan Zweig
Founded in 2006, Casa Stefan Zweig is a writer's house museum in Petrópolis, set in the home where Stefan Zweig lived with his wife.
Petrópolis Municipal Nature Park
Petrópolis Municipal Nature Park is a municipal nature park in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Santos Dumont House Museum
Known as A Encantada, the Santos Dumont House Museum in Petrópolis is the house built in 1918 for aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont on a steep hillside near the city center.
More drives to Petrópolis
- São José dos Campos to Petrópolis
- Mogi das Cruzes to Petrópolis
- São Paulo to Petrópolis
- Jundiaí to Petrópolis
- Santos to Petrópolis
- São Vicente to Petrópolis
From Ribeirão Preto to other places in Brazil
- Ribeirão Preto to Araxá
- Ribeirão Preto to Bauru
- Ribeirão Preto to Limeira
- Ribeirão Preto to Itu
- Ribeirão Preto to Mogi Guaçu
- Ribeirão Preto to Bragança Paulista
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Ribeirão Preto to Petrópolis?
About 9 h 12 min of driving without stops, over 455 miles.
How far is Petrópolis from Ribeirão Preto by car?
About 455 miles (732 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 Ribeirão Preto to Petrópolis?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Ribeirão Preto to Petrópolis?
In order: SP-330, SP-065, SP-060, BR-116, BR-493 and BR-040. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Ribeirão Preto to Petrópolis?
Closest to the road: Vassununga State Park (state park, mile 43, 0.3 mi from the route); Museu Paulista de Antiguidades Mecânicas (museum, mile 245, 1 mi from the route); Itatiaia National Park (national park, mile 333, 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.