Plan on about 8 h 46 min of driving for the 442-mile (712 km) trip from Rio de Janeiro to Ribeirão Preto, 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 | 442 mi (712 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 8 h 46 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-116 → SP-065 → SP-330 |
| States on the route | Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 17.7 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
Driving Rio de Janeiro to Ribeirão Preto: the shape of the trip
BR-116 (209 mi) and SP-330 (125 mi) carry about 76% of the 442 miles. It runs through 2 states: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 5 are within a mile of the road.
Rio de Janeiro to Ribeirão Preto: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–13 | 13 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 13–15 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 15–224 | 209 | Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo |
| SP-065 | 224–311 | 87 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 311–312 | 1 | São Paulo |
| SP-330 | 312–437 | 125 | São Paulo |
| local roads | 437–442 | 5 | São Paulo |
- Mile 120 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → São Paulo (state line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Rio de Janeiro and Ribeirão Preto
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Parque Shanghai (mile 10), Catedral de Santo Antônio de Jacutinga (mile 23), Itatiaia National Park (mile 110), Museu Paulista de Antiguidades Mecânicas (mile 199), Vassununga State Park (mile 400)
- Nature and outdoors: Parque Shanghai (mile 10), Itatiaia National Park (mile 110), Monumento Natural Estadual da Pedra Grande (mile 263), Porto Ferreira State Park (mile 387), Vassununga State Park (mile 400)
- Museums and history: Catedral de Santo Antônio de Jacutinga (mile 23), Museu Monteiro Lobato (mile 188), Museu Paulista de Antiguidades Mecânicas (mile 199), Monumento Natural Estadual da Pedra Grande (mile 263)
Parque Shanghai
Parque Shanghai is an amusement park in the Penha neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, close to the Church of Our Lady of Penha.
Catedral de Santo Antônio de Jacutinga
Also known as Nova Iguaçu Cathedral, the Catedral de Santo Antônio de Jacutinga stands on Avenida Marechal Floriano Peixoto and is the mother church of the Diocese of Nova Iguaçu.
Itatiaia National Park
Created in 1937, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia holds the distinction of being Brazil's first national park. It sits on the border of two states, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.
Museu Monteiro Lobato
Founded in 1958 on the grounds known as the Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, Taubaté's Museu Monteiro Lobato honors the children's author with exhibitions, a historic main house, green areas and plays featuring characters from his stories.
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.
Monumento Natural Estadual da Pedra Grande
Topping the Serra do Itapetinga at about 1,400 meters, Pedra Grande is Atibaia's highest point, a protected state natural monument where hang gliders and paragliders launch and a trail leads to views over nearby towns.
Planetário de Campinas
Inside Parque Portugal, the Lagoa do Taquaral park in Campinas, this municipal planetarium has projected the night sky onto its 8-meter dome since 1987, with shows on constellations and astronomy.
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.
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.
In Ribeirão Preto itself
Museu de Arte de Ribeirão Preto
Opened in 1992 to bring together the city's art collection, the Pedro Manuel-Gismondi Art Museum in Ribeirão Preto is a municipal institution run by the local culture department.
Teatro Pedro II
Ribeirão Preto's Theatro Pedro II is a concert hall for symphonic music and opera, seating 1,588 people across 6,500 square meters.
St. Sebastian Cathedral, Ribeirão Preto
Ribeirão Preto Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Sebastian, is the main Catholic church of the city and the seat of its archbishop.
More drives to Ribeirão Preto
- São Paulo to Ribeirão Preto
- Sorocaba to Ribeirão Preto
- Curitiba to Ribeirão Preto
- Campo Grande to Ribeirão Preto
From Rio de Janeiro to other places in Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro to Itaguaí
- Rio de Janeiro to Guaratinguetá
- Rio de Janeiro to Pindamonhangaba
- Rio de Janeiro to São José dos Campos
- Rio de Janeiro to Mogi das Cruzes
- Rio de Janeiro to Caraguatatuba
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Rio de Janeiro to Ribeirão Preto?
About 8 h 46 min of driving without stops, over 442 miles.
How far is Ribeirão Preto from Rio de Janeiro by car?
About 442 miles (712 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 Rio de Janeiro to Ribeirão Preto?
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 Rio de Janeiro to Ribeirão Preto use?
In order: BR-116, SP-065 and SP-330. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Rio de Janeiro and Ribeirão Preto?
Closest to the road: Catedral de Santo Antônio de Jacutinga (cathedral, mile 23, 0.9 mi from the route); Itatiaia National Park (national park, mile 110, 0.3 mi from the route); Vassununga State Park (state park, mile 400, 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.