Plan on about 5 h 50 min of driving for the 294-mile (473 km) trip from Santos to Franca, 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: “Flooding makes some roads through the Amazon impassable for much of the year.”
| Distance by road | 294 mi (473 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 5 h 50 min |
| Main roads, in order | SP-160 → SP-015 → SP-348 → SPA-102/330 → SP-330 → SP-334 |
| States on the route | São Paulo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 11.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Santos to Franca drive plays out
SP-330 (133 mi) and SP-348 (50 mi) carry about 62% of the 294 miles. Of the 9 stops listed below, 7 are within a mile of the road.
Santos to Franca: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–6 | 6 | São Paulo |
| SP-160 | 6–41 | 35 | São Paulo |
| local roads | 41–47 | 6 | São Paulo |
| SP-015 | 47–55 | 8 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 55–56 | 1 | São Paulo |
| SP-348 | 56–106 | 50 | São Paulo |
| SPA-102/330 | 106–111 | 5 | São Paulo |
| SP-330 | 111–244 | 133 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 244–245 | 1 | São Paulo |
| SP-334 | 245–292 | 47 | São Paulo |
| local roads | 292–294 | 2 | São Paulo |
Where to stop on the way to Franca
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Botanical Museum Dr. João Barbosa Rodrigues (mile 41), Monument to Ramos de Azevedo (mile 51), Parque Estadual da Assessoria de Referência Agrária (ARA) (mile 98), Basílica Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio (mile 152), Vassununga State Park (mile 199), Museu de Cravinhos (mile 228), Museu Casa de Portinari (mile 257)
- Nature and outdoors: Parque Estadual da Assessoria de Referência Agrária (ARA) (mile 98), Vassununga State Park (mile 199)
- Museums and history: Botanical Museum Dr. João Barbosa Rodrigues (mile 41), Luiz Cássio dos Santos Werneck Memorial (mile 47), Galeria Luisa Strina (mile 48), Monument to Ramos de Azevedo (mile 51), Basílica Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio (mile 152), Museu de Cravinhos (mile 228), Museu Casa de Portinari (mile 257)
Botanical Museum Dr. João Barbosa Rodrigues
Part of São Paulo's Instituto de Botânica, the Botanical Museum Dr. João Barbosa Rodrigues is a public state museum that works as an educational exhibition space.
Luiz Cássio dos Santos Werneck Memorial
Opened in 1994, the Luiz Cássio dos Santos Werneck Memorial preserves the history of São Paulo Futebol Clube, displaying historic objects to fans and visitors.
Galeria Luisa Strina
Founded by art collector Luisa Malzone Strina, Galeria Luisa Strina is an art gallery with its main space and an annex in São Paulo.
Monument to Ramos de Azevedo
Sculptor Galileo Emendabili designed this bronze-and-granite monument in São Paulo as a tribute to architect Francisco de Paula Ramos de Azevedo.
Parque Estadual da Assessoria de Referência Agrária (ARA)
The ARA State Park (Parque Estadual da ARA) in Valinhos, São Paulo state, covers about 65 acres and protects a small remnant of seasonal semideciduous forest.
Basílica Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio
Araras' Basílica Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio is a Catholic parish church that Pope Benedict XVI elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 2010; it belongs to the Diocese of Limeira.
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.
Museu de Cravinhos
The Museu de Cravinhos is a natural history museum in Cravinhos, in the Ribeirão Preto region of São Paulo state. It opened on October 7, 2004.
Museu Casa de Portinari
In Brodowski, Candido Portinari's childhood home is now the Museu Casa de Portinari, where the painter often returned to stay with family. Inside are several of his works, mostly murals painted in fresco and tempera.
In Franca itself
Pinacoteca Municipal Miguel Ângelo Pucci
Founded on December 15, 1970, the Pinacoteca Municipal "Miguel Ângelo Pucci" is a public art museum in Franca, run by the city's Sports, Art and Culture Foundation.
José Chiachiri Municipal Historical Museum
Franca's municipal history museum opened to the public in 1959 and bears the name of its first director, journalist José Chiachiri. Its eclectic collection, donated piece by piece by local residents, ranges from antique furniture to parts of the city's old animal-drawn tram.
Jardim Zoobotânico de Franca
In the city of Franca, the Jardim Zoobotânico de Franca is a public zoo and botanical garden that preserves plants and native forest. It began as a 1950s tree nursery and became a zoobotanical garden in the 1990s.
More drives to Franca
- Bauru to Franca
- Campinas to Franca
- São Paulo to Franca
- Mogi das Cruzes to Franca
- São José dos Campos to Franca
- Praia Grande to Franca
From Santos to other places in Brazil
- Santos to Itanhaém
- Santos to Bragança Paulista
- Santos to Itu
- Santos to Limeira
- Santos to Mogi Guaçu
- Santos to Botucatu
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Santos to Franca?
About 5 h 50 min of driving without stops, over 294 miles.
How far is Franca from Santos by car?
About 294 miles (473 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 Santos to Franca drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Santos to Franca?
In order: SP-160, SP-015, SP-348, SPA-102/330, SP-330 and SP-334. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Santos and Franca?
Closest to the road: Botanical Museum Dr. João Barbosa Rodrigues (museum, mile 41, 0.4 mi from the route); Vassununga State Park (state park, mile 199, 0.4 mi from the route); Museu Casa de Portinari (museum, mile 257, 0.2 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.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.