By road, Santos and Varginha are about 238 miles (383 km) apart, or roughly 5 h 16 min of driving.
- 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 | 238 mi (383 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 5 h 16 min |
| Main roads, in order | SP-150 → SP-010 → SP-008 → BR-491 |
| States on the route | São Paulo, Minas Gerais |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 9.5 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Santos to Varginha drive plays out
SP-008 (154 mi) and SP-150 (36 mi) carry about 80% of the 238 miles. It runs through 2 states: São Paulo, Minas Gerais. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
Santos to Varginha: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | São Paulo |
| SP-150 | 4–40 | 36 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 40–41 | 1 | São Paulo |
| local roads | 41–47 | 6 | São Paulo |
| connecting roads | 47–50 | 3 | São Paulo |
| SP-010 | 50–70 | 20 | São Paulo |
| SP-008 | 70–224 | 154 | São Paulo, Minas Gerais |
| BR-491 | 224–234 | 10 | Minas Gerais |
| local roads | 234–238 | 4 | Minas Gerais |
- Mile 107 of this route: São Paulo → Minas Gerais (state line)
Stops between Santos and Varginha
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museu Histórico Municipal de Guarulhos (mile 53), Zoológico Municipal de Guarulhos (mile 53)
- Nature and outdoors: Ecological Park of Tietê (mile 50)
- Museums and history: Sabina Escola Parque do Conhecimento (mile 33), Museu de Santo André (mile 34), Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of São Paulo (mile 41), Discoteca Oneyda Alvarenga (mile 41), Palácio das Indústrias (mile 46), Ecological Park of Tietê (mile 50), Museu Histórico Municipal de Guarulhos (mile 53)
- With kids: Sabina Escola Parque do Conhecimento (mile 33), Simba Safari (mile 37), Zoológico Municipal de Guarulhos (mile 53)
Sabina Escola Parque do Conhecimento
Sabina Escola Parque do Conhecimento is a science museum in Santo André, in Greater São Paulo, and one of the area's planetarium venues.
Museu de Santo André
Museu de Santo André Dr. Octaviano Armando Gaiarsa is one of the main museums in the city of Santo André, São Paulo.
Simba Safari
At Simba Safari, a zoo in São Paulo's Cursino district, visitors ride park vehicles along a route of about 2.9 km through roughly 80,000 square meters to see the animals.
Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of São Paulo
On Rua Vergueiro in the Paraíso area of São Paulo, the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and is dedicated to Paul the Apostle.
Discoteca Oneyda Alvarenga
Founded in 1935 at Mário de Andrade's initiative, the Discoteca Oneyda Alvarenga at the Centro Cultural São Paulo collects, preserves and shares recordings of Brazilian popular and folk music.
Palácio das Indústrias
Designed for industrial exhibitions, the Palácio das Indústrias is a protected Eclectic-style building in Parque Dom Pedro II, the work of Domiziano Rossi with Ramos de Azevedo and Ricardo Severo.
Ecological Park of Tietê
On the floodplain of the Tietê River, the Ecological Park of Tietê (Parque Ecológico do Tietê) is a park and environmental protection area run by the São Paulo state government's parks and partnerships office.
Museu Histórico Municipal de Guarulhos
Opened in October 1960, the Guarulhos Municipal History Museum shares its building with the city's public library, the Biblioteca Pública Municipal Paulo do Carmo Dias.
Zoológico Municipal de Guarulhos
Founded in 1982, the Guarulhos Municipal Zoo keeps more than 400 animals of 100 species on 70,000 square meters, mostly birds, mammals and reptiles native to Brazil.
In Varginha itself
Museu Municipal de Varginha
Varginha's municipal museum occupies a building put up in 1920 as the local Banco do Brasil office, in what was then the town's commercial heart.
More drives to Varginha
- Belo Horizonte to Varginha
- Conselheiro Lafaiete to Varginha
- Ribeirão Preto to Varginha
- Sete Lagoas to Varginha
- Mogi das Cruzes to Varginha
- Araraquara to Varginha
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 is the drive from Santos to Varginha?
About 5 h 16 min of driving without stops, over 238 miles.
How far is Varginha from Santos by car?
About 238 miles (383 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 Varginha 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 Santos to Varginha use?
In order: SP-150, SP-010, SP-008 and BR-491. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Santos and Varginha?
Closest to the road: Simba Safari (zoo, mile 37, 2 mi from the route); Museu Histórico Municipal de Guarulhos (museum, mile 53, 0.4 mi from the route); Zoológico Municipal de Guarulhos (zoo, mile 53, 0.9 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.