Taubaté to Santa Leopoldina is about 479 road miles (771 km): roughly 12 h 13 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: “Use caution when walking or driving at night.”
| Distance | 479 mi (771 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 12 h 13 min |
| Main roads, in order | SP-060 → BR-116 → BR-393 → CMG-393 → RJ-186 → ES-297 → BR-101 → ES-080 |
| States on the route | São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 19.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
On the road from Taubaté to Santa Leopoldina
BR-101 (102 mi) and SP-060 (100 mi) carry about 42% of the 479 miles. It runs through 4 states: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Taubaté to Santa Leopoldina
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | São Paulo |
| SP-060 | 1–101 | 100 | São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-116 | 101–107 | 6 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 107–109 | 2 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 109–113 | 4 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 113–185 | 72 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 185–190 | 5 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 190–191 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| BR-393 | 191–197 | 6 | Rio de Janeiro |
| local roads | 197–230 | 33 | Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 230–231 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| CMG-393 | 231–259 | 28 | Minas Gerais |
| connecting roads | 259–260 | 1 | Minas Gerais |
| RJ-186 | 260–323 | 63 | Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro |
| connecting roads | 323–324 | 1 | Rio de Janeiro |
| ES-297 | 324–352 | 28 | Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo |
| BR-101 | 352–454 | 102 | Espírito Santo |
| connecting roads | 454–457 | 3 | Espírito Santo |
| ES-080 | 457–478 | 21 | Espírito Santo |
| local roads | 478–479 | 1 | Espírito Santo |
- Mile 70 of this route: São Paulo → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 231 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Minas Gerais (state line)
- Mile 265 of this route: Minas Gerais → Rio de Janeiro (state line)
- Mile 349 of this route: Rio de Janeiro → Espírito Santo (state line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Taubaté and Santa Leopoldina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida (mile 26), Itatiaia National Park (mile 80), Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte (mile 163)
- Nature and outdoors: Itatiaia National Park (mile 80), Serra da Concórdia State Park (mile 149), Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 365), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 383), Morro do Penedo Natural Monument (mile 454), Fonte Grande State Park (mile 456)
- Museums and history: Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida (mile 26), Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte (mile 163), Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 365), Itabira Natural Monument (mile 383), Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado (mile 464)
Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida
Construction of the current basilica at Aparecida started in 1955, and Pope John Paul II consecrated it in 1980. As Brazil's National Shrine, it keeps the image of Our Lady Aparecida found by fishermen in 1717.
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.
Serra da Concórdia State Park
Serra da Concórdia State Park (Parque Estadual da Serra da Concórdia) is a state park in Rio de Janeiro state that protects an area of Atlantic Forest.
Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte
Dating from the coffee era in Rio de Janeiro state's Paraíba Valley, Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte is a historic estate listed by the state heritage institute.
Serra das Torres Natural Monument
Covering about 10,459 hectares of Atlantic Forest in Atílio Vivácqua, Mimoso do Sul and Muqui, the Serra das Torres Natural Monument was created in 2010 to protect the peaks of a mountain range in southern Espírito Santo.
Itabira Natural Monument
Itabira Natural Monument is a protected area in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, listed in the natural monument category.
Morro do Penedo Natural Monument
Morro do Penedo Natural Monument protects a small sugarloaf-shaped hill on the shore of the bay south of Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo state.
Fonte Grande State Park
Fonte Grande State Park is a state-protected park in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo.
Ruins of the Church of São José do Queimado
In the Queimado district of Serra, Espírito Santo, these church ruins stand as a historic reminder of the Queimado Insurrection, an 1849 slave uprising.
When you get to Santa Leopoldina
Museu do Colono
Opened in April 1969, the Museu do Colono is a museum in Santa Leopoldina, Espírito Santo, and is run today by the state's Department of Culture.
Historic Center of Santa Leopoldina
Squeezed between hills and the Santa Maria River, the Historic Center of Santa Leopoldina (Núcleo Histórico de Santa Leopoldina) keeps buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Espírito Santo listed it as a State Historic Site in 1983.
Igreja Sagrada Família
Igreja Sagrada Família, the mother church of Santa Leopoldina, Espírito Santo, was built in 1911 on top of a hill above the Santa Maria River valley.
More drives to Santa Leopoldina
- Guarapari to Santa Leopoldina
- Cachoeiro de Itapemirim to Santa Leopoldina
- Campos dos Goytacazes to Santa Leopoldina
- Itaperuna to Santa Leopoldina
- Muriaé to Santa Leopoldina
- Ipatinga to Santa Leopoldina
From Taubaté to other places in Brazil
- Taubaté to Jacareí
- Taubaté to Bragança Paulista
- Taubaté to Paranapiacaba
- Taubaté to Cubatão
- Taubaté to Itu
- Taubaté to Limeira
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Taubaté to Santa Leopoldina?
About 12 h 13 min of driving without stops, over 479 miles.
What is the driving distance from Taubaté to Santa Leopoldina?
About 479 miles (771 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 Taubaté to Santa Leopoldina drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Taubaté to Santa Leopoldina?
In order: SP-060, BR-116, BR-393, CMG-393, RJ-186, ES-297, BR-101 and ES-080. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Taubaté and Santa Leopoldina?
Closest to the road: Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida (basilica, mile 26, 0.4 mi from the route); Itatiaia National Park (national park, mile 80, 0.3 mi from the route); Fazenda São Luiz da Boa Sorte (historic estate, mile 163, 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.