Vitória to Itaguaí Road Trip: Stops Along the Way

By admin, 13 October, 2026

By road, Vitória and Itaguaí are about 361 miles (581 km) apart, or roughly 8 h 53 min of driving.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Brazil — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution
  • 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: “Road maintenance is inadequate in many areas.”
Paulo César Vinha State ParkFrade e a Freira Natural MonumentSerra das Torres Natural MonumentCarioca AqueductOld Cathedral of Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro Zoological GardenMuseu AeroespacialPedra Branca State ParkPonte do GuanduVitóriaItaguaí
Route from Vitória to Itaguaí with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance361 mi (581 km)
Time at the wheel, no stops8 h 53 min
Main roads, in orderBR-101 → CA-M-197 → RJ-238 → RJ-180 → BR-040
States on the routeEspírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 14.4 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

What the drive from Vitória to Itaguaí is like

BR-101 (168 mi) and RJ-180 (152 mi) carry about 89% of the 361 miles. It runs through 2 states: Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro. None of the 9 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.

Vitória to Itaguaí: the road sequence

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–1010Espírito Santo
BR-10110–145135Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro
connecting roads145–1461Rio de Janeiro
local roads146–1515Rio de Janeiro
CA-M-197151–1543Rio de Janeiro
RJ-238154–1584Rio de Janeiro
RJ-180158–310152Rio de Janeiro
BR-101310–3199Rio de Janeiro
BR-040319–33617Rio de Janeiro
BR-101336–36024Rio de Janeiro
local roads360–3611Rio de Janeiro
  • Mile 109 of this route: Espírito Santo → Rio de Janeiro (state line)

Places worth a stop between Vitória and Itaguaí

  • Nature and outdoors: Paulo César Vinha State Park (mile 24), Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (mile 71), Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 94), Pedra Branca State Park (mile 342)
  • Museums and history: Serra das Torres Natural Monument (mile 94), Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro (mile 316), Museu Aeroespacial (mile 335), Ponte do Guandu (mile 352)
  • With kids: Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden (mile 319)

Paulo César Vinha State Park

Mile 24 · State park · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Along the Atlantic shore in Guarapari, Paulo César Vinha State Park protects dunes, lagoons and marshes. Its trails lead to the beach and to Lagoa de Caraís.

Frade e a Freira Natural Monument

Mile 71 · Protected area · 1 mi from the route

Created by state decree in 2007, the Frade e a Freira Natural Monument is a state-run protected area in Espírito Santo spanning parts of Itapemirim, Cachoeiro de Itapemirim and Vargem Alta.

Serra das Torres Natural Monument

Mile 94 · Natural monument · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Carioca Aqueduct

Mile 316 · Tram bridge · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Better known as Arcos da Lapa, the Carioca Aqueduct in Rio de Janeiro was built in the mid-18th century to carry fresh water from the Carioca River to the city.

Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro

Mile 316 · Cathedral · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Rio's Old Cathedral is a Carmelite church that served as cathedral from around 1808 to 1976 and as Royal and then Imperial Chapel.

Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden

Mile 319 · Zoo · 1 mi from the route

Located in the São Cristóvão district, the Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden runs environmental and educational activities built around its animal collection of mainly fish, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Museu Aeroespacial

Mile 335 · Aviation museum · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Museu Aeroespacial is a national aviation museum in Realengo, on Rio de Janeiro's West Side, a place known as the cradle of Brazilian aviation.

Pedra Branca State Park

Mile 342 · State park · 6 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the state of Rio de Janeiro, Pedra Branca State Park ranks among the world's largest urban nature parks.

Ponte do Guandu

Mile 352 · Historic bridge · 1 mi from the route

Also known as Ponte dos Jesuítas, Ponte do Guandu in Santa Cruz, in Rio de Janeiro's West Zone, was a bridge-dam completed in 1752 to control floodwaters and link local farms.

More drives to Itaguaí

From Vitória to other places in Brazil

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Vitória to Itaguaí?

About 8 h 53 min of driving without stops, over 361 miles.

How far is Itaguaí from Vitória by car?

About 361 miles (581 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 Vitória to Itaguaí 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 Vitória to Itaguaí use?

In order: BR-101, CA-M-197, RJ-238, RJ-180 and BR-040. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

What are good stops between Vitória and Itaguaí?

Closest to the road: Frade e a Freira Natural Monument (protected area, mile 71, 1 mi from the route); Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden (zoo, mile 319, 1 mi from the route); Ponte do Guandu (historic bridge, mile 352, 1 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.