03
Santos excursions, from the old town to São Paulo
Old town first, then the São Paulo days, then the beach, the seafront and the water. The old town needs a ride and a few hours; São Paulo takes most of the call.
Prices come from the sources named, in the currency each prints — and traffic on the mountain road decides the rest.
Terminal, visa and safety detail are on our Santos cruise port guide. Heading up the coast? See our Salvador excursion guide.
You can do this one without booking a tour, and it covers the three things MSC’s own Santos tour is built around — the tram, a coffee stop and Museu Pelé.
Start with a taxi or app ride from the terminal to the old center, not a walk — downtown is about a mile (1.5 km) away, and one port guide advises against walking the port area.
Museu do Café is on Rua XV de Novembro, in the old coffee exchange. The city lists it open Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 6 pm and Sunday 10 am to 6 pm, at R$ 16 — or R$ 30 for the visit with a coffee tasting.
Museu Pelé is at Largo Marquês de Monte Alegre, in the Valongo quarter. A 2022 city notice lists Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm, with free entry — an old notice, so check it.
The historic tram ran at R$ 7 a ride in June 2025, with a guide narrating the center. The hours we found were the school-holiday ones, so confirm the day’s schedule.
- Time commitment
- No official duration is published. Our estimate is three to four hours, including rides.
- Getting there
- Taxi or app ride from the terminal, then walking in the center.
- Suits
- First-timers, couples, budget travelers and anyone with a half day.
- Ship or independent
- Independent. MSC’s Grande Tour covers similar ground with a coach.
Why it's worth considering
Admissions are small, and you set the pace, not a coach driver.
It leaves the afternoon for the seafront if you want it.
The catch
Neither museum lists Monday hours, so a Monday call changes the plan. The Museu Pelé notice dates from 2022.
We found no published taxi fare, so agree it up front or use an app.
Verify before you book
- Museu do Café and Museu Pelé hours for your date
- Tram hours and fare outside school holidays
- Last ship boarding time
MSC’s Santos page describes a guided circuit that starts with a ride on the old tram, stops for local coffee, and then takes in Museu Pelé, several Santos beaches and the neighboring city of São Vicente.
It is the ship-run version of the do-it-yourself plan, with the seafront and São Vicente added — for a fee we can’t see yet.
MSC’s page says guides may speak English, German, French, Spanish or Italian, depending on availability, and that the language is confirmed on board — so ask before you pay.
- Time commitment
- MSC publishes no duration for this tour.
- Price
- MSC publishes no price; it says final values are confirmed on board, and booking before you sail can save up to 20%.
- Suits
- First-timers, families and anyone who wants the ship to run it.
- Ship or independent
- Ship.
Why it's worth considering
It folds three stops and the beaches into one booking.
A guide narrates the center, which helps if the history is the point.
The catch
With no price or duration published, you can’t compare it with the DIY plan until you see the on-board number.
MSC’s page says some tours may be unavailable at times and can change for local conditions.
Verify before you book
- Price and duration from the ship’s excursion desk
- Whether the beaches are a stop or a drive-by
- Return time versus all-aboard
MSC’s tour runs by coach from Santos to São Paulo, through Atlantic Forest country, and lists the Ipiranga Monument, Ibirapuera Park, Avenida Paulista with the MASP and the Sé Cathedral as its stops.
The page says it ends at Guarulhos airport, which points to a disembarkation-day tour — it doesn’t mention a return to the ship.
The road is the cost. CruiseMapper puts São Paulo about 70 km from the port, and the drive runs 1.5 to 2 hours each way — so a big share of the day is the road.
- Time commitment
- MSC publishes no duration. Allow most of the day.
- Price
- MSC publishes no price; confirmed on board.
- Suits
- First-timers and anyone leaving the ship at Santos with a flight home from Guarulhos.
- Ship or independent
- Ship.
Why it's worth considering
If you’re disembarking, it turns the transfer to the airport into a city tour.
MSC arranges the coach, so you aren’t sorting out the road yourself.
The catch
If the tour ends at the airport, as MSC’s page says, you’d need your own way back to the terminal.
A coach day gives you minutes at each stop, not an hour.
Verify before you book
- Whether your sailing offers it as a transit or a disembarkation tour
- Flight time versus the tour’s end
- Luggage handling
Viator lists a Santos terminal to São Paulo tour of about 7 to 8 hours, with 30 minutes at Ibirapuera Park, 30 at the Museu Paulista (passing the Independence Monument) and 50 at the Mercado Municipal — so the stops add up to under two hours.
It lists port pickup and drop-off, with coaches for 13 to 44 people, minivans for 4 to 12 and a private vehicle for 1 to 3, and puts the transfer at about 1 hour 30 each way, depending on traffic.
Gangwaze’s Santos page lists full-day São Paulo tours from US$702 to US$792. One private tour, listed at US$713, is marked Worry-Free with a stated guarantee that you are back before the ship sails.
The Viator listing, by contrast, states no return guarantee — its terms say refunds aren’t issued if the tour is missed because the ship is late or doesn’t arrive.
- Time commitment
- About 7 to 8 hours, per the Viator listing.
- Price
- Gangwaze lists full-day São Paulo tours from US$702 to US$792; some are listed higher. Check whether a price is per person or per group.
- Suits
- Families, couples and small groups.
- Ship or independent
- Either — third-party. Prefer the one that states a return guarantee.
Why it's worth considering
You choose the stops and the pace.
Viator lists everything from a private car for 1 to 3 to coaches for 13 to 44, so you can match the vehicle to your group.
The catch
The road time eats most of the day, so at 7 to 8 hours you need a long call, not a short one.
A listing without a return guarantee leaves the risk with you.
Verify before you book
- Return guarantee in the operator’s terms
- Per-person or per-group price
- Ship all-aboard time against the tour’s end
MSC lists a transfer to the Gonzaga neighborhood and beach, with free time to swim, walk and eat — though no length is given.
It is the least structured option on MSC’s Santos list, since you’re buying a ride and a beach, not a program.
- Time commitment
- MSC publishes no duration.
- Price
- MSC publishes no price; confirmed on board.
- Suits
- Families and anyone who wants sun more than sights.
- Ship or independent
- Ship transfer.
Why it's worth considering
No itinerary to manage.
Works for a mixed group, where some want museums and others want the water.
The catch
You pay for transport, not an experience.
Beach weather and sea conditions aren’t something a listing can promise.
Verify before you book
- Return shuttle times
- Weather for your date
- What the ship tour costs versus a taxi
The aquarium is at Praça Luiz La Scala, in Ponta da Praia, and the city tourism site lists it open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 6 pm, with the ticket booth closing at 5:30 pm.
Admission is R$ 10, free for children under 8 and adults over 65, with half price for ages 8 to 12 and for students and teachers — paid in cash or by debit.
The long beach garden runs along the same shoreline. What’s In Port says the Guinness Book of Records lists it for its size, and Gangwaze lists a 4-hour walk of it from US$153.
- Time commitment
- No official duration. Our estimate is two to three hours for the aquarium and a garden stroll.
- Getting there
- Taxi or app ride; the city site lists bus lines 4 and 8 along Avenida Epitácio Pessoa. We found no published distance from the terminal.
- Suits
- Families, budget travelers and anyone who wants a slow afternoon.
- Ship or independent
- Independent.
Why it's worth considering
Small admission, easy pace.
It pairs with a beach stop at Gonzaga.
The catch
The city site lists cash and debit for the aquarium, and its hours leave out Monday.
The seafront is a ride from the port, so a taxi fare adds to the day.
Verify before you book
- Aquarium hours for your date
- Cash on hand in reais
- Return ride to the terminal
A Brazilian local-news outlet reported in October 2026 on an operator running boat trips to see the cruise ships up close, leaving from Guarujá, near Praia das Astúrias, or from Santos at the Ponte Edgard Perdigão.
The article gives no price and no duration — booking is by WhatsApp or the operator’s website.
Gangwaze separately lists a boat tour with barbecue around Santos, Bertioga and Guarujá at US$1,930, without saying whether that is per guest.
- Time commitment
- No duration is published.
- Price
- No price is published by the local operator; Gangwaze’s barbecue boat tour is listed at US$1,930.
- Suits
- Couples and groups chasing a different view of the port.
- Ship or independent
- Independent — confirm the return time yourself.
Why it's worth considering
It’s a different angle on the harbor and the ships.
It suits a repeat visitor who has already done the center.
The catch
Without a published return guarantee, the boat’s timing is yours to manage.
We found no safety or licensing detail for the operator, and a Guarujá departure adds a trip from the terminal with no published travel time.
Verify before you book
- Price per person and duration in writing
- Return time versus all-aboard
- Life jackets and weather cancellation terms
04
Santos with the ship or on your own
The old town: do it yourself
The museums are small-ticket and the tram was R$ 7 in the figure we found. MSC’s Grande Tour adds a guide and a coach, which suits some travelers — at a price MSC doesn’t publish.
If you’d like narration without a coach, the tram has a guide aboard.
São Paulo: pick the operator, not the price
MSC’s tour, per its page, ends at Guarulhos. A private option can state a return guarantee, as one Gangwaze listing does — so read the terms, not the price.
If you book on your own, read the terms for what happens when the ship is late.
Beaches: a taxi and a towel
Gonzaga is a ship transfer on MSC’s list, and a cab or app ride is the other way to get there. Either way, watch the clock, not the waves.
How each option compares in Santos
| Excursion | Lean ship excursion when… | Independent works when… |
|---|
| Old town on your own | You want a guide narrating the center | You have a half day and a ride in — the walking is easy once you’re there |
|---|
| MSC Grande Tour de Santos | You want tram, coffee and beaches in one go | You have the afternoon and a map |
|---|
| São Paulo with MSC | You’re leaving the ship and flying from Guarulhos | You’re returning to the ship that night |
|---|
| São Paulo private day | You’d rather not read a third party’s terms | The listing states a return guarantee and you’ve read its terms |
|---|
| Praia do Gonzaga | You want the ship’s transfer and free time | You’d rather take a taxi or app ride there |
|---|
| Seafront and aquarium | You want someone else to run it (MSC lists no tour for it) | You have a kid who loves fish and the call isn’t on a Monday |
|---|
Short answer
On an ordinary call, stay in Santos: the tram, the two museums and the seafront fit a half day. If you’re leaving the ship here, MSC’s São Paulo tour, per its page, ends at the airport — which is the point of it. And don’t sail without the visa.
06
Santos port-day logistics: the terminal, the road and the season
From the ship to the center
Ships dock at the Concais terminal, in the Port of Santos, and downtown is about a mile (1.5 km) away per CruiseMapper — or about 2 km per another guide.
A light-rail station named Porto is about half a mile (800 m) from the terminal, per a local site, but we haven’t checked its route, so use a taxi or app for the first leg.
Full terminal detail is on our Santos cruise port guide.
- Downtown about 1.5 km; São Paulo about 70 km
- Aquarium R$ 10, Tuesday to Sunday
- Museu do Café R$ 16, per the city, January 2026
The season and who calls
Brazilian trade press says the Santos season opens in late October 2026 and runs to April 4, 2027, with 163 calls, 10 ships and about 900,000 passenger movements — boardings, disembarkations and transits combined.
MSC Musica, Divina, Seaview and Virtuosa, Costa Diadema and Corazul’s Buenavista sail from Santos. Four more lines show up as transit calls in February and March 2027: Cunard, Azamara, Holland America and Oceania.
Gangwaze’s Santos page says ships usually stay about 10 hours, but your own all-aboard time is the one that counts. Schedules can change.
- Season to about April 4, 2027
- Three ships expected January 17, 2027
- Dates can change
The road to São Paulo
The drive runs about 70 to 80 km depending on the source, and 1.5 to 2 hours — Viator lists about 1 hour 30, so the low end needs light traffic.
The highways named by Melhores Destinos are the Imigrantes (SP-160) and the Anchieta (SP-150).
The terminal is also slated to move to Parque Valongo, with no date set as of November 2024. For 2026–27, sources still name Concais.
- Allow extra for traffic
- Imigrantes or Anchieta highway
- Recheck the terminal location before you go
