Are you exhausted of spending time in São Paulo? What about traveling with your friends and enjoying a good time? Take a look at these cities! You will have, all at once, adventure and a good place to spend some time. In this map we prepared for you, you can find some technical information to make the perfect trip: https://drive.google.com/open?id=13x4pITZSxU6Y3kLjHM10ldnJIwrc4WdZ&usp=sharing
Cheap Places To Travel With Friends
1. Embu das Artes
Embu das Artes is a small town near São Paulo that takes just one hour by car. The best thing you can do is arrive early, so you can enjoy everything. The most attractive part of the city is the historical center, where you will find some important historical buildings and the main attraction: the craft fair!
You can start your outing in the Museum of Sacred Art of the Jesuits (Museu de Arte Sacra dos Jesuítas), a heritage in the city used as museum, which includes the Nossa Senhora do Rosário Church and the house where the Jesuit missionaries lived during the Portuguese colonization. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday and the visiting starts at 9 AM until 12 AM and then 1 PM until 5 PM.
You will also have a lovely afternoon by visiting the stalls that build the most important handicraft fair in São Paulo. The streets are closed to pedestrians and the choices of products and restaurants are endless. But eating at the food stalls is also a delight!
There are cheap hotels for you to stay and, as the city is small, it is easy to get to the art center! Some restaurants can be more expensive, because it is a tourist town, but the secret is to look deep in all the alleys and passages until you find the best price, even for products and for food. Take a time to take beautiful pictures in the city, which has a different air in each season. It’s always a good day to go to Embu das Artes.
If you find some time, you can visit Cotia, a city nearby Embu. There you can visit Odsal Ling Temple, a temple dedicated to students engaged in Buddhist practice, but also open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 10AM to 4PM. But it’s worth a call to check if the times of the day have not changed due to some special date! There you will get to know the oriental architecture, besides being able to have a time of peace after the fair of Embu!
Images Credit: Itinerário de Viagem
2. Atibaia
This place is for those who like a good adventure! Atibaia is a city in the countryside of São Paulo. There you can meet and climb the famous Pedra Grande (Big Rock), a rock formation of more than 1400 meters in height.
To get to the base of the mountain, you should go to the Rainbow Condominium (Condomínio Arco-Íris), which can be reached by bus from the Atibaia urban terminal or by taxi. There, you can reach the top in several ways!
Walking or climbing, prepare your breath because the climb will not be easy. There are 3 levels, easy, average and difficult, and if you are not accustomed to this atmosphere, you can call a guide to help in the climb! But you can drive up too, because there’s a parking there. At the top you can come back to the ground in a different way, like using a hang glider or paraglider (ranging from $ 250 to $ 400). Or you can just watch the beautiful view! A walk up takes about two hours on a trail of cold streams, green forest and beautiful Brazilian animals.
There are 2 kilometers of walk and 800 meters of climb! When it’s time to come back, you can choose to go by the same trail that came or through the road attached! But beware, the road has more than 10 km!
After an adventure like this, nothing better than to go to your hotel, rest and go to a good dinner near Lago Majos (Lake Major), a part of the city with many restaurants and bars. Then you regain your energies for another day of adventures in the city.
With only R$ 11,00 you can take the cable car that takes you or the highest point of the city, where you have a vision of everything. The cable car runs from Wednesday to Sunday!
If you want to make your trip even more special, you can visit the city during the Festival of Flowers and Strawberries! It usually takes place in August, but it’s worth checking the site before you book your trip. Atibaia is recognized for its production of strawberries and is a great producer of flowers in Brazil! In 2018 the event will be in its 38th edition and will be held in the Edmundo Zanoni Municipal Park.
Images Credit: Atibaia’s Facebook page
3. Santos
Santos, one of the most traditional coastal cities of São Paulo, is a great city with lots to explore!
Once in Santos, you can’t miss the beach. In the heat of the city, there’s a great place to rest in the sun and renew the vitamin D stock. You have several stalls and kiosks along the beach, selling from coconut water to snacks. But the price can be a bit high so feel free to bring your drinks and your food as long as you throw it all away in a trash can at the end of the day!
Walking along the waterfront, in addition to admiring the beautiful view of the horizon, you may end up crossing with a beautiful red sculpture of the well-known Tomie Ohtake. In honor of the 100 years of Japanese immigration in Brazil, the sculpture was placed in 2008 and is located at the Submarine Emissary on the border of Santos with its neighboring city, São Vicente.
In this other city, you will find an attraction that was meant to be temporary, but that is so cool that it is still there! Don’t be alarmed when you see a giant Coke can in the middle of the beach, you’re not hallucinating! It is the cable car of São Vicente, which connects Itararé beach to Morro do Voturuá, passing through a beautiful and dense Atlantic Forest. At the top of the mountain you have a privileged view of the sea and the islands along the coast, plus the possibility go back to the ground with hang gliders! The cost is R$ 40.00, round trip, and R$ 20.00 for student!
Also, you can not miss the Aquarium of Santos and the Orchid Park (Orquidário de Santos)! To make life easier, the local box office offers a passport to visit the two on the same day for only R$ 12.
The orchid park is a large park that also use as a nature reserve! You will be able to know several species of native animals of Brazil, from monkeys, birds and even reptiles, besides walking through a beautiful garden! You will have an outdoor biology class, especially on the Honey Trail, a part of the park where you can meet native beehives in Brazil. Do not forget to take your repellent for this tour, because in the tropical climate we have a lot of mosquitos! The Aquarium of Santos is charming and very educational! It has lots of rescued animals and has as the main goal to raise awareness of the importance of taking care of our seas!
The Gonzaga is one of the main neighborhoods of Santos, located at Ana Costa Avenue. There you have restaurants, cinemas, shops and shopping centers! It’s a great place to visit in the afternoon and at night because there are lots of options to do.! If you follow the beach, a few meters after the Gonzaga you will see the Basilica Menor de Santo Antônio do Embaré, a beautiful church with ancient architecture that will take your breath away with its grandeur and beauty!
Image Credit: Google
Images Credit: Rhaisa Trombini
4. Holambra
Holambra is a city that once received many Dutch immigrants who made it their second home in Brazil. 130 kilometers away from São Paulo, Holambra is known as a city of flowers because of its great production. Its colors are scattered all over the streets!
The ride to the city takes two hours approximately, but it’s well worth the road! Passing through the Holambra Gateway, the city already gives a sample of the attention to detail that they gave to each corner wanting to bring the Dutch essence.
Visiting the flower fields is almost an obligation, but for this you will need to visit a tourism agency to buy your tour. One of the most requested of Holambra charges R$ 40,00 per person for a tour of 1h45 visiting a production of gerberas and lisianthus with numerous colors, a production of chrysanthemums plus a city tour through the main points of the city!
The street Dória Vasconcelos presents the classic architecture of the Netherlands and is also one of the main places to eat and get to know the local crafts! You can visit the Povos Unidos mill (Moinhos dos Povos Unidos), a classic of Dutch architecture with more than 38 meters high. During the week, the visit is free and takes place until the third floor from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays it costs R$ 10,00, or R$ 5,00 for students , from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and you can get to the fifth floor, having a beautiful view of the city and of the moving blades.
The Vitória Régia Square complements the natural landscape of the city with a beautiful green area and a lake to relax in the sun! And for those who are enjoying the charms of the city with valentine, visit the Love Deck! Located between Mauricio de Nassau alley and Lake Victoria Regia, you can swear your love and symbolize it with a padlock on the deck. May love be as infinite as the beauties of Holambra!
Images Credit: São Paulo Sem Mesmice
5. Caverna do Diabo
This is a quick ride for those who like an adventure! In the city of Eldorado there is a place never before inhabited by humans, who keeps in its depths creatures from another world that you do not even dream to find in your life! It is the Devil’s Cave, the largest cave in the State of São Paulo! But do not be scared and do not worry about praying before you get to the place, the cave is visited by several people and it is a wonderful trip to do with family and friends to get in touch with the environment!
It is located 300 kilometers away from São Paulo, in the Devil’s Cave State Park and has all the support you need, such as restaurant, bathroom, parking and Visitation Center, where you can get information about the place. The visit costs R$ 30.00, with a mandatory guide, and lasts around 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The Devil’s Cave is about 6 kilometers long, but only 600 meters are released for tourists, the other chambers are designed for study, as it is believed the cave is over 2 million years old! The cave is well structured to receive tourists interested in knowing the mysteries inside, well signposted and supported at all times! Inside it, you will have a feeling that you are traveling to another world. Maybe you will be afraid of the stalagmites and stalactites, but everything is really safe, you can take some time to enjoy every corner, because is a scene that you’ll never see the same anywhere else!
In the Atlantic Forest around, you will find different special animals which more than 300 are threatened with extinction!
The appalling name comes from ancient legends of the natives of the region. They believed that the cave was the gate of Hell because they heard hideous sounds coming from there!
On weekends, trails are offered to the nearby waterfalls, so you can take advantage of this natural climate and the new sensations that this place can offer you! The trip from Sao Paulo to Devil’s Cave State Park can last for 3 hours and 30 minutes, but it’s worth it for the visual and the amazing feel of seeing this magical place.
Images Credit: Google