Shore Excursion “Santos City” with All Entrance Fees Included – Monte Serrat

Santos rewards a closer look. This six-hour shore excursion links the city’s best-known sights, from a historic tram ride through the old center to Monte Serrat’s wide views over the coast. I like the easy pickup at the cruise terminal, and I like that the entrance fees are included. The main caution is that the schedule can feel stretched, especially if the Pelé Museum is closed.

The tour costs $275 per person, so you need to value convenience and a private vehicle between stops. Guides such as Issac, Hendrick, and Mauro received warm praise for clear English, good timing, and helpful explanations. Still, one guide reportedly spent too much time on the road, while another added lunch when the group had spare time.

Key points to know before booking

• Monte Serrat reaches 147 meters above Santos: The cable car and summit offer the strongest view of the day, including parts of São Vicente, Cubatão, and Guarujá.
• The tram covers 40 historic and cultural points: You ride about 5 kilometers through the old center in roughly 40 minutes.
• Pelé’s museum is a major draw, but check its status: A damaged building caused one scheduled visit to be cancelled.
• The Coffee Museum gives the old center more flavor: You can learn how coffee became one of Brazil’s key products and stop at its café.
• The beachfront gardens are a pleasant scenic drive: The 5.3-kilometer waterfront includes palm trees, almond trees, flowers, and birdlife.
• The $275 price buys a simple port day: Pickup, an air-conditioned vehicle, guide service, and admission tickets are included, but food and drinks are not.

A practical Santos day from the cruise terminal

This excursion is designed for cruise passengers who want to see Santos without arranging several separate taxis, tickets, and guides. Your guide waits at the Concais Santos passenger terminal with a sign showing your name. If you are staying somewhere else, pickup can be arranged by notifying the operator.

The group can reach 40 people, although some bookings may operate in a smaller vehicle or small group. That makes the experience easier than navigating the historic center alone, but the group size matters if you prefer a quiet, flexible day. The tour is offered in English and includes an air-conditioned vehicle for the transfers.

The advertised duration is about six hours. That is enough time for a useful first look at Santos, though the pace may not always feel perfectly balanced. One guide returned a group to the ship at about 2:30 p.m. after the Pelé Museum was unavailable. Another added lunch to fill extra time, but only some of the group wanted to stay.

That is worth keeping in mind when you plan your ship day. The tour has a clear route, yet actual timing can change if a museum closes or if the group moves at different speeds.

Pelé Museum: football, fame, and a possible closure

The Pelé Museum occupies the restored Casarões do Valongo, a group of 19th-century buildings damaged by two fires and later rebuilt. The setting alone gives the visit a link to Santos’s older commercial quarter.

Inside, the collection includes shirts, football boots, balls, trophies, medals, honors, photographs, films, and personal objects. Some are wonderfully ordinary, including a football made from socks and a shoeshine box. These items help you see the person behind the global sports legend.

The museum holds 2,354 objects, displayed in rotation according to exhibition themes. The first theme is titled 4 Cups and 1 King. With 4,134 square meters of space, the museum can use audio presentations, film, photos, and written material rather than relying only on glass cases.

An interactive section lets you test your ball skills and compare your result with Pelé’s performance. That gives families and football fans something to do beyond reading display labels.

You should confirm the museum’s operating status before your visit. One scheduled tour found the building closed because of damage, so the group missed this stop entirely. The entrance fee is included, but a ticket cannot help if the museum is not open.

Allow about an hour here when the museum is operating. If football means little to you, the visit may feel less essential. If you know Pelé’s place in Brazilian sport, this is likely one of the most meaningful stops in Santos.

Valongo Station and a 40-minute ride through old Santos

The tram begins at Valongo Station, an 1867 building connected with the first railroad in São Paulo. The station gives the ride a fitting start, since Santos grew through port trade, rail links, and the movement of coffee from the interior to the coast.

The tram route covers about 5 kilometers and passes 40 historic and cultural points in the old center. The ride takes around 40 minutes, with a guide explaining what you see along the way.

The vehicles themselves are part of the attraction. Santos uses original trams from Scotland, Portugal, and Italy, making this the first International Living Tram Museum in Latin America. The drivers and conductors wear copies of period uniforms, which add a little theater without turning the ride into a theme-park show.

The tram is a good way to get your bearings. You see more of the old center than you would on foot, and you can take in the city’s connection to different periods of transport and trade. The pace also gives you a chance to watch the streets rather than rush from one building to the next.

The drawback is that the route may not satisfy you if you expect beautifully restored buildings at every turn. One assessment found the ride pleasant but felt there was not much to see. Santos has old properties with clear character, but some need repair, and that uneven condition is part of the city today.

Coffee Museum: the product that shaped Santos

The Coffee Museum occupies an eclectic-style building with 6,000 square meters of space and more than 200 doors and windows. It opened in 1998 and presents coffee as more than a drink. The museum connects cultivation, trade, labor, architecture, and Brazil’s position as a major coffee producer.

This stop pairs naturally with Valongo Station. The tram shows the old city’s streets and transport links, while the Coffee Museum explains the commodity that helped make Santos an important port.

You can expect permanent and temporary exhibitions, period furniture, artwork, and displays about coffee production. A themed shop adds a chance to browse, and the café serves Brazilian beans, including some described as among the country’s rarest and most expensive.

Plan on about an hour. The museum may appeal most to you if you enjoy food culture, trade history, or old interiors. If you want a large, dramatic attraction, it may seem modest. One tour assessment called it interesting in parts but not especially extensive.

Coffee and tea are not included in the tour price, so any café purchase is extra. That is a small cost compared with the overall excursion, but it is useful to know before you arrive.

Monte Serrat and Santos from above

Monte Serrat is the visual high point of the day. A cable car climbs 147 meters from the hillside to the summit, where you find the old casino and the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Serrat.

The shrine has served as a religious landmark for more than 400 years and is dedicated to the patron saint of Santos. You do not need to be religious to appreciate the setting. The hill explains the shape of the city in a way that street-level sightseeing cannot.

At the top, you can also reach a staircase of 402 steps. Fourteen niches along the route reproduce scenes from the Via Sacra. The staircase was opened between 1939 and 1941, adding another layer of history to the hill.

The reward is a 360-degree view of Santos. From the summit, you can also see parts of São Vicente, Cubatão, and Guarujá. This is the place where the day’s different parts come together: the port, city center, beach districts, and surrounding municipalities become easier to understand from above.

The Monte Serrat visit lasts about an hour. The cable car is included, as are the listed attraction tickets. The 402-step route may not suit everyone, and the main attraction for many people will be the view rather than the old casino or shrine.

If the tram and museums leave you wanting more visual impact, Monte Serrat supplies it. One guide may also adjust the order of stops to make the day work better, but the exact sequence can vary.

Santos beachfront gardens and the long seaside view

The final scenic section follows the Orla e Jardins da Praia de Santos, the waterfront gardens along the beach. The gardens extend across seven districts: Aparecida, Boqueirão, Embaré, Gonzaga, José Menino, Pompeia, and Ponta da Praia.

The waterfront is known for its great length and carefully maintained plantings. Palm and almond trees line the seafront, with flowers and birdlife adding color. The gardens are recognized as the largest beachfront garden in the world, which gives this otherwise simple drive a notable distinction.

You spend about 40 minutes here. This is not a beach day with time set aside for swimming or a long walk. Think of it as a moving view of Santos, useful for seeing how the city meets the coast and how the different beach districts connect.

The waterfront is also a welcome change after museums and the enclosed tram. You can look out at the sea, watch the gardens pass, and get a sense of local daily life. If you want a more active stop, ask how much time is available for a brief walk before the group moves on.

Guides, vehicles, and the value of the price

At $275 per person, this is not a bargain tour. The price makes the most sense for a cruise passenger who wants a guided day with port pickup, an air-conditioned vehicle, admission tickets, and a return to the terminal.

The strongest part of the service appears to be the guides. Issac was praised for a comfortable car, punctual pickup, clear explanations, and translating signs inside exhibits. Hendrick was described as an excellent communicator who knew the area well. Mauro also received high marks for speaking English well, sharing useful information, and arranging an enjoyable and inexpensive lunch.

Those details matter in Santos. Exhibits may use Portuguese, and the old center is easier to understand when someone explains the connection between the railway, coffee, port trade, and local landmarks.

The main service concern is time management. A five-minute transfer reportedly took 30 minutes in the opposite direction, which created frustration. That may have been a route decision, traffic, or an attempt to adjust the schedule, but you should be prepared for some waiting or extra driving.

Lunch is not included. Food and beverages are also excluded, and not every person in a group may want to stop for a meal. If you have a firm return time or prefer to eat on the ship, tell the guide early.

Who will get the most from this Santos excursion

I would recommend this tour to you if:

• You are visiting Santos for the first time.
• You want a broad overview instead of one long museum visit.
• You enjoy football, coffee, transport history, or city views.
• You prefer a guide to explain Portuguese signs and local background.
• You need pickup and return at the cruise terminal.
• You value included entrance fees and an air-conditioned vehicle.

I would think twice if you want a tightly timed tour with no spare driving. I would also be cautious if the Pelé Museum is your main reason for booking, since its availability has already changed because of building damage.

The experience works best as an introduction. It gives you several useful pieces of Santos in one day, but it does not offer long free periods at the beach or a detailed walking tour of the old properties.

Booking advice and final verdict

I would book this tour if you want convenience, a wide sample of Santos, and a guide who can connect the sights. The tram, Coffee Museum, Monte Serrat, and waterfront gardens make a sensible mix, while the included tickets reduce the work of planning a shore day.

Before paying $275, confirm that the Pelé Museum will be open and ask how the operator handles a closure. Also confirm the pickup point if you are not staying at the cruise terminal.

This is a good choice for an organized first visit, especially with a strong guide such as Issac, Hendrick, or Mauro. It is less convincing for independent visitors who can arrange their own transport and want to spend more time walking, eating, or exploring Santos at their own pace. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time, which gives you some flexibility while you check your ship schedule and museum status.

FAQ

Where does the Santos excursion begin?

The guide waits at the Concais Santos terminal passenger area with a sign showing your name.

Can I be picked up somewhere other than the cruise terminal?

Yes. The pickup details state that you should notify the operator if you are staying elsewhere.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes, the experience is offered in English.

How long does the excursion last?

The tour lasts approximately six hours.

Are the attraction entrance fees included?

Yes. The tour includes all fees and taxes, entrance fees, and tickets for the listed attractions.

Is transportation included?

Yes. An air-conditioned vehicle is included, along with the tram and cable car visits listed in the itinerary.

Is lunch included?

No. Lunch, snacks, food, coffee, tea, and other beverages are not included.

How large can the group be?

The activity can have a maximum of 40 participants.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel for a full refund at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.