Top photo: Tadeu Nascimento

The seat of Santos City Hall, the Palácio José Bonifácio honors one of the most illustrious Santos residents, José Bonifácio, the Father of Brazilian Independence. With statues of Mercury and Minerva  at the entrance, the building, constructed during the coffee boom years, is one of the few public buildings in São Paulo State that still has its original structure and most of its décor preserved. 

The Palace is full of symbolism, which refers to the philosophical past and historical importance of José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva. Inaugurated in January, 1939, after two years of building work, it is the fifth seat of Legislative Power – and the first to have its own building. Occupying a site of 2847.15m², the seven-story building weighs around 12,000 tons and was constructed with 2,050,000 bricks.

Top photo: Tadeu Nascimento

Saint Catherine’s Mount marks the foundation of Santos – knowing the exact spot of its foundation is a privilege that few cities in the world enjoy.  This small mount bears the name of the chapel that existed at the foot of this small hill, built in 1532.

In 1591, English pirate Thomas Cavendish sacked the city, destroyed the chapel and threw the statue of Saint Catherine of Alexandria into the sea. After 72 years, while fishing with a net, Jesuit slaves happened to take the statue out of the water by chance.

The first Santa Casa de Misericórdia hospital in Brazil was installed next to the chapel in 1543. For years the mount supplied stones for the paving of the roads and extension of the port. 

Top photo: Marcelo Martins

A zoological garden reproducing Atlantic Forest vegetation, the Municipal Orchid Garden boasts around 3500 orchids from 120 species, the vast majority fixed on trees. Inaugurated in 1945, it was the world’s largest open-air garden of it type at the time, and is currently the second most popular tourist attraction Santos, behind only the Aquarium.

Top photo: Francisco Arrais

With a large collection of marine biology from Latin America, it possesses the largest collection of taxidermied sharks in the country, including the embryo of a specimen with two heads and fossilized teeth of a megalodon, a prehistoric animal extinct for 30 million years.

It also exhibits a whale shark; a sunfish, the largest bony fish in the world; seabirds and shells weighing over 100 kilos. A large part of the collection comes from abroad.

The Maritime Museum boasts one of the main collections of underwater archaeology and maritime history in Brazil. To the sound of old sailors' songs, visitors witness simulated cannon fire, contemplate models of pirates and captains, and appreciate relics recovered from 18th and 19th-century vessels, including pirate ships and the Titanic.

The entrance to the museum, which opened in December 2005, is adorned with ship flags and a life-size pirate figure. Inside, there are scale models of famous vessels, a collection of medals from various nationalities, and 25 oil paintings on canvas by Carlos Alfredo Hablitzel, depicting important Brazilian and foreign naval episodes, including the first naval battle in the bay of Santos in 1580.

Top photo: Tadeu Nascimento

A place that brings together tradition, architecture, history, flavors and aromas. Installed in an eclectic-style building, with an area of 6,000 m² and more than 200 doors and windows, the Coffee Museum, inaugurated in 1998, is much more than a tourist attraction that showcases the number one Brazilian export at the end of the 19th century. It is an experience of various sensations, from the cultivation of the bean to the consolidation of coffee as one of the national symbols. Permanent and temporary exhibitions, works of art, period furniture, themed shop and a café serving the best coffee beans – including the most expensive and rarest in the country – are some of its many attractions.

Top photo: Marcelo Martins

Created to recover, witness and preserve the sports history of Santos – considered the sportiest municipality in Brazil since 1955 – the De Vaney Sports Memorial Center boasts a collection of more than 500 trophies won from 1939.

The museum also houses photographic and personal collections with more than a thousand images, library and sports newspaper collection with journalistic material organized according to subject and sport. There are also records of veteran athletes, CDs and DVDs, research material, statements, auditorium for talks and small events. The museum offers guided tours, publishes information and has a choir of veteran athletes, which meets weekly. 

Top photo: Susan Hortas

Installed in a mansion built in 1908, the Fishing Museum is one of the main tourist attractions in Santos and is part of historical-cultural heritage of the entire region. Eclectic in style, the building, constructed on the site of the former Fort August (18th century), houses an important collection on the aquatic environment. 

Among its attractions are: a 23m-long whale skeleton, giant squid, Beach Room, play wing, stuffed animals and a huge collection of sand from beaches in Brazil and from around the world.   

Top photo: Francisco Arrais

The Benedictine architectural complex composed of the Igreja Nossa Senhora do Desterro (Our Lady of Exile Church) and the old São Bento (Saint Benedict) Monastery is the Santos Museum of Sacred Art today. It was inaugurated on June 11, 1981, on the initiative of the then Diocesan Bishop Dom David Picão.

The collection brings together more than 600 sacred and religious pieces, both erudite and popular, from the 16th to the 20th century,  including sculptures, paintings, liturgical objects and vestments. The oldest statue in Brazil with a known artist is part of the collection: Our Lady of the Conception, dated 1560, by João Gonçalo Fernandes.

Top photo: Francisco Arrais

Built in 1902 to house two establishments of the type that operated in the city, the Mercado Municipal was originally castellated in style. Rebuilt in 1947, it was extended in 1955, when it gained a second floor and a fish pavilion.

The market boasts 54 stalls selling meat, fruit and vegetables, groceries, fish and Japanese items, all  offering products wholesale and retail, in addition to a restaurant. It holds regular events, craft fairs, festivities and festivals.

Top photo: Tadeu Nascimento

During a visit to the Santos Football club Trophy Hall and Memorial Museum, fans – and even those who are not so keen on football! – can learn about some of the many incredible feats of a team that stopped a war, scored more goals and is a renowned production line of international football cracks.

There are 380m² for visitors to have fun and learn about the legends of the most famous ‘vila’ in the world: Vila Belmiro, the neighborhood that is home to the Urbano Caldeira Stadium, and Santos FC. Installed on the ground floor of the stadium since November 17, 2003, the  Memorial Museum presents eternal moments of the great idols of all time, some with their own spaces, like Pelé and Neymar, as well 600 trophies, photographs, videos, prizes, banners and temporary exhibitions.