São José dos Campos



São José dos Campos is a city and a municipality in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The city is the birthplace of Brazilian aerospace industry, and until nowadays the most important center of aerospace manufacturing and research in the country.

Districts

 * The main district is the actual city of São José dos Campos. It contains most of the population and economy of the municipality, as well as almost all non-natural attractions;
 * Eugênio de Melo is an industrial/suburban district that is home to the city's technological park. It has no significant touristic attractions, but it is a very important business destination;
 * São Francisco Xavier is an environmental protection area, an area covered by Atlantic rainforest. It is a popular ecotourism destination due to its waterfalls and mountain ranges.

Understand
São José dos Campos, often abbreviated simply as "São José", is the largest and most important city of the industrial region known as Vale do Paraíba. The city is the home of Embraer, the third largest aircraft manufacturer of the world, and of important aerospace research centers including the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) and the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE).

As of the latest (2021) the Brazilian census estimates the São José population at 737,310 people, the 7th largest city in the state.

For obvious reasons, most visitors to the city come for business rather than for tourism. Yet, São José dos Campos is a lively city, with many options of culture, nightlife and gastronomy, plus exuberant nature in the district of São Francisco Xavier. Its convenient location also provides easy access to São Paulo and the wonderful beaches of the North Coast of the state.

By plane
São José dos Campos is attended by the International Airport Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf. Despite being an international airport, it operates only domestic commercial flights, connecting the city to Campinas, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro. The airport is very close to the main aerospace and research centers (Embraer, CTA, Mectron, INPE) which may be convenient for business visitors.

For other destinations (including international destinations), the closest airport is the Guarulhos airport in São Paulo, about 1 hour by car from São José dos Campos, although Congonhas (São Paulo) and Viracopos (Campinas) are alternatives.

By car

 * BR-116 (Via Dutra) - The highway which links São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro cuts through the center of town.
 * SP-050 (Monteiro Lobato) comes in from the area of Campos do Jordão and Santo Antônio do Pinhal
 * SP-65 (Dom Pedro I) from the Campinas region intersects both BR-116 and SP-70 in neighboring Jacareí
 * SP-66 (Geraldo Scavone) is yet another connection from Jacareí
 * SP-70 (Carvalho Pinto) - An alternate route from neighboring Taubaté or Jacareí
 * SP-99 (Tamoios) - Connects the city to Caraguatatuba on the coast

On foot
The best areas to explore on foot are the Centro (Downtown) and Vila Adyana neighborhoods, southeast of the Banhado. There you can find most of the city's historical buildings, street commerce, and pleasant green areas like the Vicentina Aranha and Santos Dumont parks, plus of course the Banhado itself.

By bus
Buses linking downtown to the suburbs are relatively frequent, although quite crowded during peak hours. Suburb-to-suburb transport, on the other hand, is extremely limited. Many companies and research institutes are located in areas with limited or almost non-existent bus coverage, making public buses an impractical means of transport for many business tourists. Large companies, however, will typically operate private buses to and from various points in the city.

By taxi
Taking a cab is a practical way for visitors to move around the main district. Taxi costs R$ 4,50 + R$ 2,25/km (flag 1) or + R$2,90/km (flag 2). A tariff calculator is available online. During the month of December, flag 2 applies all day long.

By car
Renting a car may be more cost-effective than a taxi for long-distance travel, including going to São Francisco Xavier or exploring the areas beyond the municipality. The city grew has grown faster than its road network and public transport capacity, and as a result, São José dos Campos suffers from severe traffic during the peak hours.

Navigating the main district isn't too complicated. It is crossed by two freeways that form an "X" shape: the Anel Viário (southwest to northeast) and the '''Av. Jorge Zarur/Rod. Nova Tamoios''' (northwest to southeast), and most of the time you will be not too far from one of them. São José is also crossed by the '''Rod. Presidente Dutra''' (BR-116) (northwest to southeast) that inappropriately functions as one of the main avenues of the city, as it is necessary for people commuting to and from remote suburbs and various factories.

To get around the districts:
 * Main district => Eugênio de Melo: Take Rod. Presidente Dutra (BR-116) towards Rio de Janeiro
 * Main district => São Francisco Xavier: From either Rod. Presidente Dutra or the Anel Viário, take Av. Dr. Nélson D'avila/Rod. Monteiro Lobato (SP-050) and get to Monteiro Lobato. Afterwards take the municipal road Monteiro Lobato-São Francisco Xavier

Buy

 * Praça Afonso Pena - Centro. Saturdays.
 * Praça Ulisses Guimarães - Jardim Aquarius. Sundays.
 * Praça Sinésio Martins - Jardim Esplanada. Saturdays.
 * Praça Ulisses Guimarães - Jardim Aquarius. Sundays.
 * Praça Sinésio Martins - Jardim Esplanada. Saturdays.



Meat and BBQ

 * Villa Da Aldeia Churrascaria Av. São João, 282 – Jardim Esplanada Ii.
 * Villa Da Aldeia Churrascaria Av. São João, 282 – Jardim Esplanada Ii.

Arab

 * Al Badah, Rua Serimbura, 15 - Jardim Maringá, Also at Vale Sul Shopping, Shopping Colinas;

Chinese

 * Restaurante Adissai Rua Santa Clara, 706 – Vila Adyanna;
 * Restaurante Chinese House Av. São João, 171 – Jd. Nova América.

International

 * Hotel Nacional Inn - SJC Av. Benedito Matarazzo, 9009 – Jardim Oswaldo Cruz;
 * A Fonte Bistrô, Av. Eng. Francisco José Longo, 511 (inside Hotel Monreale Plus São José dos Campos).

Italian

 * Trattoria Mezzanino Av. Nove De Julho, 226 – Centro.

Japanese

 * Sukiya Rua Luiz Jacinto, 216 – Centro;
 * Nobarko Bar E Restaurante Japonês, Av. São João, 430 – Jd. Esplanada Ii;
 * Restaurante Yamabuki I at Center Vale Shopping, Shopping Colinas;

Fast food and snacks
Plenty of fast food stores can also be found in the food courts of the various shopping malls.


 * Baitaburguer Tchê, Av. Engº Sebastião Gualberto, 606 – Vila Maria;

General

 * Cantina Da Nena, Rua Luiz Jacinto 260 - Centro, Also at Shopping Colinas, Shopping Center Vale;
 * Restaurante Vila Velha Pça Candido Dias Castejon, 27 – Centro;
 * Com-Sciência Ii Av. Francisco José Longo, 589 – Vila Adyanna;

Pâtisseries and cafés

 * Café Do Barão Vale Sul Shopping Av. Andrômeda, 227 – Jardim Satélite;
 * Canteiros E Temperos, Rua Madre Paula De São José, 297 Casa 4 - Vila Ema;
 * Torteria Haguanaboca Av. Nove De Julho, 1.137 – Vila Adyana;

Feijoada

 * Bar E Restaurante Coronel Rua Francisco Rafael, 298 Centro;
 * Novotel São José dos Campos Av. Dr. Nélson D’ávila, 2.200 – Vila Das Acácias;

Fish and seafood

 * Tribo Do Camarão Center Vale Shopping Av. Benedito Matarazzo, 9009 - Jardim Oswaldo Cruz;

Pizzerias

 * Armazém Da Pizza Rua Serimbura, 400 – Jardim Maringá;
 * Artesanal Pizzaria, Rua Euclides Da Cunha, 120 – Jardim Maringá;
 * Augusto’s Pizzaria Av. Brasil, 622 – Monte Castelo;

Stay safe
São José dos Campos is statistically better, in terms of crime, than São Paulo or Campinas, but still considerably less safe than an average countryside town in the state. While not obvious to the average visitor, poverty and drug violence exist in the outskirts of the city. In more affluent areas like Vila Adyana, Jardim Aquarius and Jardim Satélite, robbers sometimes attempt to target wealthy citizens coming to and from restaurants, bars and shopping malls. Therefore, stay alert during the night, avoid displaying signs of wealth and possessions, and take a cab if you need to walk more than a few blocks.

The Downtown area should be avoided during the night, due to the presence of crack addicts. Brazilian funk music parties, common in São José dos Campos and in the Vale do Paraíba region, are often frequented by drug dealers and/or end up in violence. They are best avoided by all but the most adventurous visitors.

Go next
While São José dos Campos is certainly not one of the most exciting places in the country, it more than compensates this with its location. Close to the city, it is possible to find wonderful beaches, spetacular mountain ranges, cozy historical towns, and an immense metropolis.


 * São Paulo, an urban jungle with 20 million people, is the largest city of the south hemisphere
 * Caraguatatuba, a popular beach city, is reachable within 1 hour by car or 1:30 hour by bus, and can be done as a day trip
 * Ubatuba, also a coastal municipality, is a bit further than Caraguatatuba but its natural beauty makes it definitely worth for a weekend trip
 * Santo Antônio do Pinhal is a scenic countryside town with some of the most beautiful landscapes of the Vale do Paraíba region
 * Aparecida contains the Santuário Nacional de Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida, the second largest Roman-catholic temple of the World, attracting 10 million visitors every year
 * Rio de Janeiro, although more than a couple of hours away, is a popular weekend destination among business visitors to São José dos Campos