Santo André

Santo André is one of the municipalities that composes the metropolitan area of São Paulo. The municipality is divided into two districts roughly of the same size:
 * The main district in the Northwest, predominantly urban and more commonly referred simply as the "city of Santo André";
 * The Paranapiacaba district in the Southeast, predominantly covered by the Atlantic rainforest. The district contains the historical village of Paranapiacaba, covered in a separate article, and is a major destination for ecotourism.

By train
Line 10-Turquoise is the main rail connection between Santo André and the city center of São Paulo. The quality of the trains of this line is good, similar to the metro. The main station Prefeito Celso Daniel-Santo André is located in the city center of Santo André.

To go to the Paranapiacaba village, you need to get off at Rio Grande da Serra station, and take a bus to Paranapiacaba next to the drugstore.

It is possible to go to Paranapiacaba directly by train using a touristic train operated by CPTM, but only on Sundays (except the 2nd Sunday of each month). Check the CPTM website for exact dates and detailed information.

By bus
Intermunicipal buses operated by EMTU go from the Jabaquara metro station to the city center of Santo André. As with most intermunicipal buses, you cannot use a Bilhete Único and no discount is given if you have used other forms of public transportation.

Public passenger transport within the city is reasonable and you can get anywhere in the city, there are many bus lines and varying schedules, travelers can check the website for bus schedules.

By car
The city centers of São Paulo and Santo André are connected by Avenida do Estado. To get to the village of Paranapiacaba, it is possible to take local roads from Rodovia Anchieta.

Get around
The two districts of Santo André are separated by the Billings reservoir, and hence there is no direct connection between them. To get from the city center of Santo André to Paranapiacaba, it is necessary to pass through Mauá, Ribeirão Pires and Rio Grande da Serra.

Do

 * Hiking at Paranapiacaba district: the rainforest surrounding the Paranapiacaba village is a State Park and offers many excellent hiking opportunities, including a 15km hike right down to the coast, through the Vale do Quilombo. The hiring of guides is a good idea, since the rainforest is dense and people have been known to get lost; you can do this through the Paranapiacaba Environmental Monitors' Association, (11) 4439-0155, or ask around in the village.  Paranapiacaba is familiar enough with tourism and the locals are friendly and happy to help; though as with most of the area, English is not widely spoken.

Eat
In Paranapiacaba there is a nice & simple self-service restaurant in the village called Beija Flor where you can observe hummingbirds. Another options is Casa do Tio César (Rua Antônio Olintho, 489 - Parte Baixa - Vila de Paranapiacaba Telephone: (11)4439-0281 c/ Cesar).

Drink
Most nightlife is concentrated in Bairro Jardim, near the center of Santo André.

Sleep
There is no budget hotel in town. A possibility is to go to a motel and negotiate a daily rate.

Go next
From Santo André one can easily take Rodovia Anchieta and reach the coast of São Paulo.