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Voykit pocket guide · Brazil
Guarujá
Go for 2–3 nights if you want a beach base 1.5 h from São Paulo; skip if you want quiet — Enseada and Pitangueiras are busy and theft is a real risk.
Guarujá is the island of Santo Amaro, a beach resort for São Paulo that fills to bursting in summer and empties out in winter. It is a beach-and-seafood town, not a sightseeing town: pick one beach, sleep near it, and treat the rest as day trips. Two to three nights covers the main beaches and the fortress; a weekend is enough if you only want sand.
- Country
- Brazil
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Nov (warm, dry, fewer people)
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (crowded, expensive, afternoon storms); Jul school holidays
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- BRL
- Money
- Currency is the Brazilian real (BRL, R$). About R$5–5.8 per US dollar in 2026 — check. Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere, even at beach kiosks.
- Daily spend
- Budget R$180–300 excl. bed · Mid R$350–600 excl. bed · High R$700+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vivo, Claro and TIM cover the country; buying a prepaid SIM needs a passport and sometimes a CPF — an eSIM before you fly is easier.
- Emergency
- Police 190 · Ambulance 192 · Fire 193
- Plugs
- Types N, C · 127 V (Rio, São Paulo) or 220 V (Brasília, much of the Northeast) · Check the voltage on the socket; most chargers are dual-voltage.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 10% service (serviço) usually on the bill; optional but normal.; Beach kiosk / bar: Often included; round up.; Taxi / Uber: Not expected; round up.; Guide: US$5–15 per person per day.; Hotel staff: Small tip for porters.
- Water
- Do not drink tap water; filtered water is provided in most homes and hotels.
- Toilets
- Put toilet paper in the bin, not the toilet, in most places.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or coconut water on the beach | R$8–15 |
| Fried fish or shrimp portion at a beach kiosk | R$60–120 |
| Prato feito lunch (rice, beans, meat) | R$30–50 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a shop | R$12–20 / R$5–8 |
| City bus ride | R$5–7 (check) |
| 5 km taxi or app ride3.1 mi taxi or app ride | R$25–40 |
| Acqua Mundo aquarium entry | R$80–140 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | R$40–80 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GRU · São Paulo–Guarulhos
- About 1.5–2 h by road via the Anchieta and Cônego Domenico Rangoni highways; taxi or app car, or bus via Jabaquara.
- CGH · São Paulo–Congonhas
- Closer to the Jabaquara bus terminal; about 1.5 h by road.
Typical fares
- Bus São Paulo (Jabaquara) → Guarujá
- about R$60, 1 h 20 min (check)
- Taxi or app car GRU → Enseada
- R$350–500, 1.5–2 h (check)
- City bus ride
- R$5–7, cash only (check)
Get around
City buses are cheap and pay-on-board (cash to the driver or controller; no tickets), and bus 81 reaches most beaches. Taxis are a reasonable way to cover longer hops — check the meter is running before you move. There is a large cycleway network, especially along Enseada, but few rental shops; some hotels lend bikes.
See and do
Known for
- Enseada and Pitangueiras beaches
- Surf at Tombo
- Acqua Mundo aquarium
- Barra Grande Fortress
- Seafood and fried fish kiosks
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Santos | Bus or car over the bridge, about 30–40 min | About 1 h |
| Bertioga | Car or bus along the coast, about 50 kmCar or bus along the coast, about 31 mi | 1–1.5 h |
| São Vicente | Bus or car via Santos | About 1 h |
| Itanhaém | Car or bus south along the coast, about 60 kmCar or bus south along the coast, about 37 mi | 1.5–2 h |
| Peruíbe | Car or bus south, about 90 kmCar or bus south, about 56 mi | 2–2.5 h |
| Cubatão | Car via the Anchieta highway | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Enseada
- Long beach with kiosks, cycleway and most of the big hotels; busiest at night in high season.
- Pitangueiras
- Central, walkable to shops and restaurants; the most crowded beach and the main pickpocket area.
- Astúrias
- Smaller and calmer, split from Pitangueiras by rocks; good for couples.
- Tombo
- Surf beach, quieter, a short drive from the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Bom diabong DEE-ah |
| Thank you | Obrigado / Obrigadaoh-bree-GAH-doo / oh-bree-GAH-dah |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-tah |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favorah KON-tah por fah-VOR |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagar com cartão?POH-soo pah-GAR kong kar-TOWNG |
| Help! | Socorro!soh-KOH-hoo |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, hug or cheek kiss (one in São Paulo, two in Rio); avoid: Being stiff with new acquaintances
- Gestures: Use thumbs-up freely; avoid: The OK hand sign (it is rude)
- Language: Try Portuguese; say obrigado/obrigada; avoid: Defaulting to Spanish
- Time: Expect relaxed social punctuality; avoid: Being late for tours and flights
- Beach: Bring only a towel, cash and a copy of your ID; avoid: Leaving things unattended
Scams and watch-outs
- Pedestrian robbery on the Pitangueiras and Enseada beachfronts is relatively common; avoid empty stretches, especially at night.
- Car robbery and break-ins happen; do not leave anything visible in a parked car.
- Carry only what you need for the day — no jewellery, no second phone.
- Summer (Dec–Feb) brings heavy afternoon rain and packed beaches; book beds and restaurants ahead.
- Sea water quality varies by beach and after rain; check the state bathing report before swimming.
- Bus fares are cash only; keep small notes.
Guarujá has a poor reputation for street crime: robberies on the Pitangueiras and Enseada beachfronts and car break-ins are relatively common. Avoid empty sidewalks, especially at night, and carry only what you need for the day.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Guarujá yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Enseada and Pitangueiras beaches
- Surf at Tombo
- Acqua Mundo aquarium
- Barra Grande Fortress
- Seafood and fried fish kiosks
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Guarujá, revision 5322065 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5322065
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Guarujá
Para este endereço, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No consulates in Guarujá; the US, UK and most others have consulates-general in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Cash is still useful for buses and beach vendors; cards and Pix work in most shops and restaurants.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/guaruja). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.