Top photo: Anderson Bianchi

This building, the first in Santos to be constructed as a theater, was inaugurated in 1882 and destroyed by fire in 1981, with only the external walls left standing. After two decades of neglect, the building was completely restored by City Hall and reopened in 2008. Besides the beauty of the building itself, highlights include two paintings by Paulo Von Poser – one on the ceiling reinterpreting a scene from the novel O Guarany, by José de Alencar, and the other in the second floor foyer, which is a reinterpretation of Benedicto Caixto’s view of Santos from the top of Monte Serrat. The theater hosts presentations and also functions as a municipal school for scenic arts.

Top photo: Tadeu Nascimento

The city’s biggest theater, with seating for an audience of 1000, the Teatro Coliseu has had its current characteristics since 1924. The eclectic style building boasts fine frescos and architectural details, excellent acoustics and refined décor, which have made the theater famous and have classified it as one of the best in the country.

The stage for the premiere of spoken cinema in Santos in 1929, the Teatro Coliseu staged the main musicals, concerts, operas, plays and other spectacles by national and international companies. It fell into disrepair in the 1970 and was closed down in the following decade. Abandoned, it underwent 10 years of renovation work and reopened its doors in 2006. 

Sitting on top of Monte Serrat, 157 meters above sea level, this sanctuary affords a 3600 panorama of the entire city and partial view of the municipalities of São Vicente, Cubatão, Guarujá and Praia Grande. The statue of Nossa Senhora do Monte Serrat, patron saint of Santos, whose saint’s day is celebrated on September 8th, and the stories of her miracles are the big attractions here in the heart of the city. The chapel was built between 1598 and 1603, and access to the sanctuary is by funicular railway or by 415 steps, with 14 niches representing the Way of Sorrows.

Monte Serrrat received its name in 1604, by order of then governor Dom Francisco de Souza, a Spaniard devoted to Our Lady, patron saint of Barcelona, one year after the chapel was built. Up to then, it had been called Morro de São Jerônimo. It is said that in 1614, when Dutch pirate Joris von Spielbergen invaded the settlement, part of the population fled to the top of the hill. While attempting to follow them, the pirates were buried by the avalanche of earth and stones that fell from the mountain. The people considered this a miracle performed by Nossa Senhora do Monte Serrat, and she thus became the city’s patron saint.

The funicular railway opened in 1927 with the inauguration of the function room and restaurant on Monte Serrat. In addition to its terraces and lookout point, the property saw the opening of the Monte Serrat Casino in 1934, hosting such artists as Carmen Miranda, Francisco Alves and Sílvio Caldas until its closure in 1946, when President Gaspar Dutra banned gambling in Brazil. Restored in 1998, the building now offers a café and areas for social and cultural events.

Top photo: Tadeu Nascimento

The resting place of the ashes of José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, the ‘Father of Independence”, and his brothers Antonio Carlos, Martim Francisco and Father Patrício Manuel, the pantheon was inaugurated on 7 September, 1923. The civic monument occupies the space of the old  of the Carmo Convent gatehouse and consists of the monument designed by sculptor Rodolfo Bernardelli, made in Italy – the pieces arrived in 19 boxes, were then auctioned because of customs issues and acquired by merchants and by the Humanitarian Society of Santos. 

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: 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: 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: Francisco Arrais

The Tourist Streetcar ride offers a true voyage back in time via 40 points of historical and cultural interest. With departures from Valongo station – built in 1867 for the first railroad in São Paulo – the electric streetcars from the 19th and 20th centuries travel through the Historic Center, accompanied by a tour guide. 

They are original vehicles, originating in Scotland, Portugal and Italy, making Santos the first Living Streetcar Museum in Latin America. Drivers and conductors wear replicas of the original uniform from the time when the streetcars were the city’s main means of transport.