Santos is Brazil's great port, the largest in Latin America, and for a rider who has spent the day on the coast road from Paraty, arriving feels like landing in a different century. The city sits on São Vicente island, across a channel from the mainland, and the harbour is crowded with cranes, container stacks and ships waiting for berths. Nearly everything Brazil sells to the world, coffee above all, passed through here at some point, and the old coffee exchange building, now a museum, still has its stained-glass ceiling and a tasting room.
The city is easy to like. A long beach is edged by what is claimed to be the largest beachfront garden in the world, with flower beds, fountains and shady paths running for kilometres, and in the afternoon, locals cycle, skate and walk along them. Football is a way of life here: the club of Santos, with its white shirt, was the home of Pelé, who lived here for most of his career and is buried in a multi-storey cemetery in the city. The little stadium at Vila Belmiro is a short ride from the centre and fascinating even when empty. Nearby São Vicente, a few kilometres away, claims to be the oldest town in Brazil, founded in 1532.
The coastal road that gets you here, the Rio-Santos highway, is a ribbon of curves between the Serra do Mar mountains and the sea, passing coves and Atlantic rainforest, with fishing villages, small beaches and views of islands. Closer to Santos, the road gets busy, with trucks, tolls and holiday traffic, and in the wet season, landslides can close sections. A rider should take care in heavy rain, when the surface turns slick, and on weekends and holidays, when the traffic is dense.
Fuel is easy in the city, as are food and rest. Seafood is the local pleasure, with fried fish, shrimp and moqueca stews, and there is no shortage of bakeries serving thick coffee and cheese bread. Hotels near the beach are numerous, and parking for a bike can usually be arranged.
Late afternoon sun over the bay gives the whole harbour a golden light, and it is a fine way to finish a long ride.