From São Paulo to Ubatuba/Paraty by bus
Posted on March 17th, 2007 in Destination: Rio, Destination: São Paulo
How do I get from São Paulo to Ubatuba/Paraty by bus?
There is a bus company going from São Paulo to Angra dos Reis (through Paraty), Reunidas Paulista. There are four buses per day. One way tickets from R$38.
The company Litorânea goes to Ubatuba. There are six buses per day and the trip costs from R$40,30 (more expensive than the bus to Paraty, in spite of the distance being shorter).
Both companies operate from the terminal Tietê bus station in São Paulo.
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This post has 51 comments
April 27th, 2008
Hi!!
Do you know what time the buses to sao Paulo leave from Paraty and how long they take?
Thanks!
April 27th, 2008
Hi Lucy, you can check that info out yourself at the link I’ve given above (Litorânea) for the exact date of your trip. At Origem choose Parati, at Destino choose São Paulo, provide the date of your trip, and there you go. On the results page, Saída means departure.
The trip takes around six hours.
June 28th, 2008
I have booked hotel in Paraty in November on the way from Rio. I found it very expensive and the travel Agency in Austria told me, that the fair by the driver ist so expensive. How else could I get to Airport SAO PAULO . my flight is departing at 14:40 p.m. Looking forward to receive an answer from people who have done that tour and can give me some advise. Thanks a lot
June 29th, 2008
Hi, Herta. From Paraty to São Paulo is quite simple. There is a bus from Reunidas Paulista (you’ll find the link on the entry). It takes you to the Terminal Tietê station in São Paulo. From there, there is a bus every 1/2 hour going to the International Airport.
Unfortunately, the time of your flight is a bit inconvenient. If your flight departs at 14:40 you will have to be at the airport at 11:40. That means you will have to arrive in Terminal Tietê no later than 11:00. The only bus that suits you is the 23:30 from Paraty. It arrives in São Paulo at 05:30 am. You will have to wait quite a lot, either at São Paulo bus station or at the airport itself.
Other than that, the only alternative is a taxi or private transfer, much much more expensive.
July 16th, 2008
Dear Tony,
so sorry that I did not answer before. Thanks a lot for your immediate reply on 29thJune. You see I was wondering how to find the page again and so only today I found it.
Thank you so much again, now I know how far it is and that the driver has to pick me up at latest by 6:00 a.m. to catch the flight.
Best regards from Austria
Herta Gehres
July 17th, 2008
Herta, hope everything works fine on your trip back to the airport!
July 24th, 2008
Hi,
Do the above mentioned Bus Services operate from Sao Paulo Airport as well? I am planning to visit Sao Paulo/Ubatuba in the end of August, can i take any of those two buses from Sao Paulo Airport?
thanks.
July 24th, 2008
Hi, Paquistan. No, the bus services do not operate from the airport. You need to get from the airport to the Terminal Tietê (see From Guarulhos airport to São Paulo’s bus station).
August 30th, 2008
Tony/Herta
I have a similar problem in trying to get to SP airport by 11am to catch a flight.
Herta – what option did you choose? If you choose a private car, what was the cost and how did you book it?
Can either of you recommend accommodation near tiete bus station?
Thanks
Mike
August 31st, 2008
Mike, I don’t have first-hand references of it, but the Best Western Metrô Tietê is right next to the bus station.
The price of a private transfer a couple of years ago it was outrageously expensive, something like R$500 one way.
October 22nd, 2008
Tony,
I am using this bus service to get to Paraty from Sao Paulo on dec 29th 2008. I fly into Sao Paulo at 5:30am, so I was planning on catching the 8:00am bus to Paraty.
Do you think this leaves enough time to get the airport transfer to Terminal Tietê?
Also is it necessary to book a seat on the bus in advance?
Cheers,
Jess.
October 22nd, 2008
Hi Jess, it’s a bit risky as you can’t tell how long it will take you to go through immigration control and customs (I take you are arriving from abroad). Bear in mind it can take anything between 50 minutes and 2 hours. Then there is only a shuttle bus to the bus station every 30 minutes. As you’ll be able to tell, there are no guarantees you’ll make it there on time. Never mind the fact that your plane can arrive late.
Usually it wouldn’t be necessary to book in advance, but as it is the Christmas holiday season, I don’t know what do advice. The advantage you have is that you are arriving on a Monday. If you were arriving during the weekend or on a Friday I would definitely advice you to book in advance. But, in any case, this is not something you can do from abroad, so it won’t make any difference to you. On the Reunidas website you can see how many seats are left for each service.
All the best.
October 22nd, 2008
Thanks Tony. Had a look on the website, attempted to book but it wouldn’t let me proceed after selecting the number of tickets/seats i wanted to book.
Also I can’t read spanish so i’m not sure what the pop-up message read that was blocking me from completing the booking.
Oh well I’ll just have to wing it, hopefully the fact that its a monday works to my advantage and I can just jump on a bus when i arrive.
Thanks again for your help.
October 23rd, 2008
Hi Jess, like I said, you can’t book or buy tickets from abroad (unless you have a Brazilian tax identification number which I presume it’s not the case). As there are several bus services during the day you always have a plan B should things go wrong. Have a lovely trip!
December 11th, 2008
Hi!
We will arrive to sao paolo the 30th december 1900 clock. We want to go to Trindade that evening, but I can´t find out which bus to take. I hope you can help me.
Thanks
December 11th, 2008
Anders, you have to go to Paraty and then backtrack to Trindade. The 1st bus from Paraty to Trindade is at 05:20 am. Careful are the 30th and 31st are critical dates, you’d do well buying your São Paulo – Paraty tickets in advance.
December 11th, 2008
But when does to bus leave from sao paolo?
December 12th, 2008
Because of the amount of people travelling on that day, there are quite a lot of extra services. At the Reunidas Paulista website you can check the times and the number of seats left for any given service. You have one bus leaving at 22:00, 22:20, 22:40, 23:00 and the last one at 23:15.
December 12th, 2008
Hi Tony! You have been very helpful. Unfortunalty all buses were full. I´m wondering if you can recommend any place near sao paolo that we can stay for a couple of nights before we continue our journey to Trindade and Rio.
Thanks for all!
December 13th, 2008
Anders, I’ve just had a look at the company site myself and I find it very unlikely that all the seats are gone. Brazilians never buy things in advance, maximum one week prior to departure. I’m quite sure the company is not selling the tickets yet and that’s why it’s showing 0 seats available. Keep an eye on the page.
The places near São Paulo I could recommend you are actually down the coast, on the way to Paraty, so that’s not going to make much difference. Your problem is leaving São Paulo no that date, regardless of the destination.
You could always spend a couple of nights in São Paulo, believe you me, in spite of the bad rap it gets, it’s a really interesting place (though quite ugly in places). I don’t know whether you read Spanish, but I have a blog devoted to São Paulo with tons of info: Blog de São Paulo.
December 17th, 2008
I have the same concern myself — hoping to go from Sao Paulo to Parati on Dec. 25. Two days ago the Reunidas Paulista website showed many seats available on two of the buses, and today it shows 0 all across. Now I’m concerned as to how we (me +1) are going to get to Parati, but I imagine you can just hope that some of the people with reservations don’t show up?
December 17th, 2008
We are considering to stay in sao paolo for two days 30-01 then we will go to Parati to. Sao Paolo can´t be that bad…
December 17th, 2008
Matt, I’ve checked again myself and it’s not showing any seats. It could well be that Brazilians decided to book their tickets in advance aware that the Christmas break this year is going to be quite long. I would have a plan B. Lots of Brazilians arrive in the bus station without any tickets so the stand-by queue might be considerable. It is just a terrible date to travel if you haven’t got your tickets booked in advance. There are other things you could try but they are a bit far-fetched. You could go to São Sebastião and from there to Paraty. But chances are you will have exactly the same problems. You could book a private transfer, but that’s going to set you back at least R$500.
December 17th, 2008
Anders, there will be a massive street party on the Avenida Paulista on the evening of the 31. Last year two million people gathered there. São Paulo is not that bad, really. Awful place to live in, but quite interesting if you have a couple of days to spare.
On the morning of the 31st, at the Liberdade quarter (Japanese quarter) the Moti Tsuki Matsuri festival is held, quite interesting. The following blog post is in Spanish but you can get an idea of what the celebration is like: Moti Tsuki Matsuri y feliz año nuevo para todos.
December 17th, 2008
Hi Tony! I think we will have a nice time in Sao Paulo. The street party seems interesting, we will stay at a hostel for 2 days. Durin does 2 days we will do Sao Paulo. Thanks all the tips you are providing, we will defintely check them out.
December 17th, 2008
Thanks Tony! I’m considering taking a bus first to Ubatuba and then switching for another bus to Paraty. I found a bus company that goes to Ubatuba: http://www.litoranea.com.br/ but it doesn’t look like I can buy the tickets online. I’m wondering if there will simply be long queues in the bus station to buy those tickets and it’s a gamble of whether or not I would even get tickets. The other option is to rent a car.
December 18th, 2008
Matt, no tickets online from Litorânea. Getting those tickets it’s a true gamble. Bear in mind Ubatuba is as popular a destination during those dates as Paraty. Renting a car might not be such a bad idea after all. But bear in mind Brazilian rental companies have hefty charges if you return the car in a place other than the one you rented it from.
December 18th, 2008
Tony, thanks again! Your advice has been helpful, and we’ve decided to rent a car. We will be returning the car to sao paulo to avoid the hefty one-way charges.
Thanks!!
December 18th, 2008
Matt, glad I could be of help. Have a look at From São Paulo to Ubatuba/Paraty by car where I have given detailed instructions (including a map) on how to get to Paraty.
January 2nd, 2009
Hi Tony!
So I just got back from my trip to Lencois. Thanks for your advice on getting to Jeri from there. It was a long trip but worth every minute. Anyway, now I am planning to go to Isla Grande with my sister. She arrives on the 10th of January at noon and I was thinking of spending a couple nights in Sao Sebastian (Cambui? spelled close to this) before heading to Isla Grande. Do you know if they have buses that go directly from Sao Sebastian to Angra so we dont have to backtrack to SP? I cant seem to find any good information? THANKS for your help and Happy New Year!
Kelly
January 3rd, 2009
Kelly, I’m glad you had a great time in the Lençóis. Get ready as Ilha Grande is equally superb. The thing is, January is probably the worst month to visit the island, as it’s packed with holiday-makers. But hey, you’ve been warned beforehand so your expectations won’t be so high.
The place you are looking for is Camburi. I don’t know whether you read Spanish. If you do, I have a blog entirely on São Paulo and its state, with a few entries dedicated to the beaches in São Sebastião, including Camburi: Costa dos Alcatrazes.
You shouldn’t have to backtrack to SP at all, but I haven’t found the specific details of transportation between São Sebastião and Angra. You might have to do the trip in stages, first to Ubatuba, then from there to Paraty and from Paraty to Angra (there is an hourly bus). A belated happy new year to you too!
January 14th, 2009
Your blog is very helpful. Do you happen to know whether there is bus service from Goiana to Goiás Velha. I have already gone to the Agencia Nacional de Transportes Terrestres site that I learned about from your blog. The drop-down menu lists both Goiás and Vila Boa as possible destinations from Goiana but when I select either destinatio returns the message that there is no service between the two towns. Does Goiás (Velha) have a third name that I should know about? Thank you again for your very helpful blogs, Tony.
January 15th, 2009
Gerald, as far as I understand (I haven’t visited the region), Goiás Velha and Vila Boa are the same thing. Often the ANTT site fails to register bus services I know for a fact they exist. It’s always my last resource when I look for bus info (you must know by now how user unfriendly the site is!). I’m afraid if the ANTT doesn’t feature any info I won’t be able to be of much help either. Sorry about that. But chances are there is a local bus service. You just won’t find it mentioned on the internet.
February 3rd, 2009
Hi Tony. Mate i need to get a bus in sao paulo who takes me to buenos aires. Do you know any bus company and how much is it? OK tahnks for the info
February 4th, 2009
Dan, you’ll find the answer to your question at the entry bus transportation in Brazil.
February 8th, 2009
Hi there,
I am planning to visit South America during June 2009. I was hoping to fly from Cape Town to Sao Paulo, catch a bus to Iquazu, and then on to Asuncion, Salta, eventualy ending up in La Paz? Do you have any suggestions, is there busses running these routes, as flying is extremely expensive and will I have to opt for the cheaper means of transport. I appreciate any feedback. Thanking you in advance.
February 8th, 2009
Theresa: from São Paulo to Foz do Iguaçu.
May 8th, 2009
Tony,
Your posts are extremely helpful. I went on the Costa Verde bus line web site because I want to get from Angra des Reis to Parati and there was no listed schedule and I could not read the Spanish/Portugese. We want to get from Ilha Grande back to Sao Paulo and I was hoping to go via Parati. What do you think?
May 9th, 2009
Carol, your plan sounds great. There are frequent local buses from Angra dos Reis to Paraty (more info: From Paraty to Angra dos Reis (and viceversa)). You might want to check with a local where exactly the bus departs, as things in Angra are slightly confussing.
de Segunda-feira à Sábado means from Monday to Saturday.
Domingos e feriados means Sundays and bank holidays.
Then, from Paraty to São Paulo, take the Reunidas bus for which I’ve given details in this entry. You can check up-to-date schedules and fares at the company’s website. Have a great trip!
June 13th, 2009
Hi Tony,
Great site you’ve got here. We are getting into Sao Paulo at 1830 on the 8th of July. We want to go straight to Paraty, do you think this is realistic and do you think we need to book?
Thanks
Alan in Scotland
June 19th, 2009
Hi Alan (sorry, I’ve been away for a week with no Internet access), all things normal, you should make it to the 22:00 bus to Paraty. I’ve just checked and it seems there is an additional 22:40 service on the day of your trip. As for booking ahead from abroad, the thing is, it is very difficult unless you have a Brazilian taxpayer ID number. If you check on the Reunidas website, you’ll see how many seats there are left for every given service. Not that that will be any guarantee… thankfully for you Brazilians tend to book their bus trips at the very last minute. Might be a good idea to have an alternative plan. All the best!
July 9th, 2009
Hi Tony,
This is a very innovative and informative site. I am hoping you can help. I plan to arrive in Sao Pablo Guarulhos airport on friday 17th july at around 2pm. We plan to go to Ilhabella and Paraty. Would it be best to go to Paraty first on the saturday or direct to Ilhabella (if possible)? Between Ilhabella and Paraty are there boat services or does one have to travel to San Sebastian.
Thanks for your guidance
San
July 10th, 2009
San, there are no boat services between Ilhabela and Paraty (it’s a very long distance). You have to take the ferry to São Sebastião and from there take a bus to Paraty (check Util).
Arriving at 2 pm you are unlikely to catch any bus to Paraty before 4pm (assuming there was one at that time). As travel time is 6 hours you wont’be be arriving in Paraty before 10 pm. If you go to Ilhabela you’ll get there earlier. But either way it’s fine.
July 11th, 2009
HI Tony
I am arriving in Guarhulos airport at 5:15am on Friday 14th August. i plan to travel to Parati and wanted to know if you think its likely that I will catch the 8am bus from Tetei bus station. Also I have noticed that prices have gone up for this journey over the past month and want to reserve or pay in advance. Do you know how safe it is to book through Reunidas website as they are asking for a lot of personal information including passport number? I know you have previously said that it is difficult to book through this website and wondered if anyone one without Brazilian tax code has done so successfully???
July 12th, 2009
Debs, I can’t tell you for sure whether you’ll be able to get to the 8 am bus. Friday traffic in São Paulo is the worst. All things going smoothly at the airport you should be able to make it. You won’t be able to buy any tickets in advance without a CPF (Brazilian taxpayer’s number) as it is a requirement made by the Brazilian credit card operators. I know of someone who phoned Reunidas and managed to book a ticket, but you need fluency Portuguese for that. I don’t know of a solution to that problem. Anyone with a solution is welcome!
September 23rd, 2009
after so much searching finally a place where there are meaningful answers! if possible i would ask for a little last minute help. i plan to travel from sao paulo to ubatuba on the late bus (around 9pm) on friday night, and will have to book the ticket on the evening. since this is 2nd october i don’t expect that many travellers, am i wrong? i don’t have a choice to book in advance…
also i need to get the bus back to sao paolo for a flight on sunday (leaving at 16.00) – are services limited on a sunday? would i have a connection to reach the airport with good time to spare?
thank you so much for taking the time to help!
September 24th, 2009
Joanna, Friday night is a busy day as people go out for the weekend. If the forecast was for sun you might find the bus is sold out. Thankfully for you, Brazilians always purchase their bus tickets at the very last minute. Litoranea’s website is a shambles, I’m really sorry I can’t do any searches for you. I’ve tried other websites but with no luck. As soon as you get to Litoranea’s booth at the Terminal Tiete bus station in São Paulo, get the schedule for the return buses from Ubatuba.
September 26th, 2009
Thank you Tony for taking the time to help me!
September 26th, 2009
Joanna, if you need any other info I’ll do my best to help. Have a great trip!
November 2nd, 2009
Hi,
We have 10 days in Brazil as part of our honeymoon next June (we are in Brazil from 9-20 June), flying in and out of Sao Paolo (arriving 05:15 9 June and out 06:27 20 June) and we are looking for tips and help with seeing as much of the coastline between Sao Paolo and Rio as possible. Ideally we want to get to Rio as soon as possible after we land and then slowly make our way back down – is this the best way to go about this?
Looking forward to hearing all your experiences!
Dave
November 3rd, 2009
Dave, getting to Rio asap from São Paulo is a possibility. You don’t have that many days so you’d better focus on a couple of places. Spend a couple of days in Rio and then take the bus to Ilha Grande. Spend three-four night there. From there, go to Paraty (a lovely honeymoon destination) and spend another three nights there. From Paraty take the bus back to São Paulo. Ilha Grande and Paraty are two outstanding destinations. I would not cut down my time at both places to visit other beach destinations along the route, there is nothing as spectacular as Ilha Grande or Paraty on the way back to São Paulo. All the best!
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