Our Ubatuba Transportation Guide below will tell you the best ways of getting to and getting around Ubatuba. The perfect way of doing this is taking one of our interesting Ubatuba tours, which will not only show you the highlights of the region, but give an insight into the people and culture of this beautiful part of Brazil. For general information about getting to and around Brazil as a whole, see our Brazil Transportation Guide.

Ubatuba Transportation Guide

Getting to Ubatuba

By Air

Brazil's local airlines are Varig, TAM, Ocean Air, GOL and Webjet. They are the only ones that issue air tickets that allow tourists to fly to various destinations relatively easily. However, air travel is far from cheap. Also, another note of caution: domestic flights are subject to departure tax (just like the international flights).

Visit our partner Air Valid for Airline Reviews and Information about Brazil.

By Car

Ubatuba is 240km from Sao Paulo. Leaving town, take in sequence the Rodovia (freeway) Pres. Dutra or Rodovia Ayrton Senna and Rodovia Carvalho Pinto, always following signs saying Rio de Janeiro. You have two options to arrive in Ubatuba:

Option 1 -  At the town of Sao Jose dos Campos, follow the signs to Sao Sebastiao or Litoral ("coast") and continue till you arrive in Caraguatatuba, only 54 km far from Ubatuba. The roads are well marked. Then look for the signs written Ubatuba and follow this beautiful road, enjoying the wonderful seashore view.

Option 2 - on Carvalho Pinto road continue till it crosses Rodovia Pres. Dutra. Take this road for about 6 km towards Taubate and look for signs saying Ubatuba, Litoral Norte, get Oswaldo Cruz Road till Ubatuba. It's only 100 km, but the last 10 km is winding, and it has a breathtaking view of Ubatuba's beaches. This road is particularly beautiful in spring time when you see a lot of the native trees of the Atlantic Rainforest im bloom.

By Bus

Only two companies operate buses between Sao Paulo and Ubatuba, with Litoranea being the only official one. The trip costs around R$30 – R$40.

The bus company Litoranea (tel. (12) 3832-3622) provides daily bus service from Sao Paulo, leaving from Tiete station at 7am, 8:30am, 10:30am, 13:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:30 and 21:00. The trip takes approximately four hours. You can check the schedule at: http://www.litoranea.com.br/

A Rio-Sao Paulo Stopover - Ubatuba makes a nice stop on the way from Rio to Sao Paulo. The bus company Util (tel. (21) 2573-12320) runs daily trips to Ubatuba, departing from Rodoviaria (Bus Station) Novo Rio at 8:30am and 11pm. The trip takes approximately five hours.

There are two Bus Stations in Ubatuba, from where you take buses to many different towns around here and some interstate. One is located at Rua Maria Vitoria Jean and the other one is located at Prof. Thomas Galhardo, close to the city town.

By Boat

Approximately 110 nautical miles from Rio de Janeiro port and 70 nautical miles from Santos port, Ubatuba's port is on the way for any ship calling Rio de Janeiro, Santos or South America towards Cape Horn. In fact, its position is ideal for three or four-day cruises out of Santos.

Getting Around Ubatuba

By Bus

There is a City Bus Station in Ubatuba from where you can take buses to almost every beach or area around Ubatuba. There are a lot of bus stops from which you can take the bus. Pay the driver upon boarding. Be sure to read the destination sign in front of the bus. Although it's cheap, some lines can take one hour or more to pass and you rarely find someone that speaks English to give information.

By car

Instead of hiring a car in São Paulo and driving to Ubatuba, you could take a Litoranea bus from Terminal Rodoviário Tietê and then hire a car at the Localiza in Ubatuba. It's possibly the best option to see all the beautiful places around Ubatuba. Good roads with clear signs make driving in our city easy. Gas stations are scattered throughout Ubatuba. General hours of operation are 7 am to 10 pm, though a few operate round the clock. Most cars can be filled with gasoline or ethanol ('alcohol'). Pay attention to the details regarding the car you are using.

Driving on the right side of the road is mandatory while driving in Brazil and there's a "dry law" (you cannot drive if you have had alcoholic drinks).

There are at least two places you can rent a car here:

- Localiza - in front of the airport at Rua Guarani 194.

- Ubatuba Rent a Car - at Rua Hans Staden, 443 in downtown.

By Taxi

Ubatuba has a good fleet of taxis and the drivers are trained to administer first aid and are well-trained in defensive driving. They are also well informed about the city and are trained to handle all sorts of passengers and their requirements, but not all of the drivers can speak a foreign language.

There are some fixed taxi stations: one at the Main Bus station Litoranea ( tel: 3832-1085), others at 13 de Maio Square ( tel: 3832-1235)  and Exaltacao da Santa Cruz Square (tel: 3832-1630) or at Conceicao Street ( tel: 3832-1460) . The taxi fare is R$2.70/ km between 6 am and 10 pm. On Sundays, holidays and weekdays between 10 pm and 6 am, the fare is R$3.50/km.

By Bike

Another good option to get to know Ubatuba is riding a bike. The city has a bike line that connects the town to the main points. Besides that, this is the major transportation for the locals. Everybody has a bike and enjoys riding along our beautiful seashore.

You can rent one at the Seaquarium, Guarani street, 859 in Itagua. Be sure to have a lock with you all the time and don't leave it unlocked.