Sao Jose dos Campos Attractions

On Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima is the EMBRAER (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica) aircraft factory.

On the south side of the city, by the road to Caraguatatuba, is the Observatory of the Institute of Aeronautical Technology (Instituto de Tecnologia Aeronáutica). Near this is the Aerospace Research Center (Centro Tecnológico Aeroespacial).

Avenida Adhemar de Barros, which runs from the city center to the western districts, leads to Santos Dumont Park, in which prototypes of the first Bandeirante, a type of aircraft made in São José dos Campos, and other planes used by the Brazilian air force in the Second World War are displayed.

On Praça Afonso Pena, near the road to Campos do Jordão, is the church of São Benedito (1870), which now houses the Municipal Museum of Art.

Forest Park

14km/8.7mi from the city on the road to Monteiro Lobato is the Horto Florestal (Forest Park), within which are the sources of a number of rivers.

Guararema

Guararema, 16km/10mi from São José dos Campos, has a number of buildings of the colonial period, including the churches of Nossa Senhora da Freguesia da Escada (16th century) and Nossa Senhora da Ajuda (18th century). Other features of interest are the Ilha do Pau d'Alho in the Rio Paraíba and the Putim Falls.

Monteiro Lobato

35km/22mi north of São José dos Campos is Monteiro Lobato, which is famed for its home-made sweets.

São Francisco Xavier

20km/12.5mi beyond this, at São Francisco Xavier, are the Pedro David and Salto dos Pretos waterfalls.