Just southeast of the mighty metropolis of Sao Paulo itself, the city of Santos plays host to the largest and most important port in all of Latin America. It can be found jutting its way out into the Atlantic Ocean, churning out tankers of coffee shipment, soybeans and sugarcane to far flung corners of the planet. If you are interested in the city’s mechanised past, then be sure to ask your Santos tour guide for information on the Coffee Stock Exchange exhibitions—which chronicle the rise of South America’s most aromatic of exports, or the Dock Museum—where the story of the Santos harbour unfolds before your eyes. But it’s not all about industry on this action-packed stretch of the Brazilian coast. Santos also touts a blinding beachfront juxtaposed with a five-kilometre run of lovely seaside gardens, a favoured haunt of locals and visitors alike. Also worth a visit is a funicular railway riding up to panoramic views from Monte Serrat, a bustling local crafts market, a football museum dedicated to Pele, and an acclaimed aquarium to boot.