Santos Coffee Museum’s architecture is a highlight of a visit. High ceilings with stained-glass skylights soar above ornately designed marble floors on the Exchange’s main trading room. Two floors of exhibitions explain the historical and cultural significance of coffee in Brazil and across the globe, through photos, paintings, and antique coffee-farming tools. A visit to the Coffee Museum is a typical stop on sightseeing tours of Santos, along with attractions such as the Botanical Gardens and the Pelé Museum.
The Coffee Museum charges admission. Children five years and younger visit for free.
There is free admission on Saturdays.
The museum is wheelchair-accessible.
Large bags and backpacks are not permitted inside but there are lockers at the reception.
A downstairs café serves hot and cold coffee, and sells some of the country’s best coffee beans.
Located in Centro, the historic center of Santos, the Coffee Museum is easy to get to from anywhere in the city. It’s within walking distance of major hotels and attractions, including the Pelé Museum, and a 10-minute drive from the Port of Santos. Numerous public buses stop close by, including the 4, 17, and 20 lines.
The Coffee Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from morning until early evening (the café is closed on Sundays). During the summer months, opening hours are extended and it’s also open on Mondays. Ticket sales end one hour before closing. As there is free admission on Saturdays, that’s typically the busiest day.
The building is topped with a 120-foot (36-meter) clock tower, whose opulence embodies the wealth generated by the coffee trade. In the Coffee Stock Exchange’s heyday, the clock summoned people to the bidding sessions and its chimes were a feature of everyday life. Sculptures of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, and Mercury, god of commerce, look out from either side of the entrance.