Rio de Janeiro · Brazil
São Gonçalo travel guide
São Gonçalo is a city in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, home to about 897,000 people.
- Best months
- June to August
- Nearest airport
- SDU15 km · Santos Dumont Airport
- Currency
- BRLBrazilian real
- Time zone
- America/Sao Paulo
- Language
- Portuguese, Brazilian Sign Language
About
About São Gonçalo
São Gonçalo is a municipality in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the Southeast region. It is located in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, having land limits with the municipalities of Niterói, Maricá and Itaboraí, and a maritime limit, by Guanabara Bay, with the capital, Rio de Janeiro.
With over 1 million inhabitants, São Gonçalo has the largest population in the region of Leste Fluminense (Grande Niterói), and the second largest in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Most economic activity in the municipality is concentrated in two major nucleus: Downtown São Gonçalo (known as Rodo de São Gonçalo) - region where the administrative headquarters of the municipality is located - and the neighborhood of Alcântara.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit São Gonçalo
The most comfortable months for a city stay in São Gonçalo are June to August. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; January is the wettest, with about 250 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to São Gonçalo: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Santos Dumont Airport (SDU), about 15 km from the city centre in a straight line; Rio de Janeiro Galeão – Tom Jobim International Airport (GIG, 20 km) and Francisco de Assis Airport (JDF, 120 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
In the Central Zone of Rio de Janeiro, there are urban bus and van lines to São Gonçalo. Many bus lines to neighborhoods of São Gonçalo depart from the Candelária region, in downtown Rio. Van lines to the municipality depart from the Central do Brasil surrounding region. It is about 25 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The main road access to São Gonçalo for those coming from the central region of Rio de Janeiro are the BR-101 highway (Niterói-Manilha highway) and the RJ-104 highway. From the bus terminals in Rio de Janeiro, Niterói and Itaboraí.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SDU · Santos Dumont Airport
GIG · Rio de Janeiro Galeão – Tom Jobim International Airport
JDF · Francisco de Assis Airport
Questions
São Gonçalo: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit São Gonçalo?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in São Gonçalo are June to August. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; January is the wettest, with about 250 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to São Gonçalo?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Santos Dumont Airport (SDU), about 15 km from the city centre in a straight line; Rio de Janeiro Galeão – Tom Jobim International Airport (GIG, 20 km) and Francisco de Assis Airport (JDF, 120 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in São Gonçalo?
Brazilian real (BRL).
Nearby
Destinations near São Gonçalo
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.