"CAMPINAS, A SHORT 90 KM FROM SÃO PAULO DISTANCE" Campinas by schurlif

Campinas Travel Guide: 27 reviews and 66 photos

Campinas is the second largest city in the State of São Paulo with about 1.5 million inhabitants about 90 km north of São Paulo city right in the tropics…. I’m sorry but I can’t recall the names of the street or the cathedral but this place is easy to find, the central cathedral of Campinas, which is situated in the most commercial area of Campinas' center.

the square in front of the cathedral

part of commercial area in front of cathedral

Even though because of its geographical size and inhabitants Campinas must be considered a major metropolitan center, the city itself is rather dormant, slow, a little backward and hilly billy…. Which is not really something bad… but it definitely is not a destination for foreign tourists. People here make big eyes and get really curious when they hear me speaking fluent Portuguese but with an Arnold Schwarzenegger type of accent. What makes Campinas and every other city in the “interior” (= all the “inside” of the State excluding São Paulo and an about 40km wide strip along Brasils coastline ) different from the states capital is that it is friendlier, cheaper, calmer, safer, greener and healthier to live in…..

feeling good away from São Paulo

backside of the cathedral

It took me 20 years to realize this until I made the right move…. 80 km from São Paulo means only 1 hour by car to the big city ( 10 minutes to Campinas ) but not having to stay there all the time….. Living in the “interior” is uncomparable to the São Paulo madness and chaos…… Even though I live in an almost rural and very quiet and green area, I have cinemas, shopping malls and fine restaurants in Campinas at 10-15 minutes drive away....

Pros and Cons

Pros:infrastructure, cheap, easy going, friendly
Cons:nothing really except the big city crap but in milder version
In a nutshell:the next best thing to São Paulos mega-everything if you want to live in SP state