Jundiaí

Jundiaí is a city in the Campinas Region of São Paulo state. More than just a medium-sized city between São Paulo and Campinas, Jundiaí is renowned by its wineries and traditional fruit farms open to visitors, as well as by the Serra de Japi, a rainforest-covered mountain range with unique characteristics.

Understand

In 1615, the region called by Native Brazilians as "Jundiahi" was settled by bandeirante Rafael de Oliveira. Jundiaí was officially recognized as a village in 1655, and dedicated itself to mining on its early decades of existence, followed soon by a period of economical stagnation. This started to change in 1785 with the boom of agriculture, including fruit cultivation, which is still one of the main characteristics of the region today. With the inauguration of the train station in 1867, Jundiaí started receiving a lot of European immigrants (from Italy, Spain and England) and became a major agricultural exporter.

In the 20th century, industry in Jundiaí has steadily developed and the city is today one of the most attractive places in the state for industries. Unfortunately, despite the agricultural and industrial prosperity, the somewhat disorganized population growth lead Jundiaí to have rates of social and crime problems which are significantly high for a city of its size.

Most visitors come to Jundiaí to relax in its charming countryside, or to adventure in the Serra do Japi. But as the only large city of the state outside the São Paulo metro area to still have a fully operational passenger train station, urban Jundiaí contains important testimonies of the shining days of rail transport in Brazil. Not by coincidence, Jundiaí is likely to be the first city in the state to have a rapid train service, around 2016.

Get in

By car

Jundiaí is easily accessible from either São Paulo (50 minutes) or Campinas (40 minutes) by Rod. Anhanguera (SP-330). From São Paulo, a frequently used alternative is to take Rod. dos Bandeirantes (SP-348), and change to Rod. Anhanguera shortly before arriving in Jundiaí.

By train

The 1867 Jundiaí station.

Jundiaí is one of the few places outside the São Paulo metro area where it is possible to arrive by train. The CPTM train of Line 7-Ruby, that departs from Luz station in São Paulo, is ridiculously cheap (same price as a regular CPTM/Metrô ticket) but since it is a stop train, it is very slow (takes at least 1½ hours, plus transfer time at Francisco Morato station which can add a further 20 minutes on occasion). The train can also get overcrowded at peak hours, and you should keep track of where your valuables are if people are brushing up against you. The train goes through some rough-ish neighbourhoods but security at every stop do a good job of keeping everything under control. You can see some pretty interesting views from the rail route that you simply don`t get to see from the motorway, such as favelas on the sides of hills and dirt football pitches humming with activity, not to mention the occasional buskers and serenaders wandering up and down the carriage looking for money. The Jundiaí train station is about 1.7 km from the city center proper, and approximately the same distance to Museu da Companhia Paulista.

• 1 Jundiaí railway station (Estação Jundiaí), Praça Mauá. (updated Apr 2019)

By bus

Getting to Jundiaí by bus is a far more comfortable option than the CPTM train. The intercity bus terminal of Jundiaí is Terminal Rodoviário José Alves, at Av. 9 de Julho, 4000. A local bus or a taxi is necessary to reach the city center from the terminal.

• Buses from São Paulo (departing from the Tietê terminal) are provided byViação Cometa, and cost about R$17.50
• Buses from Campinas are provided by LiraBus or VB Transportes and cost about R$14

Buses from São Paulo and Campinas are quite frequent and seldom require reservation.

Get around

The city center and its attractions can be easily explored on foot. To explore the countryside and the nature around the city, however, you will need an uber lift, share a blablacar ride, or hire one of the tour agencies that operate in the city.

See

Museu da Companhia Paulista.

• 1 Companhia Paulista Museum (Museu da Companhia Paulista, Museu Ferroviário Barão de Mauá), Av. União dos Ferroviários, 1760, ☏ +55 11 4522-4727. Tu-F 09:00-17:00, Sa 09:00-16:00, Su 09:00-13:00. The imponent construction, although looking centenary, was actually built in 1979 to pay homage to the ferroviary history of the São Paulo state. It contains an extensive amounts of artifacts from the glorious times of rails during the coffee farming era, plus replicas of trains and interiors of train stations (updated Apr 2019)
• Catedral da Nossa Senhora do Desterro, Praça Governador Pedro de Toledo, s/n – Centro, ☏ +55 11 4586-0248. Splendid Neogothic-style cathedral that is one of the main postcards of Jundiaí. The exact date of building is unknown, but it was reformed from Baroque to Neogothic style in 1886, and sits in the same place of the original chapel of Jundiaí (from 1651). 
• Solar do Barão (Museu Histórico e Cultural de Jundiaí), R. Barão de Jundiaí, 762 – Centro, ☏ +55 11 4521-6259. Tu-F 10:00-17:00, Sa 09:00-13:00. A 1862 mansion that was used by Antônio de Queiróz Telles, a local aristocrat known as the "Jundiaí Baron". Hosts a permanent exposition about the "Jundiaí Baron" and other relevant figures in the history of the city, plus temporary expositions and cultural activities. 
• Jundiaí Station, Praça Mauá - Vila Arens e Vila Progresso. Jundiaí train station, inaugurated in 1867 and operating ever since. Alongside its history, it belonged to four companies: São Paulo Railway, E.F. Santos-Jundiaí, RFFSA and CPTM (its current owner). 
• Railroad village (In front of the Jundiaí station, in the other side of Praça Mauá). The collection of colorful, similar houses in front of the Jundiaí stations belonged to workers of São Paulo Railway and is a national heritage site. 
• Botanical Gardens (Jardim Botânico). 
• Parque da Cidade. A nice local park with a small place at one end to fly remote control airplanes. You can also rent a bicycle for a small fee to ride for an hour.
• Parque de Currupira. 
• Serra do Japi. This state park just south of town has the largest forest preserve in the state, with opportunities for extreme sports. 

Do

Brook in the Serra do Japi

There are many trails through preserved mata atlântica (Atlantic Forest), with several waterfalls to see.

Open farms

As part of the Circuito das Frutas (Fruit Circuit), Jundiaí contains several farms open to visitors, allowing them to experience the Paulista countryside environment, plus taste and buy wine, fruits and other food.

• Adega Beraldo di Cale, Estrada Municipal de Jarinu Km 12 - Caxambu, ☏ +55 11 4584-4330. Tu-Su 08:30-17:30. Italian Winery that produces different types of wine, vinegar, cold cuts, cheese and sweets. 
• Adega Castanho, Travessa dos Patos, 1050 - Castanhos, ☏ +55 11 4537-1502. M-Sa 08:00-17:30, Su 08:30-12:30. Winery specialized in red wines. 
• Fazenda Montanhas do Japi, Estrada de Santa Clara, 5650 - Santa Clara, ☏ +55 11 4599-9072. A former Italian grape farm from 1915, now offering gardens, forest trails in the Serra do Japi, horse riding and other relaxing activities. 

Theatre and culture

• Theatro Polytheama, R. Barão de Jundiaí, 176 - Centro, ☏ +55 11 4586-2472. Inaugurated in 1911, it is one of the 6 centenary theatres of the country, being for some time the largest theatre of the state. Closed during the 1960s, it was reformed and reactivated in 1996. Check the municipality cultural agenda for presentations in the theatre. 

Buy

• Calçadão, Rua Barão Jundiaí - Centro. The pedestrianized street and its surroundings form Jundiaí's central shopping area. 
• Maxi Shopping Jundiaí, Av. Antônio Frederico Ozanan, 6000 - Vila Rio Branco. Modern shopping mall with 230 stores and 7 movie screens. 
• Shopping Paineras, Av. 9 de Julho, 1155 - Chácara Urbana. Small shopping mall with around 60 shops. Close to the city center. 

Eat

• Adega Beraldo di Cale, Estrada Municipal de Jarinu Km 12 - Caxambu, ☏ +55 11 4584-4330. Sa Su. The restaurant of the winery serves rural Italian food. 
• Fazenda Montanhas do Japi, Estrada de Santa Clara, 5650 - Santa Clara, ☏ +55 11 4599-9072. Restaurant with cooking in wood stoves, serving food with locally produced ingredients and wines. 

Sleep

• Graffiti Palace Hotel, Rua do Rosário, 433 - Centro, ☏ +55 11 4521-0133, contato@graffitihotel.com.br. 
• Hotel Center Park, Avenida Jundiaí, 300 - Anhangabau, ☏ +55 11 4586-2000. Fitness center, restaurant, bar, and travel center. Doubles from R$350. 
• Travel Inn Saint Charles, Rua Vital Brasil, 60 - Anhnagabaú, ☏ +55 11 5081-8822. Singles from R$255.