Pavilhão da Maria Fumaça

Historic steam train pavilion housing a preserved 19th-century locomotive

A small heritage attraction in the centre of Guarujá, the Pavilhão da Maria Fumaça preserves a steam locomotive and related railway memorabilia from the era when the Santos-São Paulo railway was the most important in Brazil. The railway transformed the region, connecting the coffee-producing interior to the port and making Santos one of the busiest ports in South America.

The pavilion is a modest attraction by city standards, but it offers an interesting glimpse into the industrial history of the region. It is located close to the ferry terminal, making it easy to combine with the crossing to Santos.

things to do sight
A story
The pavilion's star exhibit is a steam locomotive known as the "Maria Fumaça" (Smoking Mary), the type of train that once hauled coffee from the São Paulo plateau down to the port of Santos. But the site has a darker connection: nearby is the former Grand Hôtel La Plage, where the Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont committed suicide in 1932, overcome by grief at seeing aircraft — his life's work — being used as weapons in a Brazilian civil war. A commemorative hearse that carried his body was also preserved here.